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Very modern and self-confident Bach from Malaysia

Thursday, June 13, 2024 | Leipziger People's Newspaper

"... The lively, very modern, very self-confident Bach that the Malaysians are bringing to the west gallery of St. Thomas Church need not fear international comparison. This is already clear from the first notes of the motet "Komm, Jesu, komm". Delicate, immaculately intoned, clearly articulated, smoothly phrased and as intelligent as it is boldly dynamic.

Chin integrates the space into his design and places the first of the two choirs on the parapet as a soloist. This compensates for the difference to the second choir, which has multiple members, but does not take away the individuality of the colors. The result is a rounded, yet transparently differentiated, magnificently bright and very eloquent sound.
They are all about death - but Chin lets the light shine out from the delicately dancing strings and the wonderful oboes d'amore. This is how music is made with content - which sensitively plays around and entwines, illuminates and interprets the choir, which is also fabulous in the cantatas.

... A completely unexotic, first-class concert – and a strong argument for re-inviting David Chin and his Bach ensembles from Malaysia."

[Read the full article in German]

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Germany & Malaysia Grand Concert Tour

May 24, 2024 | BFM Radio Station | Juliet Jacobs

In June, Malaysia's Bach Festival Singers and Orchestra are set to be the first ensemble from Southeast Asia to be invited to perform in the most prestigious and important Bach landmarks in Germany: St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, Bach Church in Arnstadt, as well as St. George's Church in Eisenach. The grand concert tour commences with two fundraising concerts right here in Kuala Lumpur. We catch up with Dr David Chin, the Founder and Artistic Director of Bachfest Malaysia, who is also the Director of the Bach Collegium and Music Professor at Augustana University in Sioux (SOO) Falls, South Dakota, and a Senior Fellow of the Bach Archive in Leipzig, Germany, to find out more about the programme in these fundraising concerts.

[Listen to the podcast]

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St. John Passion (1725)

August 25, 2023 | BFM 89.9 | Juliet Jacobs
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The latest edition of Johann Sebastian Bach’s lesser-heard 1725 “St. John Passion” (ed. by Prof. Dr. Manuel Bärwald, 2021) will be performed for the first time in Malaysia by the Malaysia Bach Festival Singers and Orchestra, led by conductor Prof. Dr. David Chin. This special version includes some of the most unique and dramatic arias which Bach has ever composed. 

​[Listen to the podcast]

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‘Hello Mr Bach’, welcome to the world of classical music

Free Malaysia Today | May 22, 2023 | Terence Toh

PETALING JAYA: A friend of musician David Chin once flew all the way to Kuala Lumpur from Miri, Sarawak, just to catch the concert of a famous Taiwanese pop star. This was not a cheap trip: added up, her travel costs and concert tickets were a four-digit figure.
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Curious, Chin asked why she was willing to part with so much money. His friend replied: “Because his music was a part of my memories growing up.”

[Read the article]

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Hello, Mr. Bach!

May 12, 2023 | BFM 89.9 | Juliet Jacobs

​As the saying goes, get them when they're young, and Bachfest Malaysia - an organisation dedicated towards promoting the music of J. S. Bach in Malaysia and beyond through performance and education - are planning just that. The group are holding their first-ever family concert called Hello, Mr. Bach! which has been specially designed for children, where they will meet and interact with “Mr. Bach” through storytelling and live music performances. David who is the Founder, Conductor and Artistic Director of Bachfest Malaysia will be playing the titular role, and he joins us to share more.

[Listen to the podcast]

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All Things New

March 17, 2023 | BFM 89.9 | Juliet Jacobs

This year marks Johann Sebastian Bach’s 338th birthday - he was born on the 31st of March, 1685. To celebrate, Malaysia's renowned artists soprano Ang Mei Foong and pianist Ng Chong Lim will join the Malaysia Bach Festival Orchestra led by international conductor Dr. David Chin in a concert called All Things New, performing two solo cantatas and keyboard concertos. All three join us to discuss Bach's lasting legacy and also what's in store at the upcoming concert.

[Listen to the interview]

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聆听巴赫的心灵情感──
​《万象更新》巴赫诞辰纪念庆典音乐会

2023年3月13日 | 星洲日報 | 梁馨元報導

即兴演奏仿佛一种教条的解放,十指飞舞琴键间自由表达;而对古典乐的刻板印象,则是离不开规矩的演绎。因而怎么能想到,远在巴洛克时期便有即兴演奏的存在 ...

