Our Programmes
We also run a crucial Community OutReach programme (CORe) which enables members of the underprivileged community to experience the magic of the performing arts. We conduct free talks, guided tours, performance training, theatre workshops and also provide complimentary tickets to performances. It aims to:
- Improve access to arts – enable them to experience it
- Enrich lives – bring colour back into their lives, lift their spirits & help them re-connect with society
- Personal development – equip them with skills like teamwork, leadership & communication
- Healing – arts can be a form of therapy for those who have suffered trauma by helping them to open up, express their hurt & come to terms with it
Backstage Bites
Join this all-access guided tour of Malaysia’s only fully-integrated arts centre.
Find out why this 120 year old building is an important historical landmark and what makes it an award-winning architectural icon. Explore areas normally off limits to the public such as the catwalk and step onto the very stage used by world class performers.
Ask our team any burning questions you may have!
You’ll be served a sumptuous local brunch, pre-packed for hygiene reasons, to enjoy anywhere on the grounds of klpac or to be brought home.
Places limited to 25 pax only. Backstage Bites is supported by Yayasan Sime Darby.
Enquiries: E-mail to [email protected] and [email protected]
FAQ
1) What language will the tour be conducted in?
It will be conducted in English. If you’ve a group of 20 pax who would like a tour in another language, do e-mail [email protected] and we will see if we can accommodate.
2) What should I wear?
Comfortable clothing and closed toe shoes must be worn for safety reasons (no heels, no sandals etc).
3) What should I be aware of?
You will need to have a reasonable level of fitness as the tour involves walking up and down stairs. Masks must be worn throughout & physical distancing must be ensured. Please read the health declaration portion in the registration form.
4) Can I take photos?
Certainly. We will allow time for you to take photos and recommend the best spots. However, video recording of the tour is not permitted. We will also have a photographer on hand.
5) Can children join Backstage Bites?
Yes if they are above 10 years old. Parents must be responsible for their own child. We may consider tours designed for children in the future.
6) What if I am late?
The tour will proceed as planned. If you are late, please alert our team (contact will be provided in reminder e-mail).
7) Which areas will be covered?
Each tour will differ depending on the space availability. We aim to cover as many areas as possible each time.
8) If I am a wheelchair user, can I join this tour?
We can tailor tours to wheelchair users. Or if you require other mobility considerations, do e-mail [email protected] if you’d like to explore.
9) What if I am diagnosed with Covid-19?
For the safety of others, you will not be able to join this event and we will refund you or allow you to swap to another edition down the road.
Past Tours
Theatre For Young People (T4YP)
In 2008, klpac launched its landmark youth theatre programme, Theatre for Young People (T4YP). It is driven by the idea that the arts can inspire creative, courageous and confident young people.
klpac’s T4YP programme provides those between 18 and 25 with almost 250 hours of intensive theatre training and mentorship with some of the industry’s top experts as well as performance opportunities in a professional space. Since 2008, 166 young thespians have benefited from the programme and T4YP has toured to Singapore and Russia. It has launched the careers of many theatre makers that are making waves in the industry today locally and internationally.
Entry to the programme is by audition only. Audition calls usually take place in the first quarter of the year. T4YP 2019 and 2020 season was enabled by Creador Foundation.
“The training might be ‘torturous’, but the current ensemble of Theatre for Young People (T4YP) is not complaining…despite the strict discipline, tough training and long hours they have to go to through over the next six months, all of them only have good things to say about being part of T4YP: ‘It shapes our character. By September, we will all be different people…’ Gregory Sze, T4YP alumni” The Star, 2009
TESTIMONIALS
Ho Lee Ching, T4YP Creative Producer
Ho Lee Ching started dabbling in the performing arts when she joined Joe Hasham’s Acting for Beginners in 2008 and realised how much she wanted to pursue it after being a part of Theatre for Young People (T4YP) 2012. She is currently the Theatre for Young People (T4YP) Creative Producer.
To date, she has collaborated with Mark Beau de Silva for T4YP – Family (2017) and Still Taming & S’kolah (2016). For Omar Ali’s Kandang (2017), she was tasked as the Director of Movement. She also recently played Chou Suu Feng in Tsao Yu’s Thunderstorm (2017) directed by none other than Dato’ Faridah Merican.
In September 2014, she had the opportunity to tour South Korea as part of Zak Zebra’s Malaysian Safari. Her other works include playing multiple characters in Sisa-Sisa (2015), the lead in The Taste of Water (2015), a short monologue performance – Aku Nak Jadi Bintang (2015) and Three Doors (2015) as part of klpac’s 10th Anniversary Director Showcase. She was also in Zak Zebra’s African Safari at klpac (2015), Never Eat Too Much Before Rapture (2014,2013), Marrying Me the Musical (2013), Romeo and Juliet (2013), Through the Looking Glass (2012), Dinnertime(2012), Heart’s Desire (2012) and Ismail, the Last Days (2008).
Past Productions
klpac Orchestra
The notion of a community orchestra is very much in keeping with the vision of The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (klpac), which is to foster creative excellence and develop and nurture performing arts culture in Malaysia.
