Khmer Coloratura Soprano sings Sin Sisamouth and Norodom Sihanouk - BosbaPANH - News

Winds of Angkor - Premiere in Phnom Penh on Aug 8, 2010

Sun, 01 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0700

“WINDS OF ANGKOR” – A NEW MUSICAL BY BRITISH COMPOSER SARAH O’BRIEN

CAMBODIA CAST

Jessica Pennington......................................................Mai
David Nett...................................................................Alex
Amara Chhin-Lawrence.....................................Sopheap
Jean-Baptiste Phou...................................................Chan
Roberto Perlas Gomez...................................Ratha Sam
BosbaPANH.................................................child prisoner

Choreography by Maritza Navarro
Lighting and Projections by Bryan Faris
Video Direction by Melissa Holt
Audio Design by Wolfgang Aichholz

On August 8^th at Chatomuk Theatre, highlights from the new musical “Winds of Angkor” will be presented as part of CLA’s Cambodian Youth Arts Festival. British composer Sarah O’Brien will introduce the piece which will be performed by an international cast and Cambodian artists including Amara Chhin-Lawrence, Jean-Baptiste Phou, Chamnap Nou, contemporary dancer Belle, and young soprano Bosba Panh. A children’s chorus from Seametrey Children’s Village will also perform, under the direction of Muoy You.

“Winds of Angkor” is set in contemporary Cambodia, with flashbacks to the Khmer Rouge regime of the late 1970s. The story chronicles a forbidden love affair between prisoners of the Khmer Rouge, and its impact on a Western journalist who falls in love with a survivor of the regime. The double love story is told through music and dance, and specially designed video projections, created in Hollywood, USA.

Letters exchanged between prisoners of the Khmer Rouge regime were discovered in Tuol Sleng (S-21) archives and became the inspiration for ‘Winds of Angkor’ after they were featured in a British newspaper in the late 1990s. Over the next ten years Sarah visited Cambodia several times to research the piece. She also got involved with the Cambodian community of Long Beach, California as she developed a musical score that combines traditional Cambodian elements with Western-style symphonic elements. Last summer Sarah had the opportunity to film excerpts from the show which can be viewed at www.youtube.com/windsofangkor.

“We are very excited and honoured to perform for the first time in Cambodia!” says composer Sarah O’Brien. “The cast and crew of Winds of Angkor have worked for many years to develop the piece and we are all grateful to CLA for this incredible opportunity. We are also looking forward to meeting the other participants and learning more about Cambodian culture. It will be a unique collaboration and everyone has been practicing very hard in their home countries. When it all comes together it will be a dream come true, and something very special that we hope the audience will enjoy.”

One of the songs will feature Bosba Panh in a role that was specially written for a child to perform. Bosba will rehearse with Amara before joining the cast when they arrive from Los Angeles and Paris.

Plans to stage a full production in Cambodia and major cities internationally are currently under discussion. Profits will benefit ongoing development in Cambodia and Cambodian communities around the world.

“Winds of Angkor” is currently supported by STEAM Int’l Inc – (Service through Entertainment, Art & Music) – a 501 (3)(c) non-profit production company established by the composer.

For more information and sponsorship opportunities, please contact:

Sarah O’Brien

contact@windsofangkor

www.windsofangkor.com

Concert "The Young Sopranos" on June 25, 2010

Sat, 15 May 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Bosbapanh will perform with OH Dabeen, 16 years old, Korea and LEE Seul, 21, Korea. The three young sopranos will sing Italian opera and Khmer classics.

bosbaPANH

bosbaPANH is a Khmer soprano age 13. She has been performing since the age of 8. Her latest concert, Our Mothers, took place in October 2009 at Chaktomuk Hall and drawing double the capacity of the theater. She has already released 3 CD albums, 5 single albums and 2 DVDs. She sings “phleng cheewit”or songs for life from Cambodia and an international repertoire. She plays piano, guitar and violin and has been trained by Khmer and international teachers from China, the Philippines and Japan. She has been coached by Korean soprano Kim Myungsil for the past year to learn western classical music techniques. Bosbapanh is a student at the French Lycee Rene Descartes of Phnom Penh and has two brothers who are also artists. (www.bosbapanh.com)

