I refer to the Malaysiakini report Philharmonic Orchestra: The sound of wastage .

The Penang chief minister's contention seemed to be the fact that Petronas is spending a huge sum on the conductor (who is a foreigner) and the mostly foreign musicians to operate the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO).

While I have zero tolerance for fund wastage on wasteful projects like those that we have witnessed in the past few years, I would like to express my opinion as a classical music lover who plays several musical instruments myself.

To be fair, shouldn't he consider the ‘complete picture’ by taking into account the revenue generated from ticket sales and other source of revenue, as the result of the spending of up to RM3.5 million a month to operate the orchestra? While I am totally clueless about the figure, I have been frequenting the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas to observe the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and more often than not, it yields a full house.

Tourists and locals flock to watch the live performances due to the quality that it is reputed to have. The amount of revenue generated could probably be made public to enable the people to make an informed judgment about this issue. Speaking about the quality of orchestra, it is an unspoken understanding among the classical music community in Malaysia that the MPO is the crème de la crème of the Malaysian classical orchestra scene.

While there is still a long way to go before we can consider it as being truly ‘Malaysian’ (considering the fact that it currently comprises mainly of foreigners), it is worth noting that there is a dearth of great musicians in Malaysia. The culture in this country of ours has never made it easy for classical musicianship to flourish.

For instance, parents often forbid their children to play on their instruments all the time, pressuring them to spend more time on academics to excel in school. Some even pour cold water on their child's ambition to be a musician and want them to take on more ‘conventional’ and ‘secure’ jobs. We do not even have a music conservatory to train young musicians.

Our conventional schools give little, if there is any, emphasis on classical musicianship. It is hence, not surprising, that we have to out-source musicians from elsewhere. To bring in these foreign musicians, it takes a huge sum in monetary rewards to convince them to come to our shore. More so, when you are bringing musicians from European countries, the birth place of the greatest classical composers and musicians in history, like Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin.

Also, the MPO would have to compete with great orchestras in Europe like the London Philharmonic and the prestigious Vienna Philharmonic, for talent. An adjustment in the remuneration part seems to be the only way these people would come. In turn, these foreign musicians generate the ‘spill-over’ effect.

I have many friends who are currently under the tutelage of these foreign musicians. A few years back, the MPO formed the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, which is the youth wing of the orchestra and aimed at upgrading the local classical music scene.

The youth orchestra comprises mainly, if not all, young Malaysians, and are trained by the very same conductor who receives the RM130,000 paycheck, with occasional tutelage from the members of the parent orchestra, the MPO.

I am not in anyway affiliated to the MPO or Petronas, but I believe what MPO is doing is beneficial to the local classical music community in the long run. It gives me hope that we can someday have a world class orchestra comprising local musicians, competing with the likes of the New York Philharmonic.

As to whether the amount of money spent is justifiable, I believe the revenue generated from the MPO should be made known, and the benefits of the orchestra should be weighed thoroughly, before we jump into any conclusion or decision.