[閱讀報導]

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「馬來西亞巴赫節」推廣聖樂不遺餘力 
創辦人走出憂鬱願凡事交託

【記者陳寶兒/採訪報導】早在17世紀,有一人窮其一生寫出無數聖樂傳揚神的道,這位流芳百世的音樂家是約翰.賽巴斯蒂安.巴赫。
倘若不在音樂領域裡,大部分人可能都不認識這位音樂之父。但只要曾經走訪過音樂教室就不難發現,在眾多的音樂家畫像中,頭頂長卷假髮,神情極為嚴肅的那一位,就是巴赫!

[閱讀文章]
[English]

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Out of the Depths: Bach Cantata Concert Tour

BFM 89.9 Front Row on the Bigger Picture
July 29, 2022, Producer: Juliet Jacobs

Out of the Depths is the first post-lockdown concert by Bachfest Malaysia, featuring two moving Bach cantatas, performed by the award-winning Malaysia Bach Festival Singers and Orchestra. Aside from the concert, world-renowned Bach scholar Prof. Dr. Michael Maul will be providing pre-concert lectures, and the concert tour is also the official book launch for Michael’s Chinese/English version of the Bach Pictorial Biography.  We find out more about this from Dr. David Chin and Prof. Dr. Michael Maul. Both gentlemen share their love and appreciation of the music of seventeenth century German composer, Johann Sebastian Bach and why we should too.

[Listen to the podcast]

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指揮家陳子虔:巴赫音樂的佈道者

《星洲日报》2022年5月11日 | 报道:梁慧颖

喜欢西方古典音乐的人,一定不会不认识巴赫(或译巴哈, 1685-1750年),可是专门研究巴赫音乐,还为巴赫制作纪录片和翻译传记的人,在马来西亚应该就只有陳子虔一人。

陈子虔有丰富的指挥经验,也曾经在美国和本地大学的音乐系任教。对于本地音乐教育还有西方古典音乐,这些年他都有深刻的观察和体会,他觉得要改变很不容易,只能带着冒险精神,尽力去做自己可以做的事,但不敢奢求真能改变什么。

[阅读全文]

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This documentary lets you visit Bach landmarks, discover his stories and music

​The Star Newspaper | January 24, 2021 | By Rouwen Lin

An online documentary on German composer Johann Sebastian Bach, available on the Bachfest Malaysia Youtube channel, has been making its rounds among classical music fans starved of live concerts during these pandemic times.

[Read more]

Pull Up a Chair: Meet David Chin

August 5, 2020 on YouTube
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​A special interview hosted by Conductor Ruben Valenzuela, Artistic Director of Bach Collegium San Diego. ​

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A dream deferred, Bachfest Malaysia shares music online

CLASSICAL 91.5 | ARTICLE BY MONA SEGHATOLESLAMI | ARRIL 30, 2020
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Bachfest Malaysia (Malaysia Bach Festival) was founded in 2015 by Artistic Director David Chin to promote the music of J. S. Bach in Malaysia and beyond through performance and education. David is well known to the Rochester music community from his time here leading many performances, focusing on music by Bach, while he was a doctoral student at the Eastman School of Music. 
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[Read the featured article here]

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Malaysian classical group joins Good Friday virtual concert from Bach’s Leipzig church

THE STAR NEWSPAPER | ARTICLE BY TERRENCE TOH | ARPIL 9, 2020

Johann Sebastian Bach's classical work St John Passion to be live-streamed in a unique global collaboration from the German composer's St Thomas Church, Leipzig in Germany on Good Friday this April 10.


[Read the featured article here]

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St John Passion to be live-streamed from Bach’s Leipzig church on Good Friday

GRAMMAPHONE UK |  APRIL 7, 2020

On Good Friday, 1724, JS Bach’s St John Passion was performed for the first time, in the St Nicholas Church, Leipzig. This year, history will be rewritten with ‘Passion, proof against the pandemic’, a live-streamed chamber-music version of the work, performed beside Bach’s tomb in the city's St Thomas Church. Organised by the annual Leipzig Bachfest, the performance will take place on Good Friday at the hour of Jesus’s death – 3pm (CET).

[Read the featured article here]

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Bachfest Malaysia's response to the "Movement Control Order"

THE STAR NEWSPAPER | ARTICLE BY TERENCE TOH | MARCH 23, 2020

​After the movement control order (MCO) was announced last week, Bachfest Malaysia founder David Chin was worried about rehearsals with his fellow musicians. They had concerts coming up as well as a tour in Germany. How were they going to rehearse and make music together while staying home?... 