OH Dabeen

Dabeen is 16 years old and has received vocal lessons from soprano Kim Myungsil since 2006. She is a ninth grader at the French Lycee Rene Descartes of Phnom Penh. She is preparing herself to enter one of the best highschool in Paris and to continue to study music at the Conservatoire de Paris.

LEE Seul

Seul is 21 years old and has been studying music and singing for several years. She has been coached by soprano Kim Myungsil since early this year to prepare for music competitions. This October, she will enter the Conservatory of Music in Italy.

Soprano KIM Myungsil

Teacher Myungsil received a diploma in vocal studies from Verdi Conservatory in Italy. She graduated from Reggio Calabria Academy (Italy). She won prizes at the Torino competition and performed as a solist in several concerts in Bolzano, Trento, Milano, Monza. Her repertoire includes Mozart, Donizetti, Bellini, Rossini’s opera and special opera buffa. Joining her husband, she is now living in Cambodia and has established Cantabile, a group of professional vocalists in Phnom Penh. She is teaching shalom music class in Phnom Penh.

More information: Kim Myungsil 092-761-101

Launch of DVD "Neak Me - Our Mothers" April 10, 2010

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0700

SCREENING AND DEBATE : RESURGENCE OF A MUSICAL CULTURE IN THE KINGDOM OF WONDER:
BETWEEN PRESERVATION AND EVOLUTION ?

ORGANIZED FOR THE LAUNCH DVD OF THE NEAK ME - OUR MOTHERS CONCERT
& 60-MN DVD DOCUMENTARY ON THE BEHIND-THE-SCENES STORY
AT MONUMENT BOOKS - SATURDAY 10 APRIL 2010 — 4:00 PM

A screening and debate will be held on Saturday, 10 April 2010, at 4 pm at Monument Books on “Resurgence of a musical culture in the Kingdom of Wonder: between conservation and evolution?” or how to achieve a balance between conservation (apireak) and evolution (apiwat) of traditional Cambodian music and dance.
This debate will be led by bosbaPANH’s Artistic Director, Panh Meng Heang, and a number of leading Cambodian performers. The debate takes place during “bosbaPANH week” organized by Monument Books from 3-10 April 2010 for the launch of bosbaPANH’s two new DVDs.

The first DVD is the two-hour October 2009 concert, Neak MÃª — Our Mothers, which showcased the talents of then-12-year old soprano bosbaPANH, and 100 other accomplished Cambodian musicians. The concert was a remarkable success, drawing double the capacity of Chaktomuk Hall.

Raoul Jennar, a French researcher, said of the concert: “It was a beautiful concert -- profoundly Khmer but through the selection of songs, also international. I was very impressed to see one so young and so talented”. Secretary of State for Tourism, HE So Mara, added: “We are promoting Cambodia as the Kingdom of Wonder. bosbaPANH is one of our wonders. She helps promote our country and will inspire other young artists”.

The second DVD is a 60-minute ”˜behind the scenes’ documentary made during rehearsals and the Neak MÃª — Our Mothers concert. This offers a unique insight into the challenges of bringing together a large and wide range of performers, and explains their motivation in working with a much younger artist. A Khmer classical dance group and five very different orchestras came together for the concert — mohori, pinpeat, popular, western classic, and a brass band.

The April 10 screening and debate marks the end of bosbaPANH Week at Monument Books. An exhibition from 3 to 10 April gives bookstore visitors an opportunity to learn more about the 13-year old performer. Photographs of bosbaPANH, music sheets and musical instruments used in the Neak MÃª concert will be displayed along with bosbaPANH’s traditional and modern stage costumes.

