Music & Words 2025: An evening of choral celebration
- BT
- 10 minutes ago
- 3 min read
KUCHING, 30 November 2025: The 4th edition of Kuching City First Choir Association’s (KCFCA) annual concert Music and Words 2025 took place yesterday evening at i-CATS University College’s Dewan Tan Sri Aziz in Kuching, bringing together over 400 people for a night of uplifting choral music.
“This year’s theme, “The Sound of Our People,” is very close to my heart. Sarawak is a land of many cultures, languages and musical colours. Tonight, we bring these voices together — traditional, modern, classical, and contemporary — to show how music can honour where we come from while exploring new possibilities,” said KCFCA General Chairperson, Albert Poh in his welcoming remarks, which was read by Artistic Director of Music and Words 2025, George Tay. “Music & Words has grown into a platform where local musicians stand side by side with international friends, learning from one another and inspiring one another. It is my hope that tonight, you will feel the richness of our heritage and the freshness of new ideas coming together on one stage.”
Under the new theme, Music and Words 2025 celebrates the diverse ecosystem of Kuching’s local talent, bringing together choirs from various backgrounds to perform their own unique repertoire, offering them the freedom to express their true identities. The evening opened with KCFCA’s flagship ensemble, Jehté Chamber Choir, who performed ‘If Music be the Food of Love’ and ‘Ngana’, setting the emotional tone for the evening, followed by pop classics like ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’, ‘September’ and ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love with You’ by The Voice Lab.
Cindy Chen and Jonah Lim then delighted the crowd with ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ as a piano duet, before the Felis Catus Chamber Choir of Sekolah Seni Malaysia Sarawak took the stage. 43-members strong, the choir performed a number of songs in different languages, including ‘Medley Rakyat Sarawak’, ‘Lion King Medley’, ‘Rosas Pandan’ and ‘Janger’. Next up, the Cat City Chamber Choir, a collaborative effort between KCFCA and Prodigy Community Choir, made their debut with ‘Hotaru Koi’ and ‘A Taste of Borneo’.
The evening then commenced with a series of vocal performances, including ‘Nona Nona’ by Dr. Chong Pek Lin, Jonah Lim, Cindy Chin and Ahmad Deedat, and ‘Lean on Me’ and ‘Bagaikan Sakti’ by Lester Geres and Jasmine John. The Chung Hua Middle School No.1 Alumni Choir then took to the stage, mesmerizing the crowd with their renditions of ‘The Sky is Dark’ and ‘The Love Tree’. The Jehté Chamber Choir then took command of the stage once again, bringing the house down with ‘Lightning’ and ‘Singkap Siaga’.
The evening’s concluding performance then saw all the choirs coming together for a moment of vibrant celebration, with a performance of ‘May It Be’ from the Lord of the Rings, bringing the evening of choral celebration to an emotional close.
“Thank you for standing with us, singing with us, and believing in the power of choral music. That power is immense, and it allows us to unite, uplift, and inspire every soul present,” expressed Artistic Director of Music and Words 2025, George Tay.