[Read the featured article here]

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Bachfest Malaysia featured in Berlin's event

Artistic Director David Chin appeared on the "Presentation of Bachfests" held in Berlin, Germany and spoke about the participation of the Malaysia Bach Festival Singers and Orchestra in Bachfest Leipzig 2020. David joins in at around 29:00 in the video.
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Watch and learn about the Bach activities in Germany and around the world!
[full video]

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​Modern Malaysian Maestro
​Striking The Right Note!

Published on Oct 15 on CiTi-ZEN Magazine by Tiggy Munnelly

The image of a maestro is that of someone who is autocratic, serious – and old! Award-winning David Chin is the epitome of the 21st century maestro – dynamic, articulate, exuberant and, above all, young! He is very passionate about the music of seventeenth century German composer, Johann Sebastian Bach – so much so that David started Bachfest Malaysia in 2015 to promote the music of Bach in Malaysia and beyond. To understand this passion, we need to start at the beginning.

Read the entire story.

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指挥家真的只是动动手指而已吗?
​——认识大马巴赫节艺术总监陈子虔

​陈子虔创立的马来西亚巴赫节合唱与管弦乐团更备受外界青睐,受邀于2020年到德国莱比锡巴赫节上呈现数部巴赫的清唱剧。全世界共有逾40个巴赫团体,大马巴赫节合唱及管弦乐团是其中受邀在圣多马教堂内演出巴赫作品的团体之一,该乐团将派遣40位优秀的音乐家到莱锡比演出。现年34岁的陈子虔说,他期望有一天去茶餐室的时候,那里的安娣都有听过巴赫,“她不需要认识巴赫,她只要有听过巴赫,也知道巴赫是一名作曲家。能做到这样,我已经觉得很好了。”

[閱讀全文]

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巴赫經典神劇:《聖馬太受難曲》7月麻坡登場

星洲網 |2019 年 6月 13日

配合巴赫(J.SBach)国际音乐节,马来西亚巴赫节合唱与管弦乐 (Bachfest Malaysia)逾60名团员,将于今年7月,首度南下柔佛麻坡,演绎历时3小时的经典神剧《圣马太受难曲》。
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该团部分团员也将在6月率先来到麻坡这座文化城,举行“巴赫清唱剧讲座音乐会”,为上述7月的重头节目进行造势活动。
上述两项音乐盛会是由麻坡爱的旋律音乐事工主办,麻坡中华基督教会及麻坡长老会三一堂协办。其中,6月17日晚上8时,于麻坡文打烟路基督长老会三一堂举行的“巴赫清唱剧讲座音乐会”造势活动,入场免费,主办单位欢迎有兴趣聆听巴赫音乐的民众踊跃出席。

​[閱讀全文]

【专题特写】连发梦也不敢想!
​“大马之光”代表亚洲赴德国演出!

​说起大马之光,大家普遍想到的,可能就是羽毛球、壁球或者是......榴莲。不说你不知道,我国合唱和管弦乐团同样在国际舞台大放异彩! “马来西亚巴赫节”在国际间闯出名堂,受邀于2020年代表亚洲到德国演出。 国际著名指挥家陈子虔于2015年创立“马来西亚巴赫节”,旨在把古典音乐和巴赫音乐普及化,深入民心。 “古典音乐之所以叫古典不是因为它很老,古典音乐称为古典音乐是因为它能够经历这个岁月的挑战,经过岁月的考验,能够流传到今天。” 他强调,古典音乐绝不是有钱人的玩意,民众普遍对古典音乐存有刻板印象,只因从未正式接触。

[觀看訪問]

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CITY Plus Podcast
【艺术好好玩】你知道马来西亚也有“巴赫节”吗?

巴赫被认为是音乐史上最杰出,最重要的作曲家之一。他是巴洛克时期的作曲家及管风琴,小提琴,大键琴演奏家,与意大利作曲家韦瓦第,德国的韩德尔并称巴洛克三巨匠,在音乐史上和莫札特,贝多芬齐名。

为纪念巴赫330诞辰周年,马来西亚巴赫节(Bachfest Malaysia / Malaysia Bach Festival)于2015年由陈子虔博士创立。马来西亚巴赫节,这一次会有什么精彩的环节呢?

