Cambodian Medley - Traditional Khmer, arr. Rasa Mahmoudian

Cambodian Medley combines three Khmer songs: Kolap Batdombang, Robam Konseng Sneh, and Oh Duong Chan.

Cambodian classical songs were not written down; they are passed from the master to students from generation to generation. There is a saying, “When the musicians die, so do the songs.”
During the Khmer Rouge regime, Cambodia lost 90% of its artists. This performance is dedicated to the Cambodian master teachers who survived the Khmer Rouge and kept traditional Khmer arts alive by transmitting their knowledge and skills to younger generations, including these songs which were taught to Punisa Pov.

Featuring Punisa Pov, roneat ak; Rasa Mahmoudian and Jennifer Leckie, violins; Seth Pae, viola; Tom Clowes, cello; Aidan Kranz, videography; and Miyu Morita, sound

Filmed at the National Cambodian Heritage Museum and Killing Fields Memorial

This video is from the project “Cambodian Day of Remembrance: Stories and Music for Healing,” which commemorates those who lost their lives in the Cambodian Genocide while celebrating the resilience of Cambodian people. The project is a collaboration between singer/storytellers Celina Chin, Saroth Loeuk, and Pich Houy; the National Cambodian Heritage Museum and Killing Fields Memorial and its Resident Artist Punisa Pov; the Cambodian Association of Illinois; storyteller Ada Cheng; filmmaker Thavary Krouch; and Crossing Borders Music. It is supported in part by the Albert Pick, Jr Fund, Illinois Humanities, the Asian Giving Circle of the Chicago Community Trust, and the Illinois Arts Council Agency.