Front Row

We speak to the revered sitar master Ustad Usman Khan, whose lineage can be traced back to the court musicians of Mysore, about his long and illustrious career playing and teaching the sitar.

Usmanji, the founder of NAAD in Pune and the Temple of Fine Arts' International Dean of Music, is being honoured by some of his former students in the concert, "Sitar Saptak."

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Having made Kuala Lumpur their current base, we find out what two French DJs - DJ French Chris and DJ Emmanuel - have been up to during their stay here.

We also find out about their first collaboration which is part of the French Embassy's annual French Language Week celebration. 

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Returning for a second offering, this workshop performance of The Merchant of Venice sees the Shakespeare Demystified ensemble continuing its mission – to share the Bard of Avon's genius and to make less murky the ins-and-outs of his masterful storytelling.

We find out more about this current staging from castmembers Nabihan Yaacob and Tung Jit Yang.

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The newly, fully professional ASWARA Dance Company present their first major production on stage, the aptly titled "3 Faces", which is a triple-bill performance of bharatanatyam, makyung and contemporary dance.

Joseph Gonzales, Artistic Director of the performance and Dean at the Faculty of Dance at ASWARA, shares the journey of the dance company thus far and the significance of having a professional dance company in the country. 

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Said to draw inspiration from the messages of Islam, Native Deen's music is a call to listeners to keep the faith, to live better lives, and to not succumb to the pressures and temptations of modern society.

The trio made up of Americans Joshua Salaam, Abdul-Malik Ahmad and Naeem Muhammad, share stories of growing up as Muslims in America, and how they fuse Islamic teachings with Hip-Hop and R&B music, and give us a preview of what to expect at their performances in Kuala Lumpur.

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The art lecturers at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Tanjung Malim (UPSI) organised six sessions of art classes/workshops in 2011 with the visually impaired students of Sekolah Menengah Pendidikan Khas (SMPK).

A total of 55 artworks have been created by the students as a result, which are being exhibited at NN Gallery.

We find out how all about the project, the students and the artworks created from Puan Suriani binti Yusuf, the Senior Assistant for Co-Curricular Activities of SMPK Setapak, together with Dr. Mohd Fauzi bin Md Sedon and Dr. Tajul Shuhaizam bin Said, both senior lecturers at the Faculty of Art, Computing & Creative Industry, University Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Tanjung Malim (UPSI).

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Actress BB Ostella Adam tells us about the Asian premiere of 'Boom', a play by American playwright Peter Sinn Nachtrieb.

Directed by local director David Lim, 'Boom' is described as a zany, warped and ultimately hopeful look at the apocalypse, which follows a young marine biologist as he prepares for the imminent end of the world.

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Described as an all-round sensory experience, 'Longing' is based on Knut Hamsun's novel 'Wayfarers'.

This cross-over art performance blends music by Malaysian composer Adeline Wong with digital art projections by Norwegian artistic director Are Andreassen, who both join us to discuss what the production has in store.

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Set premiere on the 70th anniversary of the fall of Malaya to Japan, the documentary "Rising Sun Over Malaya" tells the stories of ordinary heroic Malayans who resisted Japanese rule and lived to tell the tale.

Producer/Director Lara Ariffin and Director/Cameraman Harun Rahman of Novista Sdn. Bhd. walk us through the making of the documentary and share some of their discoveries and experiences with us.

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The group art exhibition, Interface Bandung, showcases the works of five young artists, Aliansyah, Theo Frids Hutabarat, Satria Nugraha, Jabbar Muhammad and Panca Dz, who all live and work in Bandung.

We find out from the exhibition's curators, Eva McGovern, Yogie Ginanjar and Rifandy Priatna or Darto, how Bandung, as a site or place, generally influences these young artists in their artistic practices and concepts.

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