On February 12, “The first Cambodia-British Culture and Art Festival of 2023” officially opened. Classical and modern music were performed in the ancient city of Angkor in Siem Reap, allowing the elegance of Angkor to be heard in the valley. The event was co-sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Art of Soup and the Angkor Digital Culture Association. A grand feast that combined the traditional culture and elegant art of Cambodia and Britain kicked off in the ancient city of Angkor. National music and modern music were combined. It brought an artistic experience full of Angkor style to hundreds of viewers. The scene attracted hundreds of spectators, most of whom were political and business celebrities and foreigners stationed in Cambodia, from business units and international schools in Cambodia.
The concert was magnificent and promoted cultural and artistic exchanges between the East and the West. At the concert, British and Cambodian artists combined traditional and modern musical instruments to perform wonderful repertoire of British and Cambodian music culture for everyone, with lingering sounds that complemented each other.
The artists' superb performance skills combined with Western instruments to play the strongest melody. The music integrates solo, ensemble, chorus and other forms. It uses precious sounds to evoke the memory of the nation and allows the audience to feel that music is the common language of the people of the world. At the same time, the concert also brought an elegant artistic feast to people in Cambodia and the UK who love elegant art.
This concert has a huge lineup of performers. Jenna Norodom, the royal princess of the Kingdom of Cambodia, serves as the cultural ambassador and performs together with famous British music masters and the Cambodian art performance department. Jenna Norodom is a Cambodian princess, actress, singer, dancer, and model.
In addition, foreign performers include British cello soloist, conductor and broadcaster Julian Lloyd Webber, former principal of the Royal Academy of Music in Birmingham and founder of the In Harmony music education program. Mark Messenger is a globally recognized violinist, conductor, teacher and educator. He is Head of the Strings Department at the Royal Academy of Music in London and a consultant at the Norwegian Academy. Elly Suh is a Korean-American violinist who is a talented composer and music arranger.
At the same time, the Cambodian arts and performance department also participated in the performance. It is a department agency of the Ministry of Culture and Arts of Cambodia engaged in performing arts work. The traditional Cambodian Apsara fairy dance, the mask dance with the Ramayana myth as the dramatic background, the Royal Ballet and the Khmer shadow puppet show were performed. Traditional dances and musicals, as well as traditional musical instrument ensembles, performed to showcase the splendid cultural and artistic characteristics of Khmer.
Association of Angkor Digital Culture Council is an organization dedicated to spreading Cambodian traditional culture and artistic inheritance, and actively promoting the exchange and integration of Eastern and Western traditional culture and arts.
This concert creates a grand feast that intersects Western traditional art with the culture and history of the Khmer Kingdom. It is of great value to promote the development and revitalization of Cambodia’s culture and tourism industry.