Formed by Music Director Susanna Saw in July 2002, The Young KL Singers (YKLS) is the latest addition to the local performing arts industry comprising of approximately 50 members from all walks of life who share a common passion for music, singing, and performing.
Members include teachers, lawyers, accountants, students; various members of society, trained and untrained singers. The YKLS creates an avenue for all its members to express their innate singing talents in a relaxed environment. Furthermore, each production encourages the members to develop their creative abilities in all aspects of show production, be it stage direction, show and costume designing, or marketing and publicity.
The choir has produced ten concert productions to date, including a sold-out performance for the Simply Andrew Lloyd Webber production. In this five year process, the choir also won recognition from music-loving audiences when it clinched the Kakiseni Audience Choice Award for Music at the 2003 Boh Cameronian Arts Awards for the November 2003 production Through The Barricades which featured songs excerpted from two famous musicals, Miss Saigon and Les Miserables.
YKLS was also awarded the Silver and Gold Choral Assessment Outstanding Achievers Awards from the Trinity International Examination Board in 2004 and 2005 respectively.
The choir celebrated their 5th year anniversary in the performing arts scene in 2007 by putting up their largest show so far. Move It! relived its audience's favourite and best songs from all their previous productions. Move It! won the Kakiseni Audience Choice Award for Music at the 6th Annual Boh Cameronian Arts Awards.
2007 also saw the choir spreading their wings to compete in the Asian Choir Games in Jakarta where they obtained a Silver Diploma in the Popular Music Category in the Asian Open.
The choir has also graced many ceremonies and events with their performances, including the grand opening of IKEA Mutiara Damansara in 2003 and a dinner function cum celebration attended by the Prime Minister. The choir also had the distinguished honour of performing at a fund-raising dinner graced by Seri Paduka Baginda Yang Di-Pertuan Agong and Seri Paduka Baginda Raja Permaisuri Agong.
Since its formation, The YKLS has performed in various charity functions and events. Previously, tickets have been dedicated to the underprivileged to attend performances during the productions Through The Barricades and The YKLS Sings Rodgers & Hammerstein. On October 2, 2004, The YKLS launched its charity wing known as “Voices of Hope”, a program that reaches out to the community through music where member volunteers have the opportunity to pass on their skills learnt from the choir to underprivileged children. This community service project aims to form long-term relationships between the choir and selected beneficiaries.
