Sunway Group founder Jeffrey Cheah once played drums for Olivia Newton-John, now he’s opening a RM200m arts centre

The Jeffrey Cheah Performing Arts Centre (JCPAC), developed with an investment of over RM200 million by the Sunway Group, provides a platform for Malaysian artistes to enhance their talents through world-class facilities and collaborations with international performers.

Sunway Group chairman, Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah, emphasized JCPAC's role in fostering the arts within the educational and cultural ecosystem, underscoring the importance of arts alongside STEM fields.

The center features state-of-the-art acoustics, a 1,200-seat Grand Theatre, and spaces for smaller performances, aiming to cultivate global relationships and contribute significantly to the creative economy.

Upcoming productions include several high-profile musicals, reflecting its commitment to enriching Malaysia's cultural landscape.

PETALING JAYA, Oct 17 — The Jeffrey Cheah Performing Arts Centre (JCPAC) offers Malaysian artistes opportunities to develop their talents through world-class facilities and collaboration with international artistes.

Sunway Group founder and chairman Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah said the centre, developed with an investment of more than RM200 million at Sunway Square here, aims to serve as a platform for artistes to pursue meaningful careers and contribute to the growth of the creative economy.

“Our investment in JCPAC reflects our belief that excellence in the performing arts deserves the same commitment, resources and opportunities that we devote to education and research.

“I firmly believe that Malaysian artistes deserve the opportunity to learn and develop their craft on the finest stages. With the right support, facilities and encouragement, there’s no limit to what they can achieve,” he said in his keynote address at JCPAC’s launch last night.

The launch featured Brand New Day: A Symphonic Broadway Celebration , with 22 singers, eight dancers and the 73-piece TUTAN Festival Orchestra directed by Kevin Field, performing songs from Les Misérables , The Phantom of the Opera , Miss Saigon , Wicked and Dreamgirls .

Cheah hoped JCPAC would cultivate strong relationships with renowned performing arts organisations around the world, providing opportunities for local artistes and creative professionals to learn, exchange ideas and broaden their horizons.

“We have much to contribute to the global cultural landscape and our artistes deserve every opportunity to be seen, heard and appreciated beyond our shores,” he said.

He added that JCPAC’s success will not be measured simply by the number of performances it hosts, but by the opportunities it creates for young people to discover their gifts, artistes to grow in their chosen path and communities to come together and enjoy the arts.

He said the idea of establishing JCPAC, which forms part of the RM1.8 billion Sunway Square integrated development, was first explored in 2018 to enrich the educational experience at Sunway University while serving the wider Sunway City community.

According to Cheah, a holistic approach to education should place equal emphasis on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), as well as the arts and humanities.

“Technology may transform the way we live and work, but it can never replace the wisdom and human connection that the arts inspire. The arts and culture must remain at the heart of our educational ecosystem, which I believe no technology and AI can replace,” he said.

On JCPAC’s development, Cheah said its design drew inspiration from the tin mining landscape on which Sunway City was built, with some RM30 million dedicated to its sound system and acoustic technology.

The 1,200-seat Grand Theatre features Malaysia’s first combined installation of L-Acoustics L-ISA immersive sound and Ambiance active acoustics, allowing the theatre’s acoustics to be adapted for orchestral music, musical theatre and spoken drama without physically altering its architecture.

The centre also houses The Studio, which accommodates up to 150 people and has a portable stage and reconfigurable seating for smaller performances, experimental work and educational programmes.

Sharing his personal connection with music, Cheah recalled playing the drums in The Ambassadors, a band he formed with fellow Malaysian students in Melbourne, Australia, in the 1960s, which once backed a young Olivia Newton-John at St Kilda Town Hall.

“And although I eventually pursued a career in business instead of music, those years left me with a lifelong appreciation for the arts,” he said.

