Phnom Penh & Culture: A fine musical evening at the French Embassy with “PROZAP Musique”

On Wednesday 12 February, at the French Embassy in Phnom Penh, a private concert was held as part of the Asia Pacific Music Project, an artistic project initiated by the Agence pour l'Enseignement Français à l'Etranger (AEFE).

PROZAP Musique is part of the AEFE's dynamic range of educational and cultural projects, which promote cooperation and the influence of the French education network abroad

This concert brought together music teachers from the French lycées in New Delhi, Vientiane, Singapore and Phnom Penh, in the presence of their students. They performed pieces from the Baroque, Classical and Jazz repertoires.

A particularly moving moment was the participation of students from the Lycée René Descartes in Phnom Penh. After long hours of rehearsal and despite stage fright, they took to the stage with great enthusiasm, accompanied by their teachers who also took part in the show.

Throughout this enjoyable musical experience, the audience felt a range of emotions. From jazz to orchestra, from French works to traditional Khmer compositions played on local instruments, these musical variations were instrumental in giving a unique identity to this exceptional evening.

One guest said:

“I particularly liked the jazz group with their improvisations. Looking at the musicians, you could see that they were having as much fun playing as we were listening to them”. Another said:

“I was very touched by the young boy who played the piano soundtrack to my favourite film, Chihiro's Journey. Now I want to see it again with my daughter.”

For Sreypin Makk, a young Cambodian who attended the concert:

“I really liked the duo, who played reggae-style music. The teenagers were particularly receptive to the positive energy!”

Finally, a student musician from the Lycée René Descartes confided:

“I was so focused on my performance with my friends that I could only appreciate our own performance. But I'm proud of us, we managed to cope with the stress, and all our hard work wasn't in vain!”

PROZAP Music is part of the Asia-Pacific Zone Projects (PROZAP), supported by the Agence pour l'Enseignement Français à l'Etranger (AEFE). This programme promotes collaboration, creativity and cultural openness through music.