Brings Reconciliation! 

Brings Joyce and Hope! 

Be Gratitude for the Great Gift! 

On the memorable night of August 8, 2023, there was a humanitarian piano performance called the “Piano Masterworks” which fascinated many participants because such a performance rarely  happens in Cambodian ceremonies. Himawari Hotel in Phnom Penh hosted this significant event in the presence of senior representatives of the Royal Government of Cambodia, Ambassadors, national and international guests, as well as some journalists, which made the whole event very special. A gentle handsome young pianist who has performed for almost 10 years, displayed great skill in his performance, and was even more talented. He released more sound effects of the piano. The classical sound grabbed the attention of the audience, focused, relieved stress and problems or also lifted emotional problems from the minds and hearts for a long while.

A brief opinion of H.E Lee Thouch, a Senior Minister and honorable guest in the performance event, said that this rare event is an honor and a prestige for Cambodia, that we have rarely experienced so far. This may attract the attention of foreign tourists, especially diplomats and dignitaries in the country who may have time to relax by listening to music that helps relieve stress. It was a very relaxing time to listen to such classical piano music. 

"Thanks to the host and musician from Singapore who committed and valued Cambodia to organize such a humanitarian event that not only raised funds to help poor communities in our country, but also promoted Cambodia through music."

The musician, Dr. Nicholas Ho is a Singaporean who excelled at the Piano Masterworks. He holds a PhD in Music Performance from the United States and has been in close contact since 2013 with Mr. Andrew Tay, Director of Himawari Hotel Apartments in Cambodia.  Mr. Nicolas Ho has had the opportunity to perform in Cambodia before.

In an e-mail interview, Dr. Nicholas Ho, told Light Times that, "I do not think 10 years have passed so fast! I got to know Mr. Andrew when I was introduced to him by my mentor, Tedd Joselson, at one of Cambodia's national independence events many years ago, which allowed us to host this performance together.”

Dream in Music:

Earlier in his life, Dr. Nicholas' older sister began a music class at home for other students, so the sound of the piano was often heard by Nicholas. Since then, he started to like music.

“I entered a simple unofficial music class when I was seven years old. I also learned to practice on my own for a year with my sister as an extra helper. Later, my parents started sending me to an official music school.” Said him.

Although most of his lessons were trained on the violin at the time, Nicholas later realized that he had more gifts and talents in the field of piano, which allowed him to learn faster than any other instruments.

From a young age, Nicholas always knew that he wanted to be a musician and tried to reach that dream. He said that:

"I never looked back when I realized I liked and wanted to be a talented musician," he said. “In the past, although sometimes it seems to be up and down, sometimes it is not easy, but in the end it is meaningful and also a special reward for me.”

Family Response:

His family really helped Nicholas achieve his goal. That is a precious gift and role model for such young people whose family stand behind in motivating and supporting a life's journey.

"Most importantly, my family is the one who inspires me, a cheerleader, to achieve my goal of becoming a musician. This is extremely supportive! My family is not very rich, but from what their penny, they had invested in my education, music and covered the lessons and musical instruments to help me, and where I was really today. "Grateful to them ever in my life."

Future Development:

The journey of each person's life requires constantly learning something new and relentlessly pursuing it. Likewise, Nicholas’ future, which he is strengthening and expanding his new knowledge, is a lifetime and future goal that he must focus on new musical ideas! Even after he completed his doctoral degree, he continues to study constantly.

"People who are highly educated and have a degree still need to learn. That way we must continue to be patient and humble in order to learn. ” he said.

In addition to pursuing a successful career, Nicholas is focusing on God, the Lord Jesus Christ, whose faith is paramount, and his family. He said that, if he did not have faith in God and if his family did not raise him well, how he could be who he is right now, life would be meaningless, and he would not be here today.

"As I’m a musician, there is a Latin word that I always remember: ‘Soli Deo Gloria,’ means 'Everything is for the glory of God.”

Life and Musical Relationship:

According to Nicholas, the value of music is countless and it benefits relationships for a profound effect on life and everything around it. In his experience as a performer or a musician, he always felt very emotional during each performance. There is a strong challenge to try to do his best, to focus on performing better and to enjoy a high scale. Especially to serve the feelings of the audience.

Music is a powerful tool to bring people together, no matter what their background, culture or language, music can be related. Music often breaks the boundaries of each person which often lead to intimacy between each one of us.

Although the main purpose of music is to bring good to people, music is sometimes used and manipulated to destroy meaning, causing it to lose its original value. As such, some composers turn it out to be a dangerous tool that seeks to indulge in erroneous desires in the society under the power of Satan.

As our world is facing a crisis has caused the suffer by war that lead of Satan and the people who submitted to him, causing many people in some countries to loss of life, loss of families, lack of food and homes to be destroyed, Nicholas believes that music that he has produced will soothe, heal, bring hope, bring joyce and healing. To Cambodians who may also have many problems at this time, his music can also bring good things into their mind and emotions and to reveal new things more clearly.

The difficult times that are happening are also the opportunity for us in this world to consider God's promise of a great blessing for the world, a gift of salvation that all nations can accept. God, the Creator of the world, sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins. This great gift will bring us back happiness. A salvation for us if we decide now  to believe and follow Him for the rest of our lives. That hope will change the world and your life forever!

Writer and Editor: Chin Soksan

English Editor: Darryl Record