At the closing ceremony on Oct 28, the choir – consisting of 32 students from Cempaka International School and Cempaka National School – delivered a stirring performance of the Asean anthem, “The Asean Way”.

Among them was 11-year-old Kimberly Chan. “I enjoyed myself,” she told FMT Lifestyle with a smile. She admitted feeling a little nervous before stepping on stage – but once she began singing, the nerves melted away.

A similar sentiment was echoed by Gabriel Ng, 12, who said his jitters faded once the performance began. “It was very fun,” he said, grinning.

The duo also recalled a delightful moment when Timur-Leste’s prime minister, Xanana Gusmão, noticed them waiting to perform and graciously offered them sweets.

For choir director Melinda Sik, watching her students shine was unforgettable. “It was a very proud moment, especially when the name ‘Vocal Pizzest’ was recognised on such a grand stage,” said Sik, 37.

Sharing her pride was CPAC’s chief executive officer, Andrew Chan, who reflected on what the experience meant for the young performers. “They were very happy as it was a very rare opportunity to perform on such a stage,” said Andrew, 46.

The team has certainly been busy – just a month before their milestone performance, 15 of them took part in the African Asia Pacific Choir Games 2025.

The event by Interkultur, which has organised international choir competitions and festivals for over three decades, was held in Mauritius from Sept 27 to Oct 5. It drew choirs from 14 nations across Africa, Europe and Asia Pacific.

Vocal Pizzest participated in the open competitions for the “Children’s Choirs” and “Jazz, Pop, Show” categories.

In the “Children’s Choirs” category, the group performed a medley of Malaysian folk songs arranged by Wong Shen Vee, CPAC’s music director and arranger. It included favourites like “Jong Jong Inai”, “Chan Mali Chan”, “Wau Bulan” and “Rasa Sayang”.

“We wanted to showcase our culture and the sound of Malaysia,” Sik said of the song selections. The singers were also dressed in traditional attire.

The group later showed their versatility by delivering a lively performance in the “Jazz, Pop, Show” category that included songs from the “Hamilton” musical.

Impressing judges from Spain, South Africa, Mauritius and Australia, among others, the group clinched gold in the “Children’s Choirs” category and was named “Category Winner”.

Incidentally, they were the only group to advance to the next level, the “Champions Competition”, earning a silver medal. They earned another silver in the open competition of the “Jazz, Pop, Show” category.

They weren’t the only Malaysian team to shine – Universiti Teknologi Mara’s (UiTM) “Chamber Choir” also bagged gold medals and the “Grand Prix of Nations” title.

“They worked so hard. When they performed, I could see just how much they had grown. I’m so happy to see them reach this level,” Sik said.

According to Andrew, their performers were aged 10 on average. Remarkably, it was the first international competition for 10 out of the 15 performers!

Still, it wasn’t the first time the group made Malaysia proud – they also bagged gold medals at the “Sing for Gold” competition in Spain last year.

While in Mauritius, the team also took part in the “Choir Parade” through Port Louis and performed at the “Friendship Concerts” held at the scenic Mahebourg Waterfront and Cascavelle Shopping Mall. They even joined a workshop with renowned choral educator Basilio Astulez.

“My time in Mauritius sparked my interest to learn more about show choir,” said Kimberly.

“And I’ve learnt that performing isn’t just about the performance itself – it’s about having fun too,” Ng concluded.

Learn more about the Cempaka Performing Arts Company here.