[收聽訪問]

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Bachfest Malaysia on AiFM

​馬來西亞巴赫節藝術總監陳子虔受主播葉恩慈的邀請,到AiFM 「藝度空間」暢談馬來西亞巴赫節、巴赫與他的音樂、《聖馬太受難曲》音樂會以及明年到德國萊比錫演出的邀請。

Artistic Director David Chin was invited to AiFM to speak about Bachfest Malaysia 2019, Bach and his music, the St. Matthew Passion, as well as the invitation to perform at Bachfest Leipzig 2020.
​
Listen to PART 1
​Listen to PART 2

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Bachfest Malaysia on 8TV 『八度空間』活力加油站

藝術總監陳子虔在《聖馬太受難曲》音樂會前與『八度空間』“活力加油站”的主持人和觀眾介紹『馬來西亞巴赫節』今年的音樂會以及明年到德國萊比錫演出的邀請。
Artistic Director David Chin was invited to "Living Delight" on 8TV to speak about Bachfest Malaysia 2019 as well as the invitation to perform at Bachfest Leipzig 2020.

​[watch video]

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Bachfest Malaysia in Muar, Johor 

The musicians are featured in this video by Muar Tourism during our "St. Matthew Passion" concert tour in Muar, Johor. This video also features "St. Matthew Passion" final rehearsal footage at the newly-built concert hall in Muar.

​[watch video]

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Conversing with Bach Beyond Time and Space

​PIN PRESTIGE MALAYSIA FASHION AND LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
​
FEBRUARY 2019 | TEXT BY TRACY LOW
​​
Who the heck is David Chin? In 2020, he will be leading Malaysia Bach Festival Choir and Orchestra, a group founded by him, to perform in Germany.


“A doctorate degree in conducting?” – A question which Malaysian conductor David Chin has often been asked by people who are not in the field of music. Is conducting as simple as merely waving one’s arm to make others sing or play?

[full text here]


與巴赫隔空對話

陳子虔,究竟是何方神聖?2020年,他將帶領他所創辦的馬來西亞巴赫節合唱與管弦樂團,到德國演出。


“指揮都可以念博士?”面對不了解音樂領域的人,這是年僅34歲的馬來西亞年輕指揮家陳子虔David Chin最常被問起的問題。指揮就是揮揮兩手,“點人”演奏那麽簡單嗎?他提醒我,整個表演臺上,就只有指揮“發不出聲音”。

[全文]

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BFM 89.9: Bach's B Minor Mass

​This piece of 18th century music was one of Johann Sebastian Bach’s last compositions. The conductor and singer, of the upcoming performance, take us on a journey to understand this sacred work, and how it gave new form to vocal music. Bach’s B Minor Mass is considered as one of the “supreme achievements of classical music.”
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[listen to the podcast]

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International conductor at helm of
Bach performance  

The Star | July 4, 2017

The Lutheran Church will be presenting a two-night music extravaganza featuring Malaysian-born international music conductor David Chin at the Luther Centre, Petaling Jaya. ​Johann Sebastian Bach’s greatest musical work – Mass in B Minor – will be performed at the concert on July 22 and 23 held in conjunction with the 500th anniversary of the Reformation by Martin Luther.
​
[read more]

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Commemorating the 500th anniversary
​of Reformation

The Malay Mail | June 24, 2017

KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 — A two-night musical, organised by the Lutheran Church in Malaysia, will be held in conjunction with the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s Reformation. Malaysian-born international music conductor David Chin will be presenting Johann Sebastian Bach’s Bach: Mass in B Minor on July 22 and 23, 2017 at the Luther Centre, Petaling Jaya. 

​[read more]

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Bringing Bach to Malaysia

​Interview by Andrew Psarris | Eastman School of Music | September 4, 2015

Chin, a DMA student in choral conducting, is at the crossroads of Eastman-Asian relations as one of the “Name bearers” in bringing western music to audiences in Asia for the first time.

I conducted an interview with David that highlights the importance of both the Eastman School of Music’s presence in Asia, and also the endeavor of bringing these immortal pieces to people who have never heard them.

[click here for the full interview]

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BFM89.9: Bach's St. John Passion

Hosted by Lee Chwi Lynn | 89.9 FM The Business Station | July 29, 2015

The conductor, David Chin, situates the monumental Bach’s St John Passion in its historical context and points out its significance today in the collection of sacred works. The soloists tell about singing sacred music in modern times.

[click here for the interview podcast]
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