Primary Concert 2013: Broadway Here I Come!

by Nicholas Tan Hao Yu, Year 6 Terra, Class of 2018

All of us at Cempaka have been waiting in anticipation for the day of this great event - Primary Concert 2013! Both teachers and students have worked diligently to make sure this concert would be a success. In conjunction with this year being the 30th year since the founding of Cempaka Schools, a special theme, ''Broadway, here I come!'' was chosen. This year, we planned to use some of the numerous Broadway classics, and give a Cempakan tone to them. 

Jellicle cats - or should we say Cempakan Cats!

The concert was comprised of songs from Cats the Musical to Oliver to Annie and even Mary Poppins - some out of the many popular Broadway shows today. Pieces of music from Andrew Lloyd Webber's work were also staged. Not forgetting, some of our very own talented musicians performed the glorious music from The Sound of Music. It gave us a sense of pride to be performing what adult musicians, singers and dancers have done for these musicals. 

Phantom Of the Opera Medley - some of Andrew Lloyd Webber's greatest work

At first, when we started out concert practice, many of us did the math and we found that we had a month's time before the concert. One month! But still, many of us gritted out teeth and pushed on. With the mindset that "Nothing is impossible!", we practiced our very best until the day of the concert. Due to the limited spacing in the hall, we had to do the performances twice; once for the parents of the upper primary students, and once for the parents of the lower primary students.

Marry Poppins' lining up and getting ready for the show!

On the day of the concert, everything went smoothly. We were graced with the presence of our founder and mentor of Cempaka Schools, Dato' Freida binti Dato' Mohd Pilus as well as the chairman of Cempaka Damansara and Cempaka Cheras, Dr. Iskandar Rizal. Firstly, there was a prize-giving ceremony to honour the high achievers of the year. Prizes were presented to the top three students of each class and to all-rounded students. Certificates were also awarded to students for their participation in the World Education Games. Then, the concert began - or as said in Broadway, it was showtime!

Chim chimney chim chimney chim chim cheroo'! 

Everyone definitely performed with enthusiasm and much vigour, culminating all the hard work we had put into this concert into one spectacular performance. We took the audience on a roller coaster of a ride, through the brightly lit streets of the city that never sleeps, showing them the best of Broadway. It seemed like all of our effort certainly paid off. 

Annie and Oliver Medley

Just a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down!

When the stage lights turned off and the house lights on, the CPAC teachers could finally breath a sigh of relief that the concert was over, and the hall was filled with tumultuous applause. Parents were brought to their feet, clapping at the wonderful show, and none of us wished we were anywhere else but the North Hall, Cempaka Cheras. As a final flourish, all the students sang 'When I Grow Up', a song from the musical Matilda, ending the Primary Concert 2013 with a bang. 

Finale and a widescale view of the wonderful set

Photo credit : Ms Ann Salina