Front Row

From the Cordillera Mountain Range, to hilly Chiang Mai, The Young KL Singers invites us on a mysterious journey, with a selection of choral songs on folklore and folktales from South East Asia. We find out what's in store in this upcoming music concert titled Spice, Magic & Mystique from Mak Chi Hoe (Music Director / Co-Director), and Kathleen Roshene (Vocalist and Section Leader). Image Cred...

Venunadham, A Carnatic Flute-Nadhaswaram Jugalbandhi is a one-night only performance, featuring Carnatic flautist Dr B. Vijaygopal, M. Karthikeyan on the nadhaswaram, mridangist Vijay Natesan and ghatam artiste Krishnaswamy Sankararaman, who are all visiting from India. We speak to Dr Sivabalan Shanmuga Sundram, the co-organiser of the concert from Thrive Talent Tank , to find out more about Carna...

From their humble but delicious beginnings as BuburChaCha to what they are now known as, SIX2EIGHT, the acapella gang is back for their 30th anniversary show - 30 Years of Rockapella - featuring both the older and newer active members of the group. Promising hits like Only You, Blue Moon, It’s Now or Never and Stupid Cupid just to name a few, the concert will feature 30 songs in a two-hour acapell...

The klpac Symphonic Band opens its 2024 season with a tribute to the King of Pop, Michael Jackson in the concert titled, This Is It: Tribute to Michael Jackson . Whether with The Jackson 5 or as a solo artist, Michael Jackson gave us countless chart-topping hits, and in this upcoming concert conducted by Cheryl Mah, we get the chance to relive these very hits such as “Thriller”, “Billie Jean”, “Be...

The idea behind the " Can She Do It ?" art exhibition was to challenge gender stereotypes and celebrate women's empowerment. Featuring a collection of artworks from various women artists, the exhibition promises to showcase an array of thought-provoking artworks that explore themes of resilience, courage, and determination. We speak to Nazura Rahime, the co-curator of the show and Gallery Owner of...

In the upcoming performance " Late Love " renowned dancer Aman Yap, who is also the Founder & Artistic Director of  Dua Space Dance Theatre , explores his relationship with this passion - dance - after being in the business for 36 years. In the four pieces that make up Late Love, Aman reflects deeply on the profound changes in the dance scene through the years, expressing both awe for the...

Merdu Puisi is a performance by The Poetics Collective within the VerSeS Music Ensembles , that focuses on Malaysian poetry in the Malay language, set to music by Malaysian composers. The performance will feature the work of local poets, including that of the late Sasterawan Negara Usman Awang, and other living Malaysian poets. Aiming to promote the ‘art song’ genre among Malaysians, while also fo...

Garam is a semi-devised play described as a metatheatre about the thoughts, memories, and experiences of six artists finding connections with each other, amidst their inner struggles with feelings of disconnection and alienation. A piece by Asyraf Syahir, the Founder and Artistic Director of EJKLS Seni , we find out what's in store from Asyraf, and also from cast member Emily Thomas. See omnystudi...

Dama Asia is back, this time featuring the return of famed soprano Tan Soo Suan, in a charity concert titled, " Delicate Dreams and Desires ." The concert is raising funds for the Medical Awareness Camp Outreach (MACO), who have been working on collecting, fixing, and giving repurposed computers to school children in need. We speak to Pun Kai Loon (Artistic Director, Dama Asia Productions), Ian Ng...

In the group exhibition “Mendongeng”, artists Amir Shahlan , Mati , and RB take on the role of storytellers, weaving narratives through repurposed objects. Their exhibits are said to be rooted in folklore, tales, and myth, offering comfort, inspiration, and a profound sense of meaning, while exploring the reason for our own being and existence. We find out more about the exhibition at AP Art Galle...

Love is in the air as the MPO celebrates Valentine’s Day with a romance-themed concert, titled " A Valentine’s Serenade ." Led by Resident Conductor Gerard Salonga, the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra will be joined by vocalists Sean Ghazi, Ida Mariana, Nikki Palikat and Izen Kong, who are set to perform a host of romantic favourites and Broadway hit numbers like Love Changes Everything, If We We...

After their recorder studies at the Utrecht Conservatory with Heiko ter Schegget, Teun Wisse and Thomas Triesschijn conceived the idea of inviting their former teacher to form a trio, and thus the Holborne Consort was born. They specialise in performing Renaissance music on replicas of recorders from that period and together, they have performed concerts throughout Europe, Asia, and the United Sta...

