The National Symphony Orchestra of Malaysia (NSO) is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year with a concert in Istana Budaya. We speak to music director and conductor, Datuk Mustafa Fuzer Nawi, about how the NSO has evolved over the past 25 years, and what the future holds for it.

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The interview guest was first on BFM four years ago. And more recently, two years ago when he performed in a show of excerpts from West End and Broadway musicals. In that production, he also assisted as a vocal coach. Because he sung in West End performances of ‘The Phantom of the Opera’, he is back in the Klang Valley to perform a one-night-only concert-version of that same musical. Our producer catches up with Richards to find out what he has been doing the last couple of years and what draws him to return to Kuala Lumpur. Hear more about performing ‘The Phantom’.

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What is halal, what is haram, and how to define these terms, are questions that come up frequently in Malaysian public discourse. An art exhibition by Sisters in Islam (SIS), themed “Halal Haram”, aims to examine these questions and break down some preconceived notions about the Islamic faith. The show, which is part of the SISArt initiative - now in its second year - features the works of 26 Malaysian artists of various backgrounds and belief systems. We speak to the exhibition’s co-curators Nia Khalisa and Hana Zamri, and SIS’ communications manager Majidah Hashim, to find out more.

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There have been so many interpretations and versions of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”, yet artists continue to find new ways to engage with this timeless tale of tragic love. The latest offering, called “A Tale of Star-Crossed Lovers”, is a collaboration between the KL Shakespeare Players and butoh dance group Nyoba Kan, where butoh is used to break down and reinterpret the story of “Romeo and Juliet”. To brings things even closer to home, the performance will also be interwoven with the Javanese dance of Rama and Shinta. We speak to the show’s director, butoh master Lee Swee Keong, and performers Hana Nadira and Zul Zamir, about this unique new interpretation.

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Over the past decade or so, local spoken word artists have gone from having to search and share spaces at open mic gigs, to making ones at public areas and now, as seen in the variety of monthly poetry events happening in KL and other cities in Malaysia, establishing their own spaces both online and offline. This month, Sheena Baharudin speaks with Umar Azizi about the creative space to reflect, collaborate, play and be stimulated.

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It’s Deepavali season, and sarees are everywhere. The saree, however, is much more than just something to wear. As a garment with a history of about 5,000 years, it also carries with it many of the Indian subcontinent’s artistic traditions. So we take the opportunity to talk about the saree as a living, wearable work of art, with Sumitra Selvaraj, founder of Sarees And Stories (@sareesandatories on Instagram), an online space for saree appreciation and discussion.

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Artist Yim Yen Sum uses fabric and embroidery to create works that reflect on the rapidly-disappearing historical buildings in Malaysia. The intricacy of the work and their delicate appearance evoke thoughts of impermanence and memory. We speak to Yen Sum and gallery director Lim Wei-Ling, about the artist’s latest exhibition: “The Further You Stand, the Clearer You See”.

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The Young Choral Academy, beyond running classes on choral singing and voice lessons, also organizes choral festivals. Earlier this year, it ran a national choir competition and the first Malaysian Men’s Choir Festival. In the coming week, a festival with a Gaelic flavour, the 16th Malaysian Choral Eisteddfod 2018. Susanna Saw talks about singing for the young and the efficacy of such festivals.

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“we will have been young” is a contemporary photography exhibition that brings together 12 emerging Southeast Asian photographers to examine the fragility of youth and the transience of the future. The works featured were developed over 12 months through a photography masterclass, and take a visual anthropological approach, and highlight the unique visual language of the Southeast Asian region. We speak to Alvin Lau, one of the Malaysian photographers in the programme, as well as Vignes Balasingam, director of the OBSCURA Festival of Photography.

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A visual arts exhibition called #ReimagineUs, happening at the Urbanscapes 2018 festival, brings together different artists and collectives to reimagine and recreate Kuala Lumpur’s people, communities, and spaces. These interpretations will be presented as nine alternate realities in nine different rooms. We speak to the exhibition’s curator Sharmin Parameswaran about putting the show together, and how imagining a different KL might allow us to rediscover the city we currently have.

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