Today Musica Felice, a mixed professional and amateur choral group, had their summer concert at the Sofitel Hotel in Phnom Penh. Miwako Fujiwara and many of the musicians are members of our church music group so these concerts are always special for the English Catholic community.
A surprise addition to the program was participation by deaf and blind students from the Light of Mercy home. Here they arrive at the hotel before the performance.
Inside the hotel, backstage in the grand ballroom, Miwako Fujiwara (seated) checked on arrangements with one of the hotel staff. Miwako is the founder and conductor of the Musica Felice group.
The members of Musica Felice are a mixture of professional and amateur voices who provide a totally professional performance.
There are never enough male voices for groups like this but Musica Felice, with its dedicated members, is always able to maintain a full and balanced choral performance.
After the intermission, the youth from Light of Mercy had the first of their numbers and the deaf group signed the song sung by the blind young people. Many of the deaf youth are part of the Maryknoll Deaf Development Programme.
A trademark of Miwako’s concerts is her use of both western and traditional Khmer instruments and musicians. Note here the red and green Khmer harps.