By Ross Clarke
Juilliard Coordinator, Head of Primary Arts & Music Teacher
The Northbridge International School Cambodia Choir had an extremely busy festive season at the end of 2023 and what a pleasure it was to lead them through this mammoth undertaking!
This choir has worked so hard since it came into being in September 2023, and is a SSA (Soprano, Soprano, Alto) Choir, which means it sings in 3-part harmony. For this season we sang in many languages, including English, German, Khmer and Swahili.
In preparation for a December tour of New York (the first time any choir from Cambodia as toured), we performed across Phnom Penh in a variety of unique and privileged locations. There was the WIG Christmas Fair on 19 November with the Phnom Penh Chorus; at the NOEL Cambodian Christmas concert on 1 December with the SEA Brass Ensemble, three professional opera singers from Singapore and the Phnom Penh Chorus, where the British Deputy Head of Mission and the Singaporean Ambassador were in attendance.
Then came the show at the Northbridge Festival of Lights on 5 December, and finally a guest performance at the British Ambassador’s Residence for his annual Christmas Carol Event on 7 December, which was attended by their excellencies the German Ambassador to Cambodia, the US Ambassador to Cambodia and the Minister for Education in Cambodia. And then our tour went global!
From 12 to 16 December, we left Cambodia and flew to New York in the United States of America, where we performed at the Representation of Cambodia for the United Nations on request of the Cambodian Ambassador to the Representation; at Avenues New York School (our sister school in the global Nord Anglia network of 85 premium international schools worldwide) – where we collaborated with the Avenues Choir; at the Nord Anglia School New York; and finally at The Bean Café on 2nd Avenue, Manhattan.
Eight concerts was an amazing experience, which demonstrated the skills that the choir had learnt, but also demonstrated their passion, resilience and professionalism. The trip to New York was a whirlwind tour, which also involved the students visiting the United Nations with the help of the Cambodian Permanent Mission and a visit to Juilliard, where we were given a workshop by Ashley Renee Watkins and Hilary Easton, two of the K12-programme professors.
As part of the global Nord Anglia group of 87 premium internationals schools worldwide, Northbridge is privileged to have access to unique partnerships like Juilliard. We also were invited to attend the Juilliard Donors concert and got to see some of the fantastic students perform, and were even given a mention by the president of Juilliard, Damien Woetzel.
In between our busy concert schedule, we also got to see a show on Broadway (Spamalot), attend the Metropolitan Opera (The Magic Flute), visited the Statue of Liberty, went to the top of the Rockefeller center, as well as took the chance to shop and experience New York at this festive time of year. We made great relationships with the other Nord Anglia schools, and hope that we will still be able to continue this great partnership, in the future expanding it to other schools within the Nord Anglia group.
Lastly, we have not stopped there! At the moment the choir are preparing to support the Northbridge School Production (Shrek: The Musical) and also attend the Nord Anglia Southeast Asia Performing Arts Festival in Kuala Lumpur. Watch this space!