During the Neak MÃª — Our Mothers concert, which was about the dedication and love of mothers, bosbaPANH sang a wide range of songs from an international and Khmer repertoire. Songs included Concierto de Aranjuez; Ave Maria; La Vie en Rose; Summer Time; traditional Khmer Mohori; and the elegant songs of King Father Norodom Sihanouk and of Khmer golden voice, Sin Sisamout.

The DVD set, presented in an unusual format (a large square bag), offers high quality of design and film editing and demonstrates efforts in disseminating Khmer music with sub-titles in Khmer, French and English. It contains: the two DVDs and an attractive 24-page booklet in English and Khmer. This is illustrated with historic photographs, and gives the narration for the concert as well as the lyrics to selected songs. These old photographs take us back to Phnom Penh in the 1940s, showing the now disappearing colonial buildings, rural landscapes, clothing styles, and other evocative images from a happier past.

The DVD pack, which is priced at $20, is available at a number of locations in Phnom Penh: Monument Books on 111 Norodom Boulevard; Monument Books’ branch at the airport; the three branches of Café Sentiment and Malis Restaurant. Monument Books is also selling the DVD pack at its branches in Siem Reap and at the city’s airport.

Starting a music school in Phnom Penh

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Patrick and Louise Marty have a music school in Paris, called Atelier Musical des Trois Tambours. It is located in "La Goutte d'Or", they say it is a difficult neighborhood and they use music as a way to get harmony between the different communities. They teach to 200 children and adults. That's how they came to know Cambodia three years ago: one of the children was Cambodian and they became friends of her parents. They visited here and we met, they discussed many things with my parents: the difficulty to find music teachers for me, and that there were no school for children to learn about music. They came back this year to see if this was possible to start a small school, maybe with only 30 or 40 children. Because you will need to find the teachers, the music instruments, the place, and how to pay for all this without always asking for charities. We worked with the children of Seametrey School, a Montessori School run by Mouy You. That's a very very nice school with lots of trees and no cars (because it is in a very very small street). Patrick and Louise met with my teachers, they met with many people. They also taught me how to give my first lessons of guitars to students ! It was fun and I worked hard for 10 days with them and 5 students. It is not easy to be a teacher but you are so happy when they can finally pinch properly the string and give you a note. My parents and the Martys decided that despite the difficulties, we should try to do something so that we can get more children to learn music. They did not had the chance I had, the private lessons are very expensive and we never have the chance to play with other musicians. The plan is to open the school - or should we say an atelier, as this will be very small to start with ! - by October 2010. There are more information on the website, check out ! : www.musicschool-cambodia.com

Cover of F Magazine

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800

I am on the cover of F magazine, the fashion magazine for their February-March issue. This coincides with my 13th birthday. A big date as this means I have completed my 12-year cycle and entering the new one this Saturday. Dad has agreed that we go to Chaya's resort, with some of my friends and also our whole family will be here as Sibxy is back from Beijing for a month-break.

He is helping me start my Chinese lessons, I am learning at distance as there is no Chinese teacher at the Lycee Descartes. I am still doing well at school this quarter, my friends say "I am a robot" and it makes me laugh. Actually, it is easy to get good notes, you just need to work a lot and know well your lessons. With the internet, I also try to find more information about the topics we are discussing. I understand why my Dad decided that I would go to the French school and learn English at a young age. If I knew only Khmer, I would not have access to books, to knowledge on the internet and other things.

I put the article of F Magazine in the photo gallery. I look older than I am! The thing I liked most was the photo session, because everybody was so relaxed (especially Franco and Mao, they are always clowning around), the weather was cool and we enjoyed the garden. We had sandwich-pate et soft drinks, miamm... so good. In the photo gallery, there are also some photos that Dad took of us when preparing for the photo shots.

