I went to Cambodia without any expectations, and I returned with such high admiration for

the Cambodian people; what they had gone through during and after the Khmer Rouge regime,
and what they are aiming to achieve for the future. Nothing could have prepared me for the horrors
that I encountered at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum ( Also known as S - 21 Prison, previously
known as the Toul Svay Pray High School ). Undeterred by the tragedy that the people had gone
through, what I witnessed from being in Cambodia within that one week that I was there 4
decades after the regime ended, is that the people are thriving.
Being able to perform Bangskol: A Requiem for Cambodia, composed by Him Sophy, was
such an honour. The combination of western musical instruments and traditional Cambodian
instruments, including the ancient Khmer Harp, created a beautiful blend of harmonies that
describes the true beauty of Cambodia. The Khmer Harp plays such a huge role in the piece; it
was once lost to the world, until it was re-discovered by a French Ethnomusicologist, Patrick
Kersale, as an effort to re-introduce the arts back in Cambodia.