Monday, March 30, 2020

What is JPO?

The Jesselton Philharmonic Orchestra (JPO) is comprised of primary, secondary and tertiary students as well as working adults and professional musicians throughout Sabah.

Membership is open to any musicians from the general community who have reached a minimum standard of Grade 5 to play in JPO.  As for those below the standard of Grade 5, they could join the JPO Training Orchestra which prepare them to join the main orchestra eventually.

Our Mission:

To create a significant musical contribution to the cultural life of the community, providing its members and audience with opportunities for musical growth through creative direction, excellence in performance and educational outreach.

Our Vision:
To be recognized locally, nationally and internationally as a premier all-volunteer full orchestra fostering music appreciation and the life-changing value it provides our members and listening audience.

Our Objectives:
  1. To bring to awareness the intrinsic value of music and its development.
  2. To promote and enrich the musical education of people in this region.
  3. To raise the standard of music in this part of the world.
  4. To offer performance opportunities to musicians especially students from primary & secondary schools and universities.
  5. To introduce series of constructive, creative and healthy orchestral activities.
  6. To organise trainings and practices for members for them to possess a sense of pride, trust, harmony, understanding and cooperation through orchestral activities.
  7. To outreach other community channels and work together to raise the community musical standard to the pinnacle.
  8. To foster inter-cultural artistic understanding through music

Background
The Jesselton Philharmonic Orchestra (JPO) was co-founded in April, 2007 by Yap Ling and Chou Yang Ching. The driving force of forming this orchestra is to provide a conducive environment of ensemble playing for instrumentalists. The formation of this orchestra also gives a chance for both teachers and students a chance to interact and play together in unity through music. It also provides an opportunity to those former band members from schools to continue playing after leaving schools.

Thanks to Kian Kok Secondary School for their willingness to offer the complimentary use of their music room to JPO so that it can carry out its weekly practices on Sunday afternoon since 1st April 2007.

Currently, there are about 60 multiracial members comprising players for strings, winds, brass, percussion; and sometimes, keyboard. Some of the JPO members are also members of the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (MPYO) under the supervision of the MPO members and conductors.

Within JPO full orchestra, we also have JPO String Orchestra and JPO Concert Band. In addition, chamber groups are formed to promote chamber music in JPO e.g. piano trio, string quartet, string quintet etc. They have recently won the 1st & 2nd prices from the 2007 Malaysian Youth Music Festival’s Chamber Music competition organized by the Malaysian Youth Orchestra Foundation (MYOF) in KL on 1 September.
JPO is in the process of registering as a society by a Pro Tem Committee.


Future plans:
  • Organize more concerts for the orchestra and musicians from abroad.
  • Organize yearly music camp.
  • Organize more workshops and masterclasses.
  • “Outreach” Program to schools and colleges, hospitals and welfare organizations like orphanage, old folks homes, handicapped centre etc.
  • JPO Concert Tour to other towns, other states and abroad.
  • Doing recordings and video shootings.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

wow, grade 3 and above ooo, am outqualified....hahahaha

Aldrich Tan said...

Oh yes ! Finally JPO have the chance to play symphony as in symphony (Beethoven Symphony No.5), I hope we will do symphonic work more, not always those =___=" (You know). haa, better crap less or else someone is so going to scold me during lesson. Haaaa ! =P

Anonymous said...

Dear Orchestra,
I’m Gennaro de Concilio, support manager of Conductor Janos Acs. References, video contents and unpublished pictures on http://janosacs.blogspot.com
I would like inform your company that I have unpublished video works of Luciano Pavarotti, original and unpublished audio works of Mendelssohn and Italian songs with original exclusive arrangements.

If you are interested, we are working for Janos Acs Music Experience World Tour© & „messa from requiem of Giuseppe Verdi in memory of Luciano Pavarotti©“ : we can create in cooperation this event in your country.

Thabk you very much for your attention.
I look to hearing from you
Your sincerely,




If you are interested, please contact me on

Gennaro de Concilio
Via oberdan 15
30034 Mira Venice Italy
Mobile +39 339 16 63 960
deconcilio@yahoo.it

references http://deconcilio.myblog.it

Anonymous said...

Well, "big" (as Beethoven's and others symphonies)doesn't matter, but "smaller" doesn't mean "easy." Why don't you guys try smaller but "precisive and standard" chamber works? Introduce you guys some websites, wish it may give you guys better idea about classical music: 1. Musicians from Marlboro, Vermont. Pablo Casals had been there as director for some years: http://www.marlboromusic.org/; 2. Pablo Casals Festival: http://www.prades-festival-casals.com/

Anonymous said...

Nice website.

Anonymous said...

I like classical music, but I like chamber music more than orchestral music. The atmosphere is so fantastic when you held a chamber music concert in a room or a house with big room. Below I would like to introduce you some websites, enjoy it!
National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia
http://www.ncoa.am/
National Classical Orchestra of Andorra
http://www.onca.ad/

Anonymous said...

Dear JPO,

It was amazing to hear beautiful music with talented people.

Nice blog.

Anonymous said...

Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now. Keep it up!
And according to this article, I totally agree with your opinion, but only this time! :)