With a name like Toyota Classics, you’d be expecting a carefully curated exhibition of by-invitation-only vintage Toyota models that look better than when they rolled off the assembly line.

Well, this isn’t that kind of show… in fact it’s better because it raised RM398,000 for charities.

Toyota Classics is a classical music orchestral concert that’s an effort by UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd (UMWT) in collaboration with Toyota Motor Asia Pacific to raise proceeds for worthy causes advocating environment sustainability and youth development. This year, attendees were treated to prestigious London Chamber Orchestra at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas, KLCC on 29 October 2019.

Principal conductor Christopher Warren-Green guided the musicians with 20-year-old trumpet soloist Lucienne Renaudin Vary enthralling the audience as well.

“We are very glad that this year we have collected RM398,000 from corporate donations and ticket sales and we would like to thank all our affiliates, vendors, suppliers, private donors and classical music lovers for their contribution,” said Ravindran K., President of UMW Toyota Motor.

“To date, UMW Toyota Motor has collected approximately RM9 million through Toyota Classics Charity concert to support 70 social, environment and charity organisations,” he added.

This year’s recipients are the Sabah Wetlands Conservation Society and Universiti Malaysia Pahang.

The Sabah Wetlands Conservation Society project is planting up to 5,000 mangrove trees along the degrading mangrove areas in Sulaman, Tuaran, Sabah. This huge project will involve around 13,000 students from neighbouring schools, local university and community members.

The second recipient is Universiti Malaysia Pahang where the students will be promoting Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education among school children by teaching robotics through gamification, a 21st-century approach of integrating game-design elements for both teaching and learning activities.

This year, Toyota Classics penned in an additional activity as the London Chamber Orchestra members conducted a workshop with students from the Faculty of Music, UiTM. The workshop was aimed to provide a valuable exposure to an internationally performing orchestra which at the same time would help to develop our local arts and culture scene.