The Penang Lights Choir: Nothing Like Eating and Singing to Dissolve Cultural Differences
By Rachel Yeoh
October 2022 FEATURE
CHATTERING GUESTS WERE silenced by the pounding of the E Major chord on the grand piano, signalling rehearsal time. It was a routine every Thursday night during pre-Covid times for approximately 15 to 20 zealous singers to gather to learn, practise or tighten up a medley for a show.They call themselves Penang Lights, but the founder of the choir, Nancy Jenster, affectionately regards her happy chorus as “a social group with a singing problem”. The members consist of men and...
Rachel Yeoh
is a former journalist who traded her on-the-go job for a life behind the desk. For the sake of work-life balance, she participates in Penang's performing arts scene after hours.