Driven by the obvious need for a community orchestra to cater for the growing numbers of classically trained music students and amateurs, the first auditions were held in October 2006. The klpac Orchestra’s debut concert in December 2006 was Candlelight Christmas, conducted by the Orchestra’s founder and klpac’s first Music Director & Resident Conductor, the late Mr. Brian Tan. Since then, hundreds of musicians have been a part of the klpac Orchestra and its many concerts throughout the years. It is currently under the leadership of Mr. Lee Kok Leong.
In setting up the orchestra, klpac hopes to provide enriching and engaging musical experiences for people with varying musical backgrounds, in an environment that promotes fellowship and respect. The founding of the klpac Orchestra provides more opportunities for aspiring musicians, amateur or professional while helping to promote orchestral music.
Resident Music Directors:
Mr. Brian Tan (2006 – 2011)
Dr. Takahisa Ota (2012-2014)
Mr. Lee Kok Leong (2015 – Present)
Lee Kok Leong, Resident Conductor & Music Director
Kok Leong began his foray into the local orchestra scene as a violist. He has been involved in several orchestras including Friends of Strings Chamber, National Symphony Orchestra (NSO), Galaxy Chamber Orchestra, klpac Orchestra, Penang Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO), Kuala Lumpur City Hall Orchestra and RTM Orchestra. He is also actively involved in sacred classical concerts organised by Yin Qi.
He made his conducting debut with Galaxy Chamber Orchestra in 2005 and was appointed Resident Conductor from 2007 to 2011. In 2010, he became the training conductor for the klpac Orchestra under the tutelage of the late Brian Tan, then Resident Conductor and Music Director of the orchestra. Later, he received conducting masterclasses from renowned pianist and conductor Elaine Pao.
As the conductor of Friends of Strings Chamber since 2014, he conducts their annual concert.
Besides conducting, he is frequently engaged in ensemble playing and sharing his passion for music with his friends. He has been the Music Director and Resident Conductor of the klpac Orchestra since 2015.
Past Productions
klpac Symphonic Band
klpac Symphonic Band was formed in 2009. Like the klpac Orchestra, it is a community-oriented initiative aimed at providing a platform for wind and brass musicians to hone their skills and perform regularly. It was established to fill a gap in the local music scene where many wind and brass players who started playing during their schooling years were left with no avenue to continue after graduating. The band debuted with Friendship in Concert in 2009. It is currently under the leadership of Cheryl Mah.
PAST CONCERTS
Oct 2020 October Pop
Dec 2019 Ultimate Music Crawl
June 2019 Let’s Rock 2
March 2019 Sunny Side Up
December 2018 Ticket to Ride
November 2017 Let’s Rock
May 2017 Salam Konnichiwa
December 2016 Much Ado About Shakespeare
June 2016 Everything Japanese
December 2015 Godzilla Eats Las Vegas @ klpac… Burp!
June 2015 Happy Birthday Concert
November 2014 Halloween Hantu Ball
May 2014 A Bit of This, A Bit of That
November 2013 Let’s Go European
June 2013 3 Conductors, An Uncommon Journey
September 2012 Change
November 2011 Dance in Symphony
November 2010 Big & Brassy
October 2009 Friendship in Concert
klpac Symphonic Band Committee for Year 2022
Executive Producer: Dato’ Dr. Faridah Merican
Artistic Director: Joe Hasham OAM
Resident Conductor / Music Director / President: Cheryl Mah
Vice President: Chris Lai Su Theng
Secretary: Chrissie Kuan Yu H’ng
Treasurer: Lai Pak Kin
Orchestra Manager: Soo Choy Wah
Librarian: Pah Chee Choong, Chris Wong Ken Lun
Publicity Team
Content Creation Leads & Researchers: Aaron Chin Why Honn, Gan Gi Cheng, Low Kim Hoe
Video Editors: Loh Ryan Benz, Chong Tao Xin
Graphics Designer: Joey Chew Jun Cheng, Kwk Wai Jem
Social Media Manager / Publicity: Chew Sze Gee
Section Leaders for Year 2022
Flute: Chew Sze Gee
Clarinet: Lai Pak Kin
Saxophone: Ian Chan
French Horn: Jon Handley
Trumpet: Yeow Boon Sim
Trombone: Mustaqim Abdullah
Euphonium & Tuba: Chris Wong Ken Lun
Percussion: Bryan Cheah Zi Hau, Lee Si Yuan
Cheryl Mah, Resident Conductor & Music Director, klpac Symphonic Band
Graduated from Elder Conservatorium of Music (Australia) with concurrent majors in Piano Performance and Music Education, Cheryl Mah completed Performance-based Master Degree in Conducting and Directorship from Salford University (England, UK) under tutelages of Professor Dr. David King and the late Dr. Roy Newsome, specializing in Brass Band Conducting.
An active music educator, Cheryl conducts UCSI University Orchestra (Malaysia) in regular concert performances, and has been the creative director and resident conductor of the award-winning ensemble Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (klpac) Symphonic Band since 2011.
