Violin prodigy gets scholarship

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TWELVE-YEAR-OLD Verena Koay Zhi Tong thrilled the crowd with her violin performance during the Rotary Club of Seberang Jaya’s installation dinner.

The talented girl, who is a pupil of the Prince of Wales Island International School in Balik Pulau, Penang, has been offered a scholarship to further her studies at the St Mary’s Girls School in Perth, Australia.

Zhi Tong developed an interest in violin at the age of three, and later went on to perform for the first time on an Astro AEC children’s programme in 2005.

She released two albums, and was entered in the Malaysia Book of Records in 2006 as the youngest violinist to release an album in the country.

Melodious tunes: Zhi Tong enthralling the crowd by performing several numbers during the dinner

Zhi Tong performed at numerous Astro-run programmes, Penang state government events and several other functions all over the country between 2006 and 2009.

She was invited to perform solo at the Arab Scout conference at Khartoum, Sudan, last year.

Zhi Tong also brought pride to Malaysia when she performed at the Spring Festival at Water Cube Beijing, China, early this year and at the International Culture Exchange Festival in Songkhla, Thailand, last year and this year.

Earlier at the dinner held at the Sriwan Thai Restaurant, Rotary Club of Seberang Jaya outgoing president Khoo Boo Guan handed over the chain of duty to incoming president Eric Lim Chun Yeo, witnessed by past district governor Datuk Jimmy Lim.

Bagan Barisan Nasional coordinator David Chua, who is past president of the Rotary Club of Butterworth, handed over a cheque for RM2,000 to the Rotary Club of Seberang Jaya from his allocation from the Implementation and Coordination Unit (ICU) in the Prime Minister’s Department.