02 December 2012 | last updated at 12:49AM
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Musical-Theatre Society wants the state to become a regional hub for arts and culture.
Its president, Peter Chua, said Sabah was already famous in the world as a tourist destination and it would be easy to bring it to the next level through music.
He said it was crucial to have the support from the state government and local entrepreneurs to make this a reality.
"Having a musical training college in the state will create more human capital.
"By having qualified teachers to train students to become musicians, Sabah will become the main exporter of musicians in Asia.
Chua said the industry could offer jobs to musicians, with starting salaries ranging from RM2,000 to RM5,000.
"Sabah also needs a classical theatre capable of accommodating 600 people.
"It will cost about RM10mil to have such a theatre, but it will be money well spent as it will create employment opportunities and increase tourist arrivals."
He said the level of art appreciation of the people was a reflection of a country's development status.
"Music grooms personality and it offers a chance for youths to excel."
"In 2008, a Venezuelan music education programme called 'El Sistema' had used classical music to tackle the social problems of a country where 60 per cent of the population lived below the poverty line.
"It eventually helped create more than 30 professional orchestras in the country where before this, it had only two."
The society recently received a RM50,000 grant from the state Youth and Sports Ministry to kickstart its inaugural musical theatre, involving local youngsters between the ages of 13 and 26.
A broadway musical show entitled Benny and the Emerald Forest will be staged here from Dec 23 to 24.
"The production is a step forward to inculcate arts appreciation and awareness among the locals.
Visit http://www.sabahmusicaltheatre.org for more information.
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