GEORGE TOWN – Teenage harpist Chew Li was on the verge of giving up all hope of playing at an important harp gathering in Wales due to the cost, when she learnt that she received a sponsorship to travel and perform there.
The rising 15-year-old musical talent, among the few musicians here who play the stringed instrument, will now get to play at the World Harp Congress in the Welsh city of Cardiff in July.
Last Thursday, Jonathan Freddy P. Bagang, the director of the Penang Tourism, Culture and Arts Ministry was informed about the budding talent’s plight and began scouting for sponsorships with the help of hotelier Pauline Chua.
Originally from Penang, Chua is now based in Bangkok where she oversees the operations of three hotels there.
Impressed with Chew Li’s determination and natural ability with the instrument, Bagang worked with Chua to find a sponsor to enable her to perform at the prestigious event in Wales.
It was then that Penang-born entrepreneur Datuk Tai Chong Yih, the deputy chief executive officer of Thai budget carrier Nok Air Public Co Ltd, was told about the matter.
Tai understands Penang well although his base has been Bangkok over the past 30-odd years.
“I may be living away, but Penang is still in me. So when an opportunity came to help a fellow Penangite, I thought why not,” he said at a media event here yesterday.
Tai decided to sponsor Chew Li’s flight fare of around RM5,000 to the United Kingdom in July.
Chew Li first became fascinated with the harp as a seven-year-old.
Her family – father Alfred Chew, mother Shina Tan, and brother Chew Yuan – gave her tremendous support. Fortunately, they found harp teacher Katryna Tan who has guided her since.
The family spent up to RM150,000 on a harp, and Chew Li made all the effort to master the instrument.
Chew Li also took up the piano, but it was the delicate string instrument which the Prince of Wales International School student excelled in and for which she won several awards since 2017.
As the positive news was shared around, Tai also mentioned that his budget carrier plans to fly direct between Bangkok and Penang as part of efforts to rejuvenate tourism.
Tai is also the president of the Malaysia-Thai Club, an organisation that connects Malaysians living in Thailand.
It organises many social activities, including last year's Malaysian street food fair which was held successfully in Bangkok.
Tai also helped in the repatriation of five Malaysians who were stranded in Thailand after they were retrenched owing to the Covid-19 pandemic there. – The Vibes, April 17, 2022
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