Free musical workshop for Children 20 Feb-2 March 2010

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800

L'Atelier des Trois Tambours is a private association created by Louise and Patrick Marty to provide music education in a disadvantaged neighborhood in Paris (la Goutte d'Or where you have a large community of immigrants and the Government did not take care of this quarter very much).

They train children but also adults in musical instruments and in choir. Louise and Patrick are musicians themselves and have three daughters who are musicians. Many years ago, they started a musical school in Benin. I think great ideas come up from meeting so many people at the Atelier des Trois Tambours. So two years ago, Louise and Patrick came to Phnom Penh to meet with friends here, and we were introduced to each other. Now they would love to start a school here as well.

To see if it is possible to start such school, we are helping them put up a training workshop and invite children (from 8 to 15 years old) and music teachers to come for training from February 20th to March 2nd, 2010. Teachers attend the full day training and children come in the afternoon.

If you are a musician or a teacher, contact my dad at bosbapanh@online.com.kh or 855-12 634 811 to get more information. You have to apply before February 12th (but if you apply late but you are really motivated, I am sure Dad will find a way for you).

Join and we will play / learn together, lots of fun and hard work. This will be a great start to have a music school for children in Cambodia.

Time for love, time for sharing

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0800

A sister from Don Bosco School said that the celebration of Christmas is the time for love, time for sharing, time for giving. I would like to share this thought with you and wish you a wonderful and prosperous new year 2010. In particular, I have a special thought for pou (uncle) LENG Chanthorn, who has suffered a cerebral embolism. He played drums on my last CD, the song "La Vie en Rose". I have discussed with Dad and to help him we will sell 100 CDs of la Vie en Rose and give the money to him so he can pay for his hospital fees. I hope he will get better soon.

Neak Me - Concierto De Aranjuez

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

I have received many emails and comments that of the 22 songs I did during the concert, the one they preferred is "Neak Me" (our mothers). We are three to play acoustic guitar on this famous melody that Spanish composer Joaquim Rodrigo wrote in 1939, in the turmoil of the Second World War. When he composed this song, it was to evoke both the happy days before the war and the tragedies that follow. In the concert, I sing this song to announce the imminent drama of a family of teachers. It recalls the story of my grand mother, when she had to leave her village because the French rulers have redesigned the frontiers and when she died we don't know where after the evacuation of Phnom Penh. She was the pillar of the family and witnessed the death of most of our family members. Uncle Rithy and auntie Lackhana told us she was the last to die. I have never met her. That's why tears always come to my eyes each time I sing this song.

Neak MÃª
Over the mountains, Across the rivers
Through the thunder - Neak MÃª
The wind brings back our words
Our screams - Neak MÃª
At sunset the junk leaves the port
The grand river
Kompong Tonle whimpers
Neak MÃª
Now the temple is beyond repair
No roof left, all swallowed by fire.
To meditate too much
On the passing seasons
We store up years
Since this early morning of April
When they arrived
Yelling, singing, aiming
Writing on walls
They shot and they wrote
Words that made us tremble.
Neak MÃª
The vines of roses grow from these stains

And on these walls, blood-red petals
Break out every April
The roses climb among the bruises
And turn so red that they pierce us.
Neak MÃª
The well is dry and empty - Neak MÃª
Rice fields are burnt by the sun
During the parched season of April
Counting the rythm of the seasons
Dozens of years pile up
Since these early hours of April
When they arrived
Their chests covered with roses
Like deaf-mutes
Barefoot, with tense bodies
In their fiery eyes
Begins the strange smile
of the powerful - Neak MÃª
One can guess the trails of blood
So violently red on these wall
But these are only roses.
Neak MÃª, my love.

A Successful Concert "our Mothers"

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The concert “Our Mothers” is now over. We had a lot of people coming to see us, many could not find a seat but at the end, everybody was very happy so I think we played well.