Upcoming productions at JCPAC include Puteri Gunung Ledang The Musical from October 31, Dama Asia’s The Butterfly Lovers The Musical in November, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory The Musical from December 22 to January 10, 2027. — Bernama

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由双威集团投资超过 2 亿令吉兴建的谢富年表演艺术中心 (JCPAC) 为马来西亚艺术家提供了一个平台，让他们通过世界一流的设施和与国际表演者的合作来提升自己的才华。

双威集团主席丹斯里谢富年强调了JCPAC在教育和文化生态系统中促进艺术发展的作用，并强调了艺术与STEM领域同等重要的地位。

该中心拥有最先进的音响设备、一个可容纳 1200 人的大剧院以及用于小型演出的空间，旨在培养全球关系并为创意经济做出重大贡献。

即将上演的作品包括几部备受瞩目的音乐剧，体现了其致力于丰富马来西亚文化景观的决心。

八打灵再也，10 月 17 日讯——谢富年表演艺术中心 (JCPAC) 为马来西亚艺术家提供世界一流的设施和与国际艺术家合作的机会，以发展他们的才能。

双威集团创始人兼主席丹斯里谢富年表示，该中心位于双威广场，投资超过2亿令吉，旨在为艺术家们提供一个平台，让他们追求有意义的职业，并为创意经济的发展做出贡献。

“我们对 JCPAC 的投资体现了我们的信念，即表演艺术的卓越发展应该得到与教育和研究同等的投入、资源和机会。”

“我坚信马来西亚艺术家应该有机会在最好的舞台上学习和发展他们的技艺。只要有正确的支持、设施和鼓励，他们的成就将无可限量。”他在昨晚JCPAC的启动仪式上发表主题演讲时说道。

此次发布会以“崭新的一天：百老汇交响乐庆典”为主题，由 22 位歌手、8 位舞者和 73 人的 TUTAN 节日管弦乐队（由 Kevin Field 指挥）共同演出，曲目包括《悲惨世界》、《歌剧魅影》、《西贡小姐》、《魔法坏女巫》和《追梦女郎》中的歌曲。

谢先生希望JCPAC能够与世界各地著名的表演艺术团体建立牢固的关系，为当地艺术家和创意专业人士提供学习、交流思想和拓展视野的机会。

他说：“我们能为全球文化格局做出很多贡献，我们的艺术家应该有机会在海外被看到、被听到和被欣赏。”

他还补充说，JCPAC的成功不仅仅取决于它举办的演出数量，还取决于它为年轻人创造的机会，让他们发现自己的天赋，为艺术家创造的机会，让他们在自己选择的道路上成长，以及为社区创造的机会，让他们聚在一起享受艺术。

他表示，建立 JCPAC 的想法最早于 2018 年提出，该中心是耗资 18 亿令吉的 Sunway Square 综合开发项目的一部分，旨在丰富 Sunway 大学的教育体验，同时服务于更广泛的 Sunway City 社区。

谢赫认为，整体教育方法应该同等重视科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）以及艺术和人文。

“科技或许会改变我们的生活和工作方式，但它永远无法取代艺术所激发的智慧和人与人之间的联结。艺术和文化必须始终是我们教育生态系统的核心，我相信任何科技和人工智能都无法取代这一点，”他说道。

关于 JCPAC 的发展，Cheah 表示，其设计灵感来源于双威城所在的锡矿景观，并投入了约 3000 万令吉用于音响系统和声学技术。

拥有 1200 个座位的宏伟剧院是马来西亚首个将 L-Acoustics L-ISA 沉浸式音响和 Ambiance 主动声学系统相结合的剧院，使剧院的声学效果能够适应管弦乐、音乐剧和话剧的演出，而无需对剧院的建筑结构进行物理改变。

该中心还设有工作室，可容纳多达 150 人，并配有可移动舞台和可重新配置的座椅，用于小型演出、实验性作品和教育项目。

Cheah分享了他与音乐的个人联系，回忆起上世纪60年代他在澳大利亚墨尔本与马来西亚同学组建的乐队“大使乐队”（The Ambassadors）中担任鼓手，该乐队曾为年轻的Olivia Newton-John在圣基尔达市政厅伴奏。

“虽然我最终选择了商业而不是音乐作为我的职业，但那些年让我终生热爱艺术，”他说。

即将在JCPAC上演的剧目包括：10月31日起上演的《普特里·古农·勒当音乐剧》（Puteri Gunung Ledang The Musical）、11月上演的Dama Asia剧团的《梁祝》（The Butterfly Lovers The Musical），以及12月22日至2027年1月10日上演的《查理和巧克力工厂音乐剧》（Charlie and the Chocolate Factory The Musical）。——马新社

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