My name is Chee Ghee Sim, and I've just started representing my country, Malaysia.
Malaysia consists of 13 states (11 in the Western Peninsula and 2 on the island of Borneo) and is a fairly "young" country as far as horn playing is concerned. We were a British colony until 1957. Music was then limited to the school marching bands, which are still very active today. Most of the school bands use either the Eb Alto Horn or Eb Mellophone for the horn parts, although some of the better-funded schools are slowly changing over to the horn.
I studied horn in Munich, Germany with Otto Schmitz and Johannes Ritzkowsky. After 4 years playing with the Staatstheater Cottbus in Germany, I joined the newly-founded Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) from 1998, where I still presently play.
The MPO is the largest orchestra here (105 musicians from all over the world, including 6 horn players). The ensemble collaborates with renowned conductors and soloists. It has also hosted a number of prominent horn soloists in the past, including Radovan Vlatkovic, Marie-Luise Neunecker, Radek Baborak and Barry Tuckwell (as guest conductor). More info at www.mpo.com.my
Apart from the MPO, there are 2 other full-time orchestras in the capital city, Kuala Lumpur. The Orkestra Simfoni Kebangsaan (National Symphony Orchestra, 43 musicians with 2 horns) and the DBKL Orchestra (Kuala Lumpur City Council Orchestra, 50 musicians with 4 horn players). There are also a number of community symphony orchestras and symphonic bands in the capital as well as in other states; the most active ones are in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Perak, Selangor, Melaka, Johor Seremban, Pahanag in the peninsula and Sabah in Borneo.
I hope to able to form a horn community here in the near future by organizing gatherings, workshops, ensembles, clinics, etc. and with the support of IHS.
Regards,
CG