I liked the stage, it was as if we were in a garden, with fifty freshly cut banana trees bearing their fruits, palm leaves, coconut branches, more than one thousand lotus flowers. I did not had the feeling we were in Chaktomuk. On the sides, there were projections of old postcards from the early 20th century.

It took us a lot of work to prepare this one, so many rehearsals and I sung 22 songs. That’s almost the double of what I did in 2007.

We have been rehearsing for six months three times a week with one big gathering every Sunday. Dad assembled 5 orchestras for this concert: khru Yon Theara mohori traditional group, khru Soy Saret pinpeat traditional orchestra, Mao Moni Brass Band, Put Thea folklore group and our semi-classical band. Em Theay and her family oversaw the dance scene of Sibxy, my elder brother.

I like working with the khru (it means “masters”), they taught me what they know with a lot of affection. They also provided a lot of attention for Panhlauv, my younger brother, who is the younger among us.

We were lucky that a big hotel let us use their ballroom for our Sunday rehearsal. We were about 100 every time.

Sponsors provided lunch but once, we also used the hotel staff canteen and it was so fun. I will miss these Sundays with all the artists. We were relaxed and had really a good time. Sibxy has been for once able to join us. We chose the date of the concert to match his holidays (Chinese National Day). In this photo, he is dancing "Krong Reap adbucting Neang Seida". Khru Soy Saret and Khru Tiara mohori orchestras did marvels, especially ta Pruong playing drums.

We have launched during the concert the third CD “La Vie en Rose”, it has a nice song booklet that Jojo and Dino from Phibious designed for me.So many friends helped us during this concert.

But what I like most is still the end of the concert”¦ because now we can go on a week end at the seaside with all the musicians.

For me the only thing that went wrong during the concert is that our maid stole my laptop on the day of the performance when we were too busy. All my school lessons are on there and I use it to compose music. Two years ago when we were preparing for the concert, Dad has his video camera stolen but has been able to recover at the pawn shop against $400. I don’t understand why they do like this. These are people who are so close to us, see us work so hard”¦ but still have the cold heart to steal.

What I am preparing now is a trip to Singapore for this December. I am one of the two Cambodian athletes selected to join the Singapore 2010 Friendship Camp which is part of the Youth Olympic Games. More than 170 countries will send their representatives. As for my next big concert, I think maybe in two years. For now, I think it would be nice if we could play “Our Mothers” in some ASEAN cities.

Grand Concert BosbaPANH on Friday 9th October 2009 at Chaktomuk Hall

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Announcing
2-HOUR LIVE PERFORMANCE OF SOPRANO BOSBAPANH
“OUR MOTHERS”
AND LAUNCH OF 3RD CD ALBUM

CHAKTOMUK HALL
FRIDAY 9TH OCTOBER 2009 — 7:00 — 9:00 PM

Contact
Panh Meng Heang
La Companie bosbaPANH
bosbapanh@online.com.kh — www.bosbapanh.com

Phnom Penh, 27 August 2009 - bosbaPANH, Khmer coloratura soprano age 12, will give a unique two-hour performance at Chaktomuk Hall, Phnom Penh, on Friday 9th October 2009. She will launch her third CD Album “La Vie en Rose”.

This is the third concert of bosbaPANH, after the Raffles Hotel Le Royal in 2006 to launch her first album “ Phnom Penh” at the age of 9 and Chaktomuk Hall in 2007 for her second album “SrorMay” when she was 10 years old.

The Concert “Our Mothers” is celebrating the love and dedication of mothers. As bosbaPANH enters adulthood she remembers her grand mother’s role in her family, is called to observe the life and responsibilities of Cambodian women.

Set in the mid 20th century, the story starts with an exploratory journey of a family of teachers from their province to the capital city of the Kingdom. The French are debating about their civilizing mission in Indochina and this family will need to relocate. This is the first time the Mother has traveled, and her discoveries in Phnom Penh are relived in a number scenes through pictures, music, dance and song that recreate what the Mother experienced in traveling up the slow moving Mekong to Kampuchea Achariya, the Kingdom of Wonder. At the end of the journey, the Mother will need to decide if the family will start a new life in Phnom Penh.

bosbaPANH interprets a repertoire songs, images and dance to describe the mother’s first journey. The scenes evolve from the hopelessness of war, to the slow moving river and stately sugar palm trees, to happy children singing on their way to rural school. As the boat moves upstream, she is charmed by the tranquility of lush, green rice fields. On arriving in Phnom Penh, she glances at the beautiful women dancing the ramvong in a park, on a Sunday afternoon. She sees how love can transform women and also shatter them when it fails. Through these different portraits, the concert is finally a tribute to mothers, the foundation of our families and our society.

The concert will include a range of classical pieces such as Concierto Di Aranjuez, Ave Maria; the elegant songs of King Father Sihanouk; traditional mohori Khmer lullabies, and other eternal songs from an international repertoire such as la La Vie en Rose.

The highlight of the concert is a piece of Ramayana dance where her brother Sibxy Na Panh dances the Yeak, the evil giant, while bosbaPANH sings. The act tells the story of Krong Reap, aducting Princess Sita to be his wife. Sibxy Na Panh expresses the violence of the Powerful when they want a woman or gain more power.

The concert features also happy scenes with songs from the legendary Khmer musicians Sin Sisamouth, Pen Ron, Ros Sereysothea. Among the eternal Khmer pop songs are: Mlop Po Bakheing (Under the Banyan Tree of Bakeng), Vea Cha Chab Meas (Golden Bird), Apsara (King Father Norodom Sihanouk).

bosbaPANH surprises with her dramatic rendition of foreign songs interpreted in Khmer. Among these: La Vie En Rose, a 1946 love song by French singer Edith Piaf which has been interpreted by famous artists worldwide from Louis Armstrong to Luciano Pavarotti and Grace Jones. Piaf’s life symbolizes both resilience in the face of adversity and the triumph of talent and love; and Summertime, an aria composed by George Gershwin for the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess. The song soon became a popular jazz standard. bosbaPANH uses this languid jazz melody for a daughter crying over her mother who left to be a bar girl.

The two-hour performance is organized by La Compagnie bosbaPANH with the support of Cambodia Mekong Bank Public Limited (MekongBank) and American Express Company.

Our thanks also go to: Almond Hotel, Feeling Home, DYSCOPE design; InnoAds, Magazine la Reine Fashion and Lifestyle, International Institute of Cambodia, Canadia Bank, T&C restaurants, Somarita Restaurant, Naga World, PPMl outdoor advertising, Kambuja Fashion, Societe Concessionnaire des Aeroports, Phibious Advertising Company.

Tickets for the concert are available at Monument Books, T&C outlets, BB World, Pizza World. Exclusive seating 15$; Premium Seating: 10$ and general seating $5.

More about our partners:

MekongBank
MekongBank has been an important member of the Cambodian financial community since 1994. With branches and offices in Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, and Siem Reap, we provide a full range of banking services to businesses and individuals throughout the country. MekongBank was the first financial institution in Cambodia to issue credit cards in its own name and remains a leader in that fast growing sector of the banking business. MekongBank is the exclusive issuer of the American Express Card in Cambodia and the only commercial bank in the country to offer all four major international cards. MekongBank is also a founding member of the Easy Cash domestic ATM network, which provides convenient access to banking services for a large number of Cambodian banking customers.

American Express
American Express Company is a diversified worldwide travel, financial and network services company, founded in 1850. It is a world leader in charge and credit cards, Travelers Checks, travel and business services. Since 1996, American Express has been pursuing a strategy of opening its merchant network and card product portfolio to third party issuers around the world. By leveraging its global infrastructure and the powerful appeal of the brand, American Express has gained even broader reach for its network worldwide. American Express has now established 129 partnerships in 129 markets across the world.