Front Row

This four-day music festival, presented by The Temple of Fine Arts, will celebrate Indian classical music and honour the great legendary composers Thyagaraja and Tansen. Sitarist Kumar Karthigesu and vocalist Sveta Kilpady from The Temple of Fine Artsfill explain the contributions from both the great composers and tell us what to expect at the festival, which includes lectures, workshops and perfo...

Viva Palestina Malaysia (VPM) is a coalition of Malaysian non-governmental organisations which  cut across racial, religious and political lines, in their effort to seek a prompt and sustainable resolution of the conflict in Palestine. Among their many initiatives is the inaugural Kuala Lumpur Palestine Film Festival, and Yuzaidi Yusoff, the Head of Viva Palestina Malaysia's Media Team speaks...

Dr. Debra Diamond is an Associate Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art at the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, in Washington's Smithsonian Institution. Here in Malaysia for a visit, she will, among other things, deliver a talk titled "From Idea to Exhibition" which will touch on the curatorial development of an idea into a groudbreaking exhibition. She also speaks a...

Comedy Court, made up of Allan Perera and Indi Nadarajah, have been performing social and political satire Malaysian style for 15 years now. They return with the show, "Not Guilty!" and we hear what's in store from Indi. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a four year silence, visual artist Ahmad Shukri Mohamed, one of the core members of Malaysia's critically acclaimed art collectives, the MATAHATI group, is back with a solo exhibition at Pace Gallery. Shukri and Yusof Majid, the Gallery Director of Pace Gallery tell us what's in store. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Actor and comedian Kuah Jenhan, together with ex-beauty queen Ribena Berry, civil servant Puan Badariah Tudung Periuk and artist Curry Spice (all played by Jo Kukathas) share their Chinese New Year celebration traditions or understanding of it. ps. It's satire. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The proposed eastern alignment of the Kuala Lumpur Outer Ring Road, the East Klang Valley Expressway (EKVE), will cut through some parts of the Selangor State Park, which provides vital ecosystem services to residents in the Klang Valley. Andrew Sebastian, Head of Communications at the Malaysian Nature Society, discusses the significance of this environmentally sensitive area and the results of th...

Malaysian artist Rafiee Ghani's latest exhibition features works that were inspired by his recent trip to India, which captures the essence, vibrancy and subtle romance of the republic. Rafiee shares his experience from his four month stay in India, and both he and Mohammad Nazli Abdul Aziz, the Managing Director of Galeri Chandan tell us what to expect in the exhibition. See omnystudio.com/listen...

We hear about the Malay language double bill presentation by critically acclaimed local arts group Rumah Anak Teater, from executive producer Faisal Mustaffa and lead actress Mislina Mustaffa. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"At A Plank Bridge" is a two character, one-act play set in the heart of Malaya after the Japanese withdrawal and before the return of the British colonialists to the peninsula, that deals with conscience, identity and humanity. Co-lead actor and Associate Producer of the show, Mano Maniam, speaks about the production and role he is reprising, having first played the character Chandran in the 2003...

Writer, Director and Producer Santhira Morgan of the Serious Comedy Studio speaks about his upcoming production, which is about Indians who do not speak their mother tongue. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The second edition of this festival of music, dance and visual arts happens on the 14th of January 2012 and is a collaboration by the Alliance Française de Kuala Lumpur (AFKL) and African Radio Tv Asia Malaysia (ARTAM). Marine Moncaut, the cultural coordinator at AFKL and King Lhota, from ARTAM and also the reggae band Dub Essentials, tell us what's in store at the day long fest. See omnyst...

Said to trace its roots from the poetry of the Harlem Renaissance and blues music, the Spoken Word and its most popular offshoot, Slam Poetry, has evolved into the present day soap-box for people. Elaine Foster, who specialises in teaching performance poetry and spoken word, and who regularly organises and hosts spoken word events, speaks about the movement here in Malaysia. See omnystudio.com/lis...

Sunny Chan, co-manager and coordinator of Danceworks Production, fills us in on the organisation's latest neo-classical ballet production, "The White Bat" which is based on Johann Strauss' opera Die Fledermaus. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Filmmaker Khairil M Bahar and actor Baki Zainal spill about their latest film, "Relationship Status." Based on the numerous options available on popular social networking sites, the film tells the story of a number of KL dwellers from all walks of life, whose relationships are created, changed, and sometimes even ruined by social networking and the way we communicate in the 21st century. See omnys...

The all-embracing concept of Art Jamming involves creating art just for the sake of it. Jennifer Tan and Jonny Ishaque, a married couple who run The Studio @ KL, which is the home of art jamming in Kuala Lumpur, explain the whole concept of art jamming, and its many benefits. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A firm opponent of the death penalty, Nora Murat, the Executive Director of Amnesty International Malaysia (AIM), dicusses the topic of capital punishment and the organisation's efforts to abolish it around the world. She also speaks about the activities planned this October by AIM and the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall Civil Rights Committee, in conjunction with the World Coaliti...

Dancer/choreographer/educator Joseph Gonzales, who is also the Dean of the Dance Faculty at Akademi Seni Budaya dan Warisan Kebangsaan (ASWARA), discusses the institution's annual contemporary dance showcase, "Jamu". He also touches on the release of his latest book "Dancing the Malaysian" which details the relationship between dance and national identity here in Malaysia. See omnystudio.com/liste...

Super Everything, a new collaborative arts project by The Light Surgeons is described as a 'poetic audio-visual tapestry that together will form a rich, kaleidoscopic view of the cultural landscape of Malaysia.' Christopher Thomas Allen, founder of the Light Surgeons and Tim Cowie, long-time collaborator, discusses their layered, complex piece of work that binds light, sounds, visuals and smells a...

The World's Largest Floating Bookstore - Logos Hope is a 132 metre long ship that contains half a million titles, with 400 crew members from 45 different countries. Three volunteers from the Logos Hope ship, Barnard Modimakwane, Eileen Chua and Jessica Kiely, tell us about their experiences during their time working on the ship. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tugu Drum Circle is a gathering of drummers, percussionists and like minded people who have been sharing their love and passion for playing drums and percussion with all, every Sunday around the Tugu Negara area. Now, they're set to perform in Dewan Filharmonik Petronas, and Tugu Drum Circle co-founder Paul Lau discusses the upcoming performance and also what it is that keeps the group going. See...

Amnesty International celebrates it's 50th anniversary this year, and in conjunction with the event, the Malaysian chapter of the society is celebrating with "A Toast to 50!" which features performances and the unveiling of AIM's 50 Youth Ambassadors.  Amnesty International Malaysia's Communications Officer, Adeline Choo, speaks both about the organisations work here in Malaysia and the upcom...

Masakini Theatre Company's Sabera Shaik speaks about her latest directorial effort, a shadow play performance titled "Wayang," which promises to take you through the recent ages of Malaysia through song, dance and of course, shadowplay. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Director, performer and co-founder of The Jumping Jellybeans (JJB), Shanthini Venugopal, discusses their latest production for kids and their adults, "The Jumping Jellybeans Party", which is part of the PJ Laugh Fest 2011. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marine Moncaut, Cultural Coordinator at Alliance Française de Kuala Lumpur (AFKL), Aisyah Aris, Marketing & Public Relations at AFKL and Lyslie Legendre, Cultural Assistant at AFKL discuss the upcoming events at this year's French Art and Film Festival. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.