Friday April 13, 2007
Artistic accolades
Diversity is the resounding chord in the music category of the Boh Cameronian Arts Awards 2006.
By JASON CHEAH
WITH seven awards up for grabs in the music category of Kakiseni’s 5th Annual Boh Cameronian Arts Awards, one could be forgiven for thinking that there is still some confusion over the judging of the diverse groups in the running for this year’s awards.
Take the award for Best Original Composition, for example. Here, productions from a percussion group are pitted against the likes of an a cappella vocal group, a musical and an instrumental orchestral ensemble.
Chinese drum percussion ensemble Hands Percussion’s music director Bernard Goh, has been nominated a number of times the last few years. This year, his team’s “compositions”, Drumbeat Inferno and Emotions from the production Drum Slices, have both garnered nominations alongside the more “traditional” works such as Katryna Tan’s Water Dance (from All About Harps) and Lim Chuang Yik’s Broken Bridges, from the musical of the same name.
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Kakiseni’s Boh Cameronian Arts Awards music nominees (from back row, left) Bernard Goh (Hands Percussions), Brian Tan (KLPac Sinfonietta), James Boyle, Teng Ky-Gan and Lim Chuang Yik (Broken Bridges), Mimi Liau and Zalina Lee (The Wicked Pitches). |
Mimi Liau, from a cappella group The Wicked Pitches, voices the same thought too. The group is did not receive any nomination award this year. But previously, it was nominated alongside a gamelan ensemble for the Best Musical Direction award.
Even this year sees various acts pitted together: a musical (Broken Bridges), an orchestral/vocal production (Candlelight Christmas) presented by the KLPac Sinfonietta and choral group La Voce, as well as The Wicked Pitches production Mostly, We Moon.
“How do you judge voices against instrumental music?” Liau asks. “Perhaps what is needed is a clearer definition of judging criteria.”
Perhaps that isn’t so difficult for the three performance awards up for grabs, since the classifications are clearer. But one thing is clear about the awards – the recognition that comes with being nominated is an important factor.
Liau and fellow Wicked Pitches member Zalina Lee are nominated for for Best Group Performance (voice), Best Music Direction and Best Production Values for Mostly, We Moon, which also gets the nod for Cheong Whye Mun in Best Solo Performance (voice).
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Broken Bridges, a musical that re-enacted life in Ipoh in the 50s, has garnered the most nominations in the music category. |
Adds Brian Tan, the KLPac Sinfonietta resident conductor: “Being nominated makes me really proud of the players in the KLPac Sinfonietta. It was a big challenge for them.”
“The bottom line is that it was a great experience, and there is a level of recognition for those involved, so that can be only a good thing,” says James Boyle, music director for Lim Chuang Yik and Teng Ky-Gan’s musical, Broken Bridges. “It raises awareness that there is an award of this sort in the country, and it’s healthy competition.”
Lim adds: “We’re not worried about the criteria. This opens a lot of doors for us, and yes, being nominated is a feather in the cap for me.”
Broken Bridges garnered the most number of nominations in the music category: Best Group Performance (voice), Best Musical Direction, Best Original Composition, Best Production Values and Best Solo Performance (voice; for Colin Kirton).
“It’s not just about winning, it’s for the people. It’s nice when people validate your work,” Lee says.
The Boh Cameronian Arts Awards are given out annually to dance, music and theatre professionals for distinguished achievement in the performing arts.
Over 70 productions staged between Jan1 and Dec 31, 2006, were considered for the awards. Initially, 16 music productions were eligible for contention, but now, only seven remain in the running.
Nominees were selected by an independent committee of 38 dance, music and theatre professionals appointed by the BOH Cameronian Arts Awards Administration Committee.
Productions that were considered but not nominated are still eligible for the Kakiseni Audience Choice Award online poll. Check out www.kakiseni.com for details of the poll, nominations and judging criteria.
Kakiseni was founded in 2001 by Jenny Daneels and Kathy Rowland. Launched in 2002, the awards were created to raise the profile of the performing arts in Malaysia and honour the contribution of artistes in various fields
This year’s event will be held at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, on May 6.
LIST OF NOMINEES
Best group performance (instrumental)
Best musical direction
Best production values
Best solo performance (voice)
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