Toyota Classics brings the sounds of Vienna to Malaysia
Toyota Classics, the annual classical music concert that was launched in 1990 by UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd (UMW Toyota Motor) to raise funds for charitable organisations through performances by world-class classical music orchestras, will be bringing the renowned Vienna Operetta Orchestra to Malaysian shores for the 2008 Toyota Classics.

This year’s Toyota Classics will showcase the talents of Siegfried Andraschek, founder and conductor for the Vienna Operetta Orchestra, Soprano Izabela Labuda and Tenor Michael Suttner. Malaysian singer Amy Mastura will also take the stage as guest performer.

The Vienna Operetta Orchestra will be in Malaysia as part of a 16 days and eight countries tour.

The charitable organisations that will benefit from this year’s Toyota Classics are Yayasan Raja Muda Selangor, Selangor; Montfort Youth Centre, Melaka; and Persatuan Pemulihan Kusta Malaysia (MALRA) of Kuching, Sarawak.

Yayasan Raja Muda Selangor, which assists underprivileged youths in attaining liberal art skills, intends to utilise their donation to build an artists’ studio in Hulu Langat for the underprivileged youths in their programme. The Montfort Youth Centre, a boarding school for orphan or underprivileged boys, has planned to build a single storey row of classrooms complete with staff room. MALRA, a centre that cares for leprosy patients, has proposed to use their donation to upgrade their Multi-purpose Centre, build two new insect proof net houses and lay a new road leading to the MALRA farm.

The Toyota Classics programme has over the past 17 years generated proceeds of RM4.89 million from ticket sales and corporate donations. These proceeds have been donated to 36 charitable organisations and Non-Governmental Organisation comprising orphanages, drug rehabilitation centres, cultural heritage foundations, old folks’ homes, welfare homes, cancer societies and Hospices.                                                        

Chamber Orchestra of Toulouse, France; the Century Osaka Orchestra, Japan; the Royal Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Sweden; the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, United States of America; the Vienna Volksoper Symphony Orchestra, Austria; the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra, Japan; the London Festival Orchestra, England; the Cadaques Orchestra, Spain; the North-east German Philharmonic Orchestra, Germany and the Budapest Operetta Theatre Orchestra, Hungary.

The Toyota Classics 2008 will be held at the Auditorium Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam on Saturday, 1st November 2008. The concert will be graced by His Royal Highness Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj Ibni Almarhum Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Alhaj, the Sultan of Selangor. Tickets are priced at RM70, RM150 and RM250.

About UMW Toyota Motor Sdn. Bhd.

UMW Toyota Motor Sdn. Bhd. UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd, is a joint-venture company between UMW Holdings Berhad and Toyota Motor Corporation and Toyota Tsusho Corporation of Japan. It is primarily engaged in the assembly, marketing and distribution of passenger cars and commercial vehicles of the Toyota brand as well as marketing and distribution of the Lexus brand.

Excluding national makes, UMW Toyota Motor leads in the combined sales of passenger cars, commercial vehicles and four-wheel drives in Malaysia. Well-known models under its banner are Toyota Camry, Altis, Vios, Fortuner, Hilux, Avanza, Innova and Rush under the Toyota brand while newly introduced models under the Lexus brand are the LS 460, GS 300 RX 350 and IS 250 respectively.

The Toyota Guiding Principles, based on the thoughts of its founder, Sakichi Toyoda, steers the company’s actions towards upholding its role as a responsible corporate citizen. Toyota’s philosophy of improving the quality of life and contributing to the society where they operate their business is exemplified through innovative products and services, building and maintaining sound relationships with customers; business partners and employees, the preservation of the environment and honouring the language, law and culture of the society they live in.

In Malaysia, Toyota actively contributes to the sustainable development of the community. As a socially responsible corporate organisation, UMW Toyota Motor donates to deserving charitable organisations and NGO’s in cash or in kind including vehicles from its product line-up.