Help Young Cambodian Artists Start Their Career

This quarter our scholarship students came together for two workshops; one aimed at training them on the art of debate and the other aimed at creating an understanding of the difference between gender and sex.  No matter the course of study our students are currently on, we believe their newly found skills and enhanced techniques in persuasive speaking will serve them well in life, as such techniques contribute to the development of self-confidence, critical thinking skills and analysis.  Together, the workshops served as preparation for our scholarship program’s yearly debate.  Next quarter, fourteen to sixteen students will come together at the Cambodian Living Arts (CLA) office in Phnom Penh to formerly debate the role of gender in the arts.

Did you know that many of our scholarship students work as artists in our other programs?

All the arts training in the world amounts to little if after years of training, there aren’t viable employment opportunities for artists and arts professionals.  CLA’s Creative Industries program works to empower emerging arts professionals through their development and employment, while reaching out to larger audiences.

Two of our current scholarship students are artists in Plae Pakaa.  Plae Pakaa (translated as “fruitful”) is an original production featured exclusively at the National Museum of Phnom Penh.   The first student, who has been studying Smot (a form of poetry chanting) for over three years with CLA, is the Master of Ceremonies at the beginning of Passage of Life and sings Smot during the last scene of the production. The second student plays the Ksae Keiv, a string instrument made from a gourd and played while being held close to ones chest.

Another program making use of the creative talents found in our scholarship students is The Khmer Magic Music Bus (KMMB).  KMMB is the brainchild and newest endeavor of Arn Chorn-Pond, founder of Cambodian Living Arts and for whom our scholarship program is named after.  The project links back to Arn’s early vision for CLA – helping Cambodian Master Musicians revive traditional musical performances for the people of rural Cambodia.  One of our scholarship students is currently a musician on the bus and plays Chapei Dang Weng, a two-stringed, long-neck guitar that has been played in Cambodia since 500 B.C.

Scholarship Announcements

Scholarship announcements for 2015 opened this quarter and were made available to the public through our website, emails to our partners, and announcements in various classes.  The announcement was also broadcasted locally on 102.5 FM radio.  At the time of this report CLA had received over 65 applications from aspiring arts professionals.  Interviews will be held during July.  Successful applicants will be awarded scholarships from 1 October 2014 through 30 September 2015.

Links:

• Scholarship Announcement
• Reviving A Golden Age