Written by Andrea Griego (Student Support Coordinator)
Can you imagine traveling to act and sing in a show in England? This is one experience that Sammy Soekarno in Y4B has had. Sammy is mostly known to fellow students at YCIS as being an amazing violinist, but Sammy also acts and sings.
Sammy says it all started with the violin. He was introduced to the violin in K4 and since then, has found music fascinating. Because of this, he also started playing the piano and was introduced to the world of acting and singing through music. What began as a simple music lessons at school, has turned into a multifaceted hobby and passion.
At YCIS, Sammy is in Primary orchestra. He says, “In Primary orchestra, I’m the co-leader position.” This is something Sammy is proud of, but he is also proud that he is part of the school’s Seeds of Hope Orchestra. This is an orchestra that is comprised of students from the different Yew Chung and Yew Wah schools, and recently performed at the Shanghai Oriental Theater as a fundraiser for Seeds of Hope. Sammy was excited because he was excused from school for two days for rehearsals. “This is the first time I will be independent and so I made sure to finish all my homework,” explained Sammy.
Outside of school, Sammy’s love of music continues as he is a member of the New Shanghai Orchestra Music and Drama (NSO) and plays his violin in the Sacred Heart Church Choir on Saturday evenings. He even played the violin at a family friend’s wedding. Aside from this, he also takes outside piano lessons where he passed his music school Grade 3 and jumped to Grade 5. He is currently studying and practising to pass his Grade 5.
Sammy began the NSO Music and Drama when he was six years old. He has performed in five different musical dramas in Hong Kong and Shanghai. He even performed in a show called “The Incident” in which he traveled to England to preform for audiences in York and Richmond. Sammy enjoyed traveling with the group and his mother for this show and wouldn’t mind being part of another show in the future. He says, “We also did a couple of street performances that were really fun.” Sammy also auditioned and became part of the NSO orchestra when he was seven. They hold three concerts over the year and this month the NSO Spring Concert will take place at the Shanghai Children’s Art Theater. Sammy plans to continue with music and acting and possibly make it a career.