Cultural dancers rehearse their performance.
KUCHING (Sept 29): St Joseph’s Family of Schools (SJFS) Kuching in collaboration with Sarawak Arts Council (MSS) will be presenting ‘A Story of Ours: Us and Them’ at St Joseph’s Cathedral’s Archdiocesan Curia and Cathedral Pastoral Centre (ACCPC) here this weekend (Sept 29 and 30).
According to a news release, the two-day production will touch on current affairs and issues that the society is facing during these post-pandemic years.
It will feature the schools’ award-winning Chamber Choir, Chinese Orchestra, Concert Band, dancers and musicians who will treat the audience with a wide variety of performances ranging from traditional music and dances to contemporary pop music.
The production marks the first time SJFS is collaborating with MSS through the MySENI grant as part of the council’s initiative to promote and encourage the growth of local arts and culture.
SJFS chief executive officer Christopher Chua said the grant will enable the schools to further develop the talents of their students in performing arts.
“We see the performing arts as an integral part of our curriculum as it helps our students to develop creative self-expressions, confidence, collaboration, problem-solving and the ability to accept and leverage feedback, which are all critical life skills.
“This is definitely a positive step taken by MSS and the Sarawak government in developing future leaders for Sarawak,” he said, and expressed his gratitude to the state government and council for supporting the schools’ production.
Over the years, SJFS has left an indelible mark in the local performing arts scene.
The schools’ music, choral and dance groups have garnered recognition for their renditions of folksongs and music, spotlighting the creativity and talents of young Sarawakians and bringing our local music to the international stage.
In 2017, the schools’ staff and students rose to the challenge in bringing Sarawak’s history to life by writing, producing and staging their original musical production, ‘The White Rajah of Sarawak’.
The success of this brought about the restaging of the extended version of the original musical as part of the Rainforest World Music Festival in 2019.
As with the schools’ previous productions, the involvement of the students and staff of the three schools is pivotal at every stage during the upcoming production – from its conception to everything that happens on stage.
All proceeds from the upcoming production will go towards the schools’ new building that will house facilities for the performing arts such as a music studio and a dance studio along with a school hall and other learning spaces. This building is slated to begin construction soon.
Tickets for ’A Story of Ours: Us and Them’ are still available. Those who are interested in purchasing tickets may contact 082-414575 or 082-420575.
Alternatively, check out the schools’ production website at https://sites.google.com/stjosephkuching.edu.my/astoryofours2023/home for further details.