ASEAN Friendship Concert 2025 Highlights Spirit Of Regional Unity Through Music And Culture

By Marfika Adnan Haris Fadzilah

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 17 (Bernama) -- The ASEAN Friendship Concert 2025 to be held at the Seri Angkasa Auditorium here tomorrow night is expected to see a historic staging of artistes from ASEAN countries, including Timor-Leste, showcasing performances centred on the spirit of regional unity through music and culture.

The Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM)-organised concert, held in conjunction with Malaysia's chairmanship of the ASEAN Summit this year, will be televised live on TV2 at 9 pm, with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as the guest of honour.

RTM Orchestra musical director Datuk Mokhzani Ismail, who is also the concert conductor, said the concert is not just entertainment, but rather will showcase the spirit of "We Are One" as artistes from across the region will be united on one stage in musical harmony reflecting the beauty of ASEAN's diversity.

“Each country brings its own identity through its traditional songs and musical instruments, which are combined in the form of a modern orchestra. It's a musical experience that unites various cultures in one regional heartbeat," he told Bernama today.

Mokhzani said Malaysia will be represented by three artistes, namely Aina Abdul, Aisha Retno and Hael Husaini, while other countries will each feature their own representatives, except for Myanmar, which did not submit an entry.

"Malaysia will open the concert with the songs Getaran Jiwa and Samudera by Aisha Retno, followed by a medley Hajat/Raikan Cinta (Hael Husaini), and Jangan Mati Rasa Itu and Our Land Our Home (Aina Abdul) before all the artistes close the performance with a new song The Land We Love, he said.

"Among the other songs to be performed will be Ties That Bloom (Singapore), Cheers to Life (Thailand), Anugerah Terindah (Brunei), Hein (Timor-Leste), Mua Bay Thap Co (Vietnam), Madaling Araw (Filipina), How Do You Do (Kemboja), Imagination (Laos) and Mangu (Indonesia),” he said, adding that the concert is produced by Mohd Amzar Anaqi Md Roziki.

Regarding the challenges of putting together a successful concert, he said one of the most challenging aspects was adapting the diversity of music from ASEAN countries so that it could be combined into orchestral pieces without compromising the original identity of each song.

Mokhzani said that each country brings its own unique style in terms of melody, structure, and the use of traditional musical instruments, which requires careful re-arrangement to ensure the overall harmony of the concert.

For example, a classical song from the Philippines will be performed by an opera singer, and that was a challenge because we needed to accompany the performance with a musical arrangement that suited the original style of the composition from that country. The main challenge is to adapt the orchestral music to the singer's vocal character so that the result is balanced and authentic.

"Besides that, among the most unique songs are from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, which feature regional and traditional musical elements, requiring careful arrangement to maintain their distinct original identities," he also said.

The concert will feature 40 musicians from the RTM Orchestra, with Malaysia's Sharizan Borhan and Diane Querrer from the Philippines as hosts.

-- BERNAMA