Apart from directing various ensembles, Cheryl co-founded the Birdian Saxophone Quartet in 2000, based in Kuala Lumpur, where she plays the baritone saxophone. The quartet initiated the “Chamber Wind Project” since 2012, featuring distinguished chamber wind ensembles from the region. An up-to-date of five instalments have since received significant recognition in promoting the growth of wind chamber playing to the wider community.
Past Productions
klpac String Orchestra
The idea of having a String Ensemble was planted back in 2010. With more and more players picking up an instrument from a young age, klpac decided it was time to reach out to these young musicians. The idea was swiftly cemented and the klpac String Ensemble was formed in September the same year with its youngest member aged only nine. The klpac String Ensemble debuted with Fantastikal Strings in April 2011 under the baton of Dr. Takahisa Ota. It is currently under the leadership of Andrea Sim. In 2017, the klpac String Ensemble was renamed klpac String Orchestra as the group grew.
Resident Music Directors:
Dr Takahisa Ota (2012-2014)
Mr Norman Ong (2015 – 2020)
Ms Andrew Sim (2021 – Present)
Andrea Sim, Resident Conductor & Music Director
Andrea Sim is a diverse musician whose passion for music extends to its many disciplines, leading to her appointment as music director and principal conductor of the klpac String Orchestra in 2021.
Her orchestral experience includes playing as concertmaster for the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, UCSI University Orchestra and klpac Orchestra, and she has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO), Kamerata Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur City Opera Orchestra, Yin Qi Festival Orchestra, Selangor Symphony Orchestra, and the Vienna Young Artist Orchestra in Vienna.
It is Andrea’s belief that music should be shared and experienced by people all over, inspiring the very first UCSI University Orchestra tour in 2018 which she organised and led. The following year, she also conducted the orchestra during UCSI University’s Institute of Music’s showcase. She is passionate about education, and has been the assistant orchestra coach for the Eugene Pook Orchestra Academy, a pre-camp tutor for the Miri Tutti Project 2.0 Outreach Program in Miri, Sarawak, and led the violin and string sectionals of the UCSI University Orchestra during her two years as concertmaster. She has also been invited to give a violin masterclass for the violinists of the NSO’s Genius Seni Muzik programme.
Andrea graduated with first class honours on a full scholarship from UCSI University’s Institute of Music with a Bachelor of Classical Music (Hons) degree majoring in classical violin performance under the tutelage of Mr. Ergys Koni and studied in Vienna’s Prayner Konservatorium with Anna Kandinskaya and Barbara Gorzynsky. She is currently under the conducting mentorship of Mr. Lee Kok Leong.
Past Productions
Short + Sweet Malaysia Festival
SHORT+SWEET MALAYSIA began with a 10-minute theatre festival in 2008 and dance was added in 2009. And in 2010, musical theatre was welcomed to the SHORT+SWEET Malaysia family! In 2012, we had some brand new laughs with stand-up comedy as well as a Penang edition of the festival! 2013, welcomed the newest member to the family, SHORT+SWEET SONG, and in year 2014, the musical theatre category has expanded to include an additional week and its own gala night! 2015, we had new categories for SHORT+SWEET, choral and classic. In 2018, we welcomed Short+Sweet Junior Dance and 2019 we had a whole new category for SHORT+SWEET which is Short+Sweet FILM Malaysia.
SHORT+SWEET is the biggest short play festival in the world that first started at the Newtown Theatre in Sydney in 2002. Today each major city in Australia boasts its own SHORT+SWEET festival. Internationally, the festival has hit Singapore, New Zealand, India, Dubai, United Kingdom, United State of America and of course Malaysia!
SHORT+SWEET is a fantastic platform to showcase both veteran and emerging talents in a highly collaborative and professional environment. It will showcase 10-minute plays, dance pieces, musicals, stand-up comedies and songs by some of the most exciting writers, directors, actors, choreographers, dancers, composers, lyricists, musicians, comedians and singer-songwriters. The content is original, presented in all Malaysian languages and assessed by specially invited judges from various industries as well as the audience.
Past Productions
Yayasan Sime Darby Arts Festival
The Yayasan Sime Darby Arts Festival (YSDAF) is the largest free-for-all arts festival in Malaysia. Presented by Yayasan Sime Darby and The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (klpac), it takes place once every two years.
YSDAF is proud to feature almost entirely local talent. Nowhere else will you be able to sample such a wide variety of what the local arts scene can offer from the traditional to the contemporary, dance to theatre, mainstream to the experimental. And by sample we don’t mean just performances but hands on workshops, demonstrations, installations, screenings and more.
What sets it apart besides its scale is that it offers a highly engaging and interactive festival experience that is unrivalled locally.
The Festival also aims to be inclusive by having a diverse representation in its line up and by also engaging different communities including under-served communities. It is possibly the first festival crew that has received Disability Equality Training (DET) and Disability-Related Services Training (DRST).
Themed “Shout It Out: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow”, YSDAF 2020 aims to celebrate all things Malaysian.
