Front Row

Celebrating Asian stories from a global perspective, The International Storytelling Festival Singapore is a showcase of global storytellers who have worked their magic to give life to our own timeless Asian epics and legends. Poet, writer and translator Eddin Khoo, who is also the co-founder of PUSAKA, is one of the storytellers for the festival and provides us some insights on storytelling. Coinc...

A pioneer and active member of the renowned Wednesday Art Group founded by the late Peter Harris, visual artist and art educator Sivam Selvaratnam joins us to discuss her long career in the field of visual arts and art education. She also sheds more light on her second solo art exhibition, "Rapt in Maya," which is a showcase of her breadth of artworks that span some 50 years, which is also being h...

John Nicholson, founder of Popular Picture History Resources, continues to amaze us with his collections of bits and bobs that paint a greater picture of Malaya's ever growing history. He returns for a third time on the show to discuss his newest acquisitions and to give us a heads up on what's available at this year's Warisan Kertas sale and exhibition. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf...

Dungun born artist Chen Wei Ming spent his formative years living in around the small towns of Terengganu, and weaves these childhood experiences of the monsoon season into his paintings in his latest series, Silent Monsoon.  He joins us to discuss the series as well as the emotions he tries to evoke in his paintings. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In conjunction with their 15th anniversary, HANDS Percussion, one of Malaysia's best known percussion groups, is putting together a musical performance entitled Souls In Love.  Bernard Goh, co-creator and artistic director of HANDS Percussion, and Susan Sarah John, musical director of Souls In Love, sit down with us to explain what they have planned for the performance. See omnystudio.com/lis...

Reshad Strik is an Australian actor of Bosnian descent, and has starred in films such as The Hills Have Eyes 2 and music videos such as Jessica Simpson's Public Affair. Also a practicing Muslim, he joins us to share his unique experiences in Hollywood, while also discussing filmmaking, acting and the industry in general. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kembara Jiwa - The Traveling Soul is an independent project which aims to take Malaysian art and artists to the international front. Mohammad Nazli Abdul Aziz, Managing Director of Galeri Chandan