Choral Bridges - A Joint Presentation by The Philharmonic Society of Selanger and The Penang Philharmonic Chorus

By Dato' Danny Goon

The Heah Joo Seang Hall at St Xavier's Institution reverberated to beautiful voices from the combined efforts of the The Philharmonic Society of Selangor Choir (PSS) and The Penang Philharmonic Chorus (PPC) on the afternoon of Sunday, 6 July 2025.

It was a maiden collaboration between the two choral groups from Selangor and Penang to celebrate a style of music where the human voice is the sole musical instrument. It is rhythms, melodies and harmonies sourced only from the singers. It does require a high level of pitch accuracy, vocal control, and the ability to blend in with the other voices.

The relative experiences of the two choirs merit comments. The PSS is said to be one of the oldest and most established music societies in the country. Founded in 1958, it is as old as Malaya, and has gone on to forge a reputation for staging memorable productions of quality. Still, this is their first visit to the Pearl of the Orient. And they came with their A team. Led by PSS Chairman, Brenda James, the 79 performers were marshalled by Koh Tian Yi, Choir Director, and formed a formidable presence on stage. The PPC is the youngest ensemble under the Penang Philharmonic umbrella. It was formed in 2019 under the artistic direction of its Conductor, Mak Chi Hoe, and has grown into a dynamic and spirited community from all walks of life.

The visitors opened the show with A Million Dreams, written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul for the the musical, The Greatest Showman. Telling a story of ambition and dreams, it is formatted as a conversation between P T Barnum and his muse, Charity. The PSS's six offerings for the day included Only Time, by Enya, a reflection of healing over time which became a theme song for many overcome by the tragedy of September 11th.

The second half kicked off with the hosts, PPC, taking to the stage with Teddy Kalanda Harrison's Jambo Bwana, from the musical picture book, Songs on the Vanilla Trail. The PPC's 7 offerings ended with the familiar favourite, I'll Be There, recorded by the Jackson 5 in 1970, when Michael Jackson was merely 11. It got the audience unconsciously singing along to the chorus.

The finale saw both ensembles join forces on stage. The combined 132 voices delivered a lusty Baba Yetu by Christopher Ting, and an upbeat version of Bridge Over Troubled Waters, which again lulled the audience into mouthing their private versions, showing the quiet power of singing together. Having worked up their audience, the choruses responded to their cries of encore by filing down from stage to sen-surround the concert goers before bursting out Goodbye, My Friend, a traditional round song expressing well wishes and farewell. A pretty appropriate ending to a 90 minute choral extravaganza.

This collaboration will see Choral Bridges go 2.0 when the PPC singers travel to the Klang Valley the following weekend for another joint presentation, this time hosted by the PSS.