KUALA LUMPUR, April 28 — Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia, today graced a tea reception with artistes and national figures at the Istana Negara.

Held at the Main Banquet Hall, the event was attended by the Prime Minister’s wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, and Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil.

Present at the event were Communications Ministry secretary-general (sec-gen) Datuk Mohamad Fauzi Md Isa; Ministry of Education (MOE) sec-gen Datuk Dr Aminuddin Hassim; and Yayasan Raja Zarith Sofiah Negeri Johor (YRZSNJ) chief executive officer Hishamuddin Abdul Rahim.

Among the artistes seen were the country’s music legends Datuk M. Nasir, Datuk Ramli MS, well-known producer and director Datuk Yusof Haslam, as well as more than 400 invited guests including school students, artistes, writers and influencers.

This tea reception with local artistes and writers, which was held for the first time, was an initiative by the Queen to showcase talent and create positive interaction between local artistes and school students, while also celebrating and appreciating local artistes.

The Queen bestowed contributions to 150 asnaf students from Kuala Lumpur through the YRZSNJ.

Guests were treated to special performances by popular local artistes Anuar Zain, who sang “Sedetik Lebih,” and M Nasir, who performed “Satu Hari di Hari Raya,” at the event hosted by well-known presenters Zizan Razak and Sherry Al Hadad.

Additionally, the guests were entertained by a special performance from Kuala Lumpur school students, accompanied by the Simfoni Kayangan combo from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bukit Jalil, organised by the MOE.

Among the student performances were the One Malaysia dances, keroncong, a violin solo, poetry recitation, visual arts, and a zapin dance as well as Chinese community drumming. — Bernama