Front Row

Guzheng player, Sara Heng, introduces us to the traditional Chinese musical instrument and tells about the birth of the WAU! Ensemble made up of six young Malaysians who met each other in music conservatories in China. She gave us a peek into a particular piece which will see the musicians improvise during its upcoming debut performance.

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The professor and his small troupe of musicians from New Zealand--Archi D’Amore Zelanda--are in the country to run masterclasses for string players, which will culminate in a performance, comprising a viola d’amore, a cello and a guitar. They tell about classical music and New Zealand a land known for rugby, sheep and the great outdoors, pointing out the initiatives in schools and universities, including outreach programmes to the general population, even in the rural areas. Learn about the viola d’amore which forms the heart of the music of the trio.

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Dominic Luk who recently starred in Angels in America, Parts 1 & 2 will be performing in a one-man show titled The Weight of Silk on Skin written by Singapore-based Malaysian playwright, Huzir Sulaiman. This is a play about the landscape of the mind. The director and the actor described the journey to create a visual experience (through the performance) of the internal life of an outwardly successful man.

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Colour of Voices hit the sweet spot this Chinese New Year holidays with their music video which went viral. This young group, formed just two years ago (2014) shared with us their genesis and their plans for the future. What has the group tapped into so that their video resonates so well with Malaysians? Will its current online success translate into future commercial opportunities? Hear them tell their stories, and anticipate the future.

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Getting children into the world of the performing arts, and getting the arts into the world of children - it’s a challenge that our guest on today’s show has taken on. For the most part, outside of certain better endowed schools, little is done in our public sector-schools and community centres to expose school-age children to live performances, and for them to explore the creative arts. Chris Ng, who is trained in children’s theatre, elaborated on why it is important, and how to extend this reach beyond the privileged upper middle-class.

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This year, the world celebrates Mozart’s 260th anniversary. Our Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, together with international soloists and a combined choir, just recently paid homage to the composer’s Requiem Mass. Norman Ong, who has taken the baton to lead the klpac String Ensemble told us of the group’s upcoming concert with the soloist Samantha Chew. He shared his story about the communal nature of music. 

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Sifu Production the company that to-date has focused on humor for millennials--’Never Eat Too Much Before Rapture’ aka 30 plays [sic] in 60 minutes; and more recently FIFTEEN or 15 plays [sic]--explains how it will bring humor to a Shakespearean tragedy. Its press release declares: “With lines such as “O Lo Mio, Lo Mio, whyforth mantao”, Lo Mio and Chiu Liet: Forbidden Love in Forbidden City contains many comedic infusions of its Chinese setting without straying too far from its source material.” Clever witty humor or ...we’ll find out before opening night.

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The author was invited by the Kapitan Keling Mosque chairman to document the history of the historical building. From there, the birth of a book 18 years after; and a related lecture in conjunction with an an exhibition at the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia. The book itself has won the ICAS 2015 Colleagues’ Choice Award. Kapitan Keling Mosque was founded in 1801.

For a previous interview with Khoo Salma Nasution, click here.

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The musician was in KL conducting a workshop with both ASWARA music students and with practitioners of traditional music.  He talked about his interest in weaving different kinds of music together and how his life in the world of performing arts began with steps as a clown.  He also painted the development of music from modern to contemporary, and the role non-European traditional music played in this contemporary music.

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The gallery owner tells about the “Beyond Borders” exhibition, and the four participating artists whose shared medium lies in photography--or a medium close to it. Their various works challenge our traditional notions of photography, and at the same time push us beyond our personal borders asking how we see, what we see. Sometimes the mundane is made so spectacular that you’ll never see mundane in the same way.

The interview was conducted in the gallery even as the exhibits were going up.

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