For the first time in its 25-year history, the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia (IAMM) has launched two exhibitions simultaneously - “ A Journey through Islamic Art ” and “Alif Lam Ra: Contemporary Muslim Calligraphy.” In "A Journey," the astonishing breadth of art from the Islamic world is explored, covering more than a thousand years of cultures that stretch from East Asia to West Africa. The art of...

Spectrum of Sentiment is described as a unique musical experience that invites us to dive deep into our inner psyche, and connect as humans. This thoughtful work combines contemporary classical flute music, movement, and images, and is produced and curated by composer/flutist Lawrence Chiu , and features six flautists, a dancer and an image maker collaborating for the first time on his original co...

AweGallery 's first curated community-based art event, “Paramount Art A-fair" is a showcase of art pieces that cost less than RM5000 each - an effort to make art more affordable to the masses. Featuring works by eight Malaysian artists aged between 30-50, we'll see a mix of artworks made from oil, watercolour, mixed media and pottery at this group exhibition. We speak to sisters Dora Ong and Diane...

Rexperience: The ‘Otherworld’ , the immersive art experience at REXKL, is entering its final two weeks. Part of the show includes 'Annihilation' - the final 17-minute show in the hour-long ‘Otherworld’ experience - which is described as a first in Malaysia to feature dancers using live motion capture technology. A collaboration with Belgian digital artist Colas Fiszman and Berlin based composer Jo...

Gerak Bayang: The Art of Storytelling is an exhibition featuring 39 local artists, and showcases various works of art revolving around the theme of wayang kulit. We speak to the curator of Gerak Bayang, Siti Melorinda Khuzaina binti Sakdudin, about what the Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) Museum and Art Gallery's biggest post-pandemic exhibition has to offer. Image Credit: Wayang Kulit Kelantan By Nik...

After taking the Bobo stage by 'barricade-storm' last August with their musical theatre revue, Sean Ghazi and Friends return for a re-stage of Bobo on Broadway . Once again, Sean shares the Bobo KL stage with guest soprano Lara Maigue, lyric baritone Christopher Morandi, Bobo-favourite Ida Mariana, and vocal electra Izen Kong, performing a program that includes top Broadway hits from Cabaret, Miss...

Following a successful run in 2023, local improv comedy troupe, AIIA Improv , returns with One Word Wonder , described as a performance where long form improv comedy meets live music, for a hilarious night out. In this unique performance, the audience plays a pivotal role by suggesting a single word that the improvisers will use to create an entire show on the spot. The show will feature the talen...

Self-taught artist Syahbandi Samat ’s fifth solo exhibition, The Road Less Travelled, is described as a mini-review of the artist’s career that began in 2011, when at the age of 19, he was selected as one of the five winners of the 2011 Malaysia Emerging Artist Awards (MEAA). Thematically, Syahbandi’s artworks selected for this exhibition focus on his more introspective works, surreal renderings f...

Motets - Bach & Poulenc is a performance featuring sacred music compositions of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) and Francis Poulenc (1899-1963), two composers from different periods in classical music history, each with distinct styles and influences. In this concert presented by the VerSeS Music Ensembles , we will be treated to two (of only six) of Bach’s motets composed in the 1700s, name...

Beauty in Elements is the first joint collaboration between the Fugee School and Satu: Creative Collective , and is an attempt to expose potential creative works done by students of the Fugee School, alongside more established artists in a curated exhibition. This charity exhibition hopes to spread awareness about the struggles of refugees among the general public, and to cultivate an interest in...

The mf Music Fest: Identity Crisis! invites both music enthusiasts and curious souls to embark on a musical journey that reflects the diversity of Malaysia's music scene. Supported by ThinkCity, this music festival encourages open dialogue across genres through an array of programmes which includes two concerts, that brings together Western classical, local traditional and contemporary music and s...

Immerse yourself in a Tony-award winning masterpiece Once On This Island , a captivating saga of gods, lovers, and societal clash. Presented by the Monday Show Entertainment team, this locally reimagined musical will showcase over 50 homegrown talents and promises an unforgettable musical experience that explores themes of love, class, and the power of storytelling. We find out more from the produ...

Cultural organisation, PUSAKA have a delightful December planned for us, with two performances coming up. Firstly on the 3rd of December, they are presenting the Kompang Jawa Showcase in Kuala Lumpur , which is part of a larger project that aims to revitalise and enhance the sustainability of the authentic Kompang Jawa (Teruntung and Hadaro) traditions, which are older forms of Kompang that are be...