Miwako Fujiwara is leading the event, which will raise funds for NGOs. PHOTO SUPPLIED
Get ready for an evening of love, laughter, and heart-warming music as the Musica Felice choir presents a charity concert on April 30 at Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra.
“All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to two Cambodian charities: Kampuchea Sela Handicap and Empowering Youth in Cambodia,” said Valentin Dube, deputy director of Kampuchea Sela Handicap.
Kampuchea Sela offers community living and work preparation programmes to adults with intellectual disabilities, empowering them and allowing them to integrate into society.
Empowering Youth in Cambodia provides supplemental education, personal development, and community outreach to children and young adults living in the poorest communities of Phnom Penh.
“By joining the event, people will be supporting two good local causes, whilst enjoying musical performances in a grand ballroom,” said Dube.
“To put this concert together has required a lot of time, effort, and commitment. The performers have rehearsed in the evenings and at weekends for several months, on a volunteer basis,” he added.
Musica Felice is a renowned choir that was founded in 2016 by talented Japanese pianist Miwako Fujiwara.
This will be the 10th charity concert the choir has performed at the Sofitel’s grand ballroom, although they have performed twice in the hotel’s gardens.
“We have also performed in the lobby for the switching on of the Christmas lights, another great opportunity to raise funds for charity,” said Miwako.
The choir comprises enthusiasts from different parts of the world who share a passion for music.
Over the years, the choir has performed a wide range of genres, from classical to rock and pop, entertaining audiences and raising funds for various charitable causes in Cambodia.
“Musica Felice has donated $90,000 to various Cambodian groups and associations in its last five years of supporting the arts and charities in Cambodia,” Dube told The Post.
The concert promises to be a fun-filled choral journey through love and laughter, featuring music pieces from Mozart to Queen, and other popular artists.
Dube said this year’s concert will be slightly different to past performances. Whilst the choir will retain its core sound, this time will be fun exploration into some more light-hearted music.
“You can expect everything from soul to pop, and even an acapella arrangement of Mozart’s Alla Turca,” she added.
“We were inspired by the love and positivity of our recipient charities this year and wanted to share that message through our music,” she concluded.
Miwako, the director of Musica Felice, is a graduate of the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, Netherlands, and not only arranges piano pieces but also enjoys creating contemporary music for Khmer instruments.
She skilfully blends eastern instruments with western compositions, resulting in a unique musical experience.
Miwako has been working and living in Phnom Penh for 10 years with her Japanese husband, who is a UN official with the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), commonly known as the Khmer Rouge tribunal.
“The choir’s first performance took place in 2017, but I don’t know how many more years I can continue. Every time I do a show I believe it will be the last one, so I put all of my energy into this one-time-only concert,” she said.
“When I started this venture, I never imagined that it would become such a big event 6 years later. The audience, donations, and support from various embassies have increased, and from the side of planning and performing the event, I am grateful for everyone’s support, as it genuinely helps support Cambodia,” she added.
“The flower that fascinated me when I came to Cambodia was the Golden Shower. This time I choose a famous Japanese flower song ‘Sakura’. As a spring flower, its presence is a promise that can never be betrayed,” said Miwako.
“It blooms graciously every year. Spring gives us a strong sense of hope. I hope that the charity event, through our music, will become a concert that gives everyone hope and love too,” she told The Post.
She explained that it was difficult to find a venue when she first floated the idea, but Charles-Henri Chevet, general manager of Sofitel, accepted her idea.
“Anything difficult always feels troublesome, but as Beethoven said, ‘Difficult is beautiful’,” she said.
“It is possible to make a difference in the world, even if you start out small and contribute little by little. Step by step, I have realised this,” she added.
“In our last concert, we were very proud to perform with the Princess Buppha Devi Dance School in a collaboration which blended Western Classical music and Khmer traditional dance,” said Dube.
“Likewise, our April concert will be bringing together Asia and the West; in addition to soul, jive and rock, we will also be returning to Fujiwara’s roots, with some traditional Japanese sounds,” he added.
He made a point of offering his thanks to the event’s sponsors for their support.
“The April 30 show received generous contributions from the Hotel Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra, the British Embassy Phnom Penh, First Cambodia, Sathapana Bank, Grant Thornton, AISPP, Brite, Hybrid Advertising, and Sinath Sound and Bright Digital,” he said.
The event will run from 4.30pm to 6.30pm. Individual members are selling tickets, and posters for the event are on display throughout the city. East poster contains a QR code that can be used to purchase tickets. A premier seat is $25 and a standard adult seat is $12, with children under 12 paying $5. Children under 3 are free.
