The Penang House of Music is closing its doors after seven years of operations, prompting Bukit Bendera MP Syerleena Abdul Rashid to call it a great loss to the music community.
In a Facebook post announcing the closure, Penang House of Music - an interactive music gallery and museum located in Georgetown - cited financial struggles and lack of institutional support as the reason.
"It is with heavy hearts we announce that Penang House of Music will be shutting its doors for good.
"It’s been a wonderful seven years plus and we are proud of this labour of love, but alas, just passion alone isn’t enough sometimes, and the lack of financial and institutional support has made it a little too difficult to continue.
"As we tidy up loose ends, please be patient with us and we urge you to come visit us one last time and help us celebrate our rich music legacy that deserves its place in history," it said.
Think about cultural preservation
Syerleena, a musician with the rock band Priyawat, expressed her regret over the plight of the cultural centre.
"The closure marks a profound loss to the music community and represents the end of an era for a national treasure that played a pivotal role in showcasing Penang's unique and vibrant musical heritage.
"Penang House of Music is a beacon for musicians, historians, and music lovers alike, offering a rare glimpse into the soul of Penang through its melodies, instruments and narratives.
"The closure signifies not just the loss of a space dedicated to the appreciation and understanding of music but also a gap in the collective effort to keep Penang's diverse cultural history alive and accessible for future generations," she told Malaysiakini.
The lawmaker added that the news of the closure should also be a reminder of the fragility of cultural preservation in the country.
The statement posted yesterday evening did not indicate when the museum's last day would be.
According to the Penang state government mouthpiece Buletin Mutiara, Penang House of Music was a unique project initiated by the state government.
The gallery opened on Nov 21, 2016, and reportedly received an average of 10,000 foreign and local visitors annually. - Mkini
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