The Story of “Peter and the Wolf”

“Peter and the Wolf” is a musical composition written by Sergei Prokofiev in 1936. It is a symphonic fairy tale designed to introduce children to the different instruments of the orchestra.

The story revolves around a young boy named Peter, who lives with his grandfather in a Russian village. Peter’s adventures begin when he disobeys his grandfather’s orders and ventures into the meadow, despite the presence of a dangerous wolf.

Each character in the story is represented by a different instrument, enhancing the narrative. Peter is portrayed by the strings, the bird by the flute, the duck by the oboe, the cat by the clarinet, the wolf by the French horns, and the hunters by the timpani and bass drum.

As the story unfolds, Peter manages to catch the attention of the bird, duck, and cat, all while avoiding the lurking wolf.

Eventually, Peter devises a plan to capture the wolf with the help of his friends. They successfully ensnare the wolf, and a triumphant procession leads them back to the village, where the wolf will be dealt with.

“Peter and the Wolf” is an engaging and educational composition that combines music and storytelling to captivate audiences of all ages, making it a beloved classic in the world of children’s music and has been performed in various arrangements.

Musician Profiles 

Kenneth Chia
Music Director | Flute
USA 

Kenneth is from New York, USA. He has over 25 years of experience teaching the art of the flute to students from as young as 5 to as old as 77. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Music from Carnegie Mellon University, USA, and a Master’s Degree in Music from Indiana University, USA both degrees in Western Classical Music Flute Performance. He has played and studied with renowned flutists, most notably Laurel- Ann Maurer, Julius Baker, and Thomas Robertello in the USA. To debut the late composer James Cohn’s final piece (he recently passed in 2021), Kenneth was the solo flute player for the Chinese Youth Corp New York Youth Orchestra’s Annual Concert held at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Centre, New York City, this June 2023.

Kenneth is the founder of Kinabalu Flute Centre where he teaches the art of playing flute at his studio in Kota Kinabalu.

Midori Suzuki
Bassoon
Japan

Midori Suzuki hails from Japan and is currently bassoonist with NSO. She was long acquainted with this orchestra as a guest bassoonist since 1999 before becoming a permanent member of the orchestra in 2009. She is also actively involved in teaching and performing around Kuala Lumpur city. Before Midori settled down in Malaysia, she was selected to join Asian Youth Orchestra, invited by Pusan Symphony Orchestra to Korea.

She won 3rd prize in Chamber Music Competition organized by JILA (International Art Association) in Tokyo, Japan. She graduated Elisabeth University of music and studied bassoon with Myashita Masahiko, Minakawa Shigeko, and Okazaki Kouji who were principal bassoonists from major orchestras of Japan.

David Chin
Clarinet
Australia

David Chin hails from Darwin, Australia and plays clarinet and saxophone. Initially studying under Leon Bremond, he continued music studies at university while completing a Bachelor Of Science.

This lead to opportunities to play with many local musical groups including 19 years with the Army Band Darwin as well as being a founding member of the Hot’ n Cold Big Band and Arafura Wind Ensemble.

David has been a regular performer in the local Kota Kinabalu classical and jazz scene. He has performed as orchestra and chamber musician with the Jesselton Philharmonic Orchestra, JPO Wind Orchestra, the Grajenda Trio, and the SWAG Big Band.

Howard Ng
Oboe
Malaysia / Singapore

Howard Ng is a musician and producer from Malaysia. From 2017-2023, Howard worked for Programming & Productions at the Yong Siew To Conservatory of Music in Singapore, where he led and curated major broadcast and multimedia initiatives, as well as execute productions, working with artists such as Les Arts Florissants, Gabor Takács-Nagy, Sir András Schiff, Masaaki Suzuki, etc.

Howard created the Malaysian Wind Music Prize, which continues to provide substantial professional development and training opportunities for aspiring young musicians in the country. Howard has performed as a soloist with many ensembles in the region, and continues to be a sought after oboist. He is co-founder of Ensemble Virama in Malaysia.

Chloe Chai
French Horn
Malaysia / Singapore

Chloe is a French Horn Player from Malaysia. She has been a horn player for the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (MPYO) from 2015-2019, where she performed under the baton of prestigious conductors including Ciaran McAuley, Hans Graf, and Kevin Field. She has also toured with the orchestra in Singapore, Jakarta, and Hong Kong.

As an active performer, Chloe has worked with professional orchestras such as the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO). Other than that, she plays regularly in community orchestras such as the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC) Orchestra.

She completed her Diploma in Music Performance from UCSI University and is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree in Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, NUS Singapore.

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