Front Row

 掘失 (jue shi) The Hidden Tune is a musical collaboration featuring the folks from Orang-orang Drum Theatre and the Angelika Niescier Trio, and is described as a musical experiment that is hard to categorise, yet filled with possibilities. We find out more about this upcoming percussion and jazz music collaboration from Zyee Leow, the co-founder of Orang Orang Drum Theatre, and Angelika Niescier, a saxophonist, composer, and leader of the Angelika Niescier Trio.

Image credit: Frank Schindelbeck

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Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) will host its very first film screening of the 2020 documentary Selfish, that offers a rare and moving glimpse into the lives of 40 humanitarian workers. This film, which is about humanitarian workers’ commitment to other people, also explores the question of their 'selfishness' in choosing to do this kind of work. We explore what the film is about, and what went into making it, with Laurence Hoenig, one of the film's co-directors, who is also the head of the creative content unit at MSF Switzerland. 

Find out more about the Malaysian screening of the film, here.

Image credit: Egoiste Film

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We catch up with pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader Tay Cher Siang, a regular on the local jazz circuit, and part of the WVC Malaysian Jazz Ensemble. Cher Siang has also been working on a variety of other projects, including curating a whole set of events for the new jazz and music venue, TiTi Fusion, which is located in Sri Petaling. We catch up with Cher Siang to find out more.

Image credit: Facebook / Tay Cher Siang

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“An Uncommon Journey” is described as a labour of love and massive undertaking by like-minded music educators and musicians to reconnect after two years, to share and learn and to make music together. Over 50 musicians, some travelling from out-of-state, gathered weekly at KLPAC over a period of 13 weeks in this collaborative project, with musicians aged 16 to 22 working closely with the KLPAC Symphonic Band members, section leaders, and local band directors and guest conductors, to hone their craft and grow. They are set to present a heartwarming programme in this upcoming concert, under the baton of three esteemed guest conductors – Ho Chee Kiang, Dr. Low Chee Meng, Mustaqim Abdullah. We find out more from Cheryl Mah, the resident conductor of the KLPAC Symphonic Band, and Mustaqim Abdullah, a freelance musician, educator and guest conductor for this concert.

Image credit: KL Performing Arts Centre

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That day, I was sketching on the street is Ong Hieng Fuong’s debut solo exhibition, and is described as a display of his conversations with observed moments of life. His works are rendered in a variety of mediums, from vibrant poster colours to elaborate woodcuts. He joins us to talk about his works, and how growing up in Tanjung Sepat, a small fishing town in Selangor, formed much of the inspiration for his artworks.

Image credit: The Back Room KL

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Out of the Depths is the first post-lockdown concert by Bachfest Malaysia, featuring two moving Bach cantatas, performed by the award-winning Malaysia Bach Festival Singers and Orchestra. Aside from the concert, world-renowned Bach scholar Prof. Dr. Michael Maul will be providing pre-concert lectures, and the concert tour is also the official book launch for Michael’s Chinese/English version of the Bach Pictorial Biography.  We find out more about this from Dr. David Chin, the Artistic Director of Bachfest Malaysia and a Senior Fellow at Bach-Archiv Leipzig, and Prof. Dr. Michael Maul, who is also the Artistic Director of Leipzig Bach Festival, and a Senior Scholar at Bach Archiv Leipzig. Both gentlemen share their love and appreciation of the music of seventeenth century German composer, Johann Sebastian Bach and why we should too.

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A multi-hyphenated soul, Omar Musa is a Malaysian-Australian multidisciplinary artist, author, rapper, poet, hip hop artist and now also woodcut printer. He has to his credit a long list of accomplishments, including four poetry books, four hip-hop records, he has written an acclaimed one-man play called Since Ali Died, and his debut novel, “Here Come the Dogs” was longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award and the Miles Franklin Award. His most recent work, Killernova, is a new collection of poetry and wood cuts, and is an innovative, form-blending exploration of identity, history, and healing. He joins us now to share more.

Image credit: Omarmusa.com

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Tanjai Kamalaa Indira (TKI) Dance School is recognised as the ‘Longest Operating Dance Training School in Malaysia’ by the Malaysia Book of Records. They are set to present their 23rd thematic production, a dance recital accompanied by live music entitled ' Natyaamirtham - The Nectar of Dance, a performance celebrating joy, and we discuss the upcoming performance with Indira Manikam, the co-founder and artistic director of the Tanjai Kamalaa Indira Dance School.

Image credit: Tanjai Kamalaa Indira Dance School

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The late Brian Friel was considered one of the best-known Irish playwrights of his generation, and his first play Philadelphia, Here I Come! premiered in Dublin in 1964, before subsequently moving to Broadway where it ran for 326 performances and earned several Tony Award nominations. The play is described as a tragicomedy, and explores themes like new beginnings, emotional escapism, memory, nostalgia, and more. Adapted for the Malaysian stage by Joe Hasham OAM back in 1994, the play is being staged once more in 2022 with a cast of both new and veteran talents. We find out more from Omar Ali, the dramaturg of the play, and who works in dramaturgy development at The Actors Studio.

Image credit: Dev Lee

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Cahaya XR: First Edition is described as an exhibition that fuses local stories with immersive technology, to demonstrate new ways of reimagining Penang’s traditional stories and heritage, while also showcasing how the metaverse can be used to hold space for inclusive community storytelling. Featuring works by Penang artists White Bones, Ysabel Loh and Kabilan Murali Dharan, the exhibition is both a physical and virtual one, and is part of the Georgetown Arts Festival. We find out more about this trailblazing exhibition from one of the featured artists, Kabilan.

Image credit: Cahaya XR

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