Muhamad Yusri

I always feel that you cannot truly put a price on knowledge learned and it that the best way for it to be appreciated is to be shared.

Recently I participated in the Conducting Masterclass with Yeh Tsung expertly organised by Maestro Adrian Tan and beautifully supported by the Braddell Heights Symphony Orchestra. The masterclass has an international reach with participants from Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan. Under the keen eyes, ears and expert hands of Maestro Yeh Tsung, we were brought through Tchaikovsky’s 5th Symphony firmly and safely maneuvered each of the challenging passages in this amazing piece of work.

We began with a preview session with Maestro Yeh sharing his years of experience and going through the symphony. He checked on our basics; baton technique and posture. He gave us homework so that we would be prepared for the Chamber session before coming in front of the full orchestra. I felt his care and attention on us was more like coming from a father teaching his children rather than from a mentor guiding his students. It was warm and inspiring. I am glad I did Part 2 of the Woodlands Young Conductors Workshop with Maestro Yeh and I am looking forward to doing it again with him this year. I believed the participants benefited a lot from his guidance.

The Chamber session was both crucial and beneficial for us. We had the opportunity to rehearse on a smaller scale before conducting the full orchestra the day after. Some of my colleagues decided to do different movements for the chamber and full orchestra. I do see the benefits of covering more of the work but I felt by doing that, they were not able to work on and improve upon what was learned during the chamber session. I was glad that I managed to have a better grasp of a section in the 2nd movement and improved the technique required to pass through it. I still need to work on the size of my conducting. I guess when we don’t get reminded on a regular basis, we fall back upon what is comfortable. I really miss studying full-time…

I would like to thank my good friend, Maestro Adrian Tan and the fabulous Braddell Heights Symphony Orchestra for the support they have given to conductor training here in Singapore and the region. I am glad to have this opportunity to be part of and benefit from their efforts.