GEORGE TOWN, July 20 — On weekdays, Leonard Selva teaches music to young students but come the weekend, this 41-year-old devotes most of his time to his first love — the pipe organ.

Mention the century-old pipe organ at the Church of Assumption here and Leonard’s face would light up and he would talk effusively about its rich history and the almost four-year mission he undertook to restore it to its former glory. Including the tortuous years trying to raise funds for the restoration work.

His love for the magnificent musical instrument drove him to participate in Discovery Channel’s First Time Filmmakers Malaysia documentary competition back in 2007 and his submission, titled Pipe Dreams, was one of five documentaries picked and aired.

Pipe Dreams was a 20-minute documentary on his love for the pipe organ which culminated in him fulfilling his dream of playing a solo organ recital at the Petronas Philharmonic Hall.

There are only five pipe organs in Malaysia, with the largest and grandest one at the Petronas Philharmonic Hall boasting over 3,700 pipes as compared to the smaller 600-pipes one here in Penang.

Leonard Selva’s next project is to revive the pipe organ at the All Saints Anglican Church in Taiping that was built in the 1930s. — Picture by K.E.Ooi

Here, Leonard talks about how he came to love the king of instruments and how his total immersion saved the only pipe organ in Penang.

In his own words:

• My life revolves around the organ, it is very special to me. My family was heavily involved in church activities, especially my dad, who talked about music with us and I looked forward to going to the St Francis Xavier Church to hear the blind organist, Peter Goh, play. He inspired me a lot… if not for him, I would not be here today.
• My dad loves music but didn’t have the chance to learn it so he sent us, three of us, my sisters and I, to organ classes and when I was 11, I told my dad I liked the pipe organ sound in my electronic organ at home and that’s when my dad told me that there’s a church in Penang with a pipe organ.
• When I was in Form Three, I’d come to this church (Church of Assumption) to attend mass and to listen to the pipe organ. The first time I heard this organ… the sound itself, it touched my soul… the sound is different from the electronic organ, it really enriches the whole place.
• After a few years, I volunteered to play here. I was the organist at the Immaculate Conception Church between 1988 to 1998 but in 1995, I came here occassionally and by 1997, I began to play here full time.
• This is not just a pipe organ. It is one with a rich history from the time it was built in 1914, assembled here in Penang by The Robinsons Piano Co Ltd in 1916 and been through so many organists from then till now.
• By 2012, the pipe organ here was in really bad shape, we needed professional help and we found out we needed a quarter of a million to have it fully restored, otherwise it would “die”.
• I’m a spiritual guy so I felt God telling me he will take care of this problem, I think God has promised that this organ will somehow survive and it did because my documentary, Pipe Dreams, that was shown on reruns on Discovery Channel caught the attention of a minister, Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen, and she called me and asked about the organ. Six months later, she helped get funding from Air Asia and The Star where we raised enough to fully restore the instrument and it was completed by end of 2013.
• It is because of the organ, that led me to try new things. It led me to make the Discovery Channel’s First Time Filmmakers Malaysia documentary — Pipe Dreams. It helped me be good in other things such as photography and videography, as I was taking photos and videos of the pipe organ’s restoration works to document it.
• Personally I feel it’s a journey for me, I feel I’ve finished a chapter for this organ, what the community has done for it, we’ve not only restored the organ but set the pace for the next generation: It was set up in 1916, now after major restoration, it can last another 100 years.
• I feel my job here is sort of complete after that, there are now youngsters willing to come to learn and the organ is in good condition. So, now, I’m trying to save the Taiping pipe organ. My next project is to revive the pipe organ at the All Saints Anglican Church in Taiping that was built in the 1930s.