Homecoming – An Interview with Concordia Quartet | The Flying Inkpot

ROMANTIC TRAVELOGUES: Concordia Quartet’s Malaysia Tour Homecoming Concert plays on Saturday 27 July 20024, 7.30pm at Yong Siew Toh Conservatory Concert Hall

Tickets can be purchased from https://sg.bookmyshow.com/events/romantic

It’s been said that going on a trip with friends either strengthens or kills the friendship. Concordia Quartet recently returned from their first Malaysia Tour, with two concerts, two masterclasses and a quartet reading in Kuala Lumpur and Malacca. Aileen Tang speaks to violinists Edward Tan and Kim Kyu Ri, violist Martin Peh and cellist Lin Juan about Malaysian audiences, and to settle the Malaysia Vs Singapore score on…food!

The Flying Inkpot: You’ve just returned from your Malaysia Tour, performing in KL and Malacca! What was it like performing for the Malaysian audiences? How different are they from Singapore audiences?

Kyu Ri (violin): It was really a heartwarming experience performing in Malaysia as we played to a full house! People in Malaysia are all so welcoming and gave us so much support. I guess it’s also the “first performance perks” of an overseas group coming in!

Edward (violin): There was definitely a different sense of electricity and energy! I’m not sure how much of it was due to Malaysian audiences being different from Singaporean audiences, and how much was due to the intimate size of the venues. But if I had to describe the experience, it felt like the barriers between performer and audience blurred significantly, and that’s always a good thing in chamber music. The audience was very appreciative and many stayed around to speak to us after the concert – something we welcome very much, wherever we go!

Martin (viola): Performing for a new audience is personally a positive thing as it feels as though when people hear you for the first time, every sound that you make is a new step towards new horizons. I truly enjoyed playing music in Malaysia!

TFI: You also conducted masterclasses. How would you say Malaysia’s attitude toward music education differs from what we have in Singapore, and what is the Malaysian perception of young musicians pursuing professional careers in music?

Edward: I think music education in Singapore is inextricably linked to our pursuit of qualifications that starts from a young age; parents and teachers often push children to go up the “grade ladder” as quickly as possible and this means we have many young students who have good facility and play exceptionally advanced pieces for their age but perhaps compromise something along the way. Sometimes it’s the joy that comes with making music, and sometimes it’s a general rigidity to the way someone plays because playing the pieces they do at the age they are requires a lot of muscle memory.

I found the young musicians we worked with in Malaysia to be very open to feedback and able to adapt. I also remember someone in one of the quartets we coached smiling widely throughout the entire session! I realise we worked with a very small sample size of musicians from Malaysia, but it was quite a refreshing experience for me, personally.

TFI: Is this the 2^nd time Concordia has travelled? With the old saying that you never know what someone is like until you travel with them, what have you learnt about each other from travelling together?

Kyu Ri: This was actually the third year in a row that we travelled as a group! The first was in 2022 to Canada [Ed. for the PRISMA Festival], and last year we travelled to Ohio for another summer programme. This third time travelling together definitely felt comfortable – I don’t think any of us are very fussy people so it’s really quite easy to travel together. We also respect each other’s “me-time” so we didn’t really make it a point to always be together 24/7 when we had our free time!

Juan (cello): I would say that we are quite flexible and largely accommodating of one another, which makes things easy. Well, ask us again after a few more trips – we might have very different answers by then!

Edward: I’ve learnt that thankfully none of us are morning people. That means if we end up strangling each other, it’s not because one of us is pottering around at 6am waking everyone else up!

Martin: Travelling together has shown me how everyone just wants to have a nice time as well as have good food. 

TFI: Let’s settle this age-old debate: eating in Malaysia or eating in Singapore?

Edward: Politically correct answer: just like the musical culture, both sides are different and impossible to compare directly! But just to give concrete examples (so it doesn’t sound like I’m completely copping out), I prefer char kway teow in Malaysia compared to our sweeter local variant, but my favourite noodle dish is bak chor mee with copious amounts of vinegar, which I have yet to find an equivalent of in Malaysia. Bak kut teh is very different but I like both equally, so that’s a draw. There really is something for everyone in the food traditions of both countries!

Kyu Ri: I think I’m the perfect person to answer this because I’m neither Singaporean nor Malaysian! [Ed. Kyu Ri is Korean] I would say Malaysia for everything that originated in Malaysia or in the Southeast Asian region, and Singapore for everything else!

Juan: I’ve found that the answer to this question is not where, but with whom. We were extremely well taken care of by our hosts who brought us to have fantastic food everywhere we went. A bonus when you can share the food with people you enjoy spending time with!

Martin: Malaysia’s generous and healing herbal aromatic Bak Kut Teh wins!