Programme Note
Fiesta Malaysia: Seven Songs, Seven Wonders invites audiences to journey through the cultures, landscapes, and musical traditions of Malaysia in celebration of the 2025 Malaysian National Day. Hosted by the Malaysian Consulate in Los Angeles and as part of the Visit Malaysia 2026 launch by Tourism Malaysia of the Americas, the evening features Suara Southeast Asian Choir as the sole headliner. Co-founded in 2022 and directed by Malaysian-born choral conductor Dr. Yu Hang Tan, Suara is a Los Angeles-based community choir dedicated to giving a voice (suara) to Southeast Asian cultural music in all its diversity. Through seven curated songs—shaped in collaboration with Suara’s co-founder Dr. Emily Sung, conducting interns Josh Feldman and Cheyenne Simon, and collaborative keyboard artist Jung Hee An—this evening’s Fiesta Malaysia brings to life Malaysia’s vibrant cultural heritage and the enduring spirit of its people.
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Trad. Kelantanese, Arr. Tracy Wong
Originating from the state of Kelantan in modern-day Malaysia, Wau Bulan (The Moon Kite) belongs to one of the few communal singing traditions native to the Malay Archipelago called dikirbarat. Dikir barat is a song-dance tradition in which performers sit in rows on the floor, singing and performing choreographed hand and body movements. Typically, the performance is accompanied by drums and gongs, and the awok-awok (chorus) is led by a tok juara (lead singer), who is often celebrated for their ability to improvise the sung pantun (poem) to suit the occasion. Traditionally, both the song and the wau bulan kite are performed and flown after the paddy fields have been cleared following the harvest. In Wong’s arrangement, the arrangement begins with an improvised solo passage, accompanied by a soundscape evoking the serene setting of a paddy field. As the music progresses, paluankompang-style (Malay hand drum) body percussion is introduced, building excitement as the kite ascends higher and higher.
Text and translation:
Ewah buleh, ewah buleh,
Teraju tigo.Alah ewah, ewah buleh,
Teraju tigo.//
Oh wow, the moon kite!
The three-cornered kite.Oh wow, the moon kite!
The three-cornered kite. -
P. Ramlee, Arr. Yu Hang Tan
Kenek-Kenek Udang is a lively Malay song traditionally performed at Malay weddings. Sung in the Negeri Sembilan dialect, its playful, repetitive “uwa-uwa” refrain gives the song its infectious energy. This very hook was adapted as the central refrain of the official theme song for Visit Malaysia 2026, linking the joyful spirit of traditional celebration to the nationwide campaign. In this arrangement, the rhythm is set strictly in the style of joget, a traditional Malay dance, with rebana-like (Arabic frame drum) and accordion-like vocal textures shared equally across the voices. A paluan kompang (Malay hand drum) interlude references the kompang procession of a Malay wedding, bringing ceremonial flair and festive energy to the performance.
This evening is the world premiere of the arrangement composed specifically for Fiesta Malaysia 2025.Text and translation
Kenek-keneklah ode,
Lembu patoh tanduk ah.
Cek Mek kenalah gode,
Cik Awe kena tumbuk.
Uwa, uwa, uwa, uwa
Malaysia yang unik,
Kaya dengan budaya.
Destinasi menarik,
Mari semuanya.//
The kenek-kenek (both onomatopoeia and a reference to the action of grinding shrimp) shrimp,
A cow broke its horns, ah!
Cik Mek was seduced,
Cik Awek was punched in the face!Uwa, uwa, uwa, uwa (nonsense syllables)
Malaysia is unique,
Rich in culture,
An exciting destination,
Let’s all go! -
Trad. Malay Archipelago, Arr. Juliette Lai
Based on an old Malay folk song, Potong Padi portrays a scene of fun and frolic at harvest time in the rice fields. Reaping the harvest is a time of joy and celebration for the farmers. It is a time for singing, dancing, and merry-making. The first part of the song is slow and legato. Then the contrast and the fun begins in the second part. While some of the tenors and basses sustain the word “mari” (“come”), the sopranos and altos sing “mari potong padi” (“come harvest the rice paddy”) in a light-hearted staccato. The basses provide a typical Malaysian dance- and drum-like rhythm.
Text and translation:
Waktu potong padi di tengah sawah,
Sambil menyanyi bersuka-ria.
Marilah kita bersama-sama,
Memotong padi di tengah sawah.Mari, mari potong padi
//
It’s harvest time!
While we work
In the middle of the paddy field,
Let’s sing, dance, and be merry.Come, come harvest the rice paddy
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Trad. Malaccan-Portuguese, Arr. Chow Shern Yeo
Jinkly Nona is a playful, flirtatious love song in Kristang, the Portuguese-Malay creole of Malacca. Originally a branyo—a social dance passed down through oral tradition—the piece blends Portuguese, Malay, and Straits-Chinese musical elements. Yeo’s arrangement preserves the characteristic 123-123-12 branyo rhythm, incorporates body percussion in the middle section, and concludes with a joyous return to the melody, ending in a flirty whisper of “jinkly nona!” (fair maiden).
Text and translation
Jinkly nona
Yo kere kaza
kaza nunteng potra nona kai logu pasa.
Teng kantu teng kantu teng fala nunteng,
Amor minya amor
amor minya korsang//
Fair maiden
I want to marry you
Your house has no door
How can I enter
You’ve got what you’ve got
However much you have, you say you have nothing
My love, my dear, my heart -
Trad. Malay Archipelago, Arr. Emily Sung
Dayung Sampan is a traditional Indonesian folk song describing rowing or paddling a sampan or wooden boat. There are many versions of the original folk song, which was adapted by immigrants in Singapore in the 19th century. The melody was later popularized by the Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng in one of her most famous pop songs, Tian Mi Mi (甜蜜蜜). The opening verse of this choral arrangement borrows text popularized by the Singaporean choral composer Darius Lim, which describes the journey by boat from China to Singapore to seek a better life. Later verses utilize the structure of the pantun, a form of Malay poetry in which the first two lines (the pembayang) typically describe a scene or situation that is unrelated to the second two lines (the isi), which is the true meaning of the text.
Text and translation:
Dayung sampan, dayung dayung sampan.
Datang dari negara Cina sampai Singapura
Lai lai lai lai lai.Naik sampan, sampan didayung.
Sampan pun m’laju hai nelayan
ke pantai nan biru.Kalau tuan mencari jodoh,
Jangan mencari hai nelayan,
Selalu cemburu.Jangan selalu cemburu,
Cemburu hatinya palsu.//
Row the sampan (boat), row, row the sampan.
Coming from China to Singapore.
Lai lai lai lai lai.A sampan is being rowed quickly.
The sampan is being rowed, fisherman,
To the blue beach.If you are looking for a loved one,
Be aware of the fisherman,
Be aware of jealousy.Yes, be aware of jealousy,
As it is everywhere and will make your heart false. -
Trad. Dayak Kenyah, Arr. Yu Hang Tan
Leleng is a traditional song of the Dayak Kenyah people from Borneo, celebrating community, family, and circular dance traditions. The melody is strictly pentatonic, while the harmony features open intervals and sustained drones, a hallmark of early Bornean music. The verse chosen for today tells the story of a child reuniting with their parents after a long separation, highlighting the deep communal bonds central to Dayak Kenyah life. The arrangement also features the sape, a plucked string instrument, weaving together melody, rhythm, and movement to evoke the joy and togetherness of life in Borneo’s forests.
Text and translation
Leleng, uyao along leleng
Menjat pesong lo' telu tuyang layan
Batong layan batong osa
Jawai kenai lo’ ini tuyang lulu’
Songai lulu' songai lemon//
While dancing, we turn round and round
Rarely do we have time to meet
To meet with our beloved father
Tears of longing fall from the cheeks of our beloved mother -
Trad. Malay Archipelago, Arr. Yu Hang Tan
Rasa Sayang (Feelings of love) is arguably one of the best-known folk songs in the Malay Archipelago, a region encompassing modern-day Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei. A folk song that encapsulates much of the Malay character––that special combination of conviviality, playfulness, earthiness, sensuality, subtlety, and charm––Rasa Sayang is often performed at weddings, convocations, international events, and opening and closing ceremonies for all kinds of events. Set for mixed chorus, piano, and kompang (Malay hand drum), this arrangement borrows inspiration from the interlocking textures of the gamelan ensemble and the bright and forward timbre of folksongs throughout the Malay Archipelago.
Text and translation:
Rasa sayang, hey rasa sayang sayang hey.
Lihat nona jauh rasa sayang sayang hey.Pisang emas dibawa belayar,
Masak s’biji di atas peti.
Hutang emas boleh dibayar,
Hutang budi dibawa mati.//
I feel loved, hey!
Look at the girl in the distance.Golden bananas were brought on a sailing trip,
One ripened on the chest.
The debts of gold we can repay,
But the debts of kindness last through life.
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Suara Southeast Asian Choir is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of Suara Southeast Asian Choir must be made payable to “Fractured Atlas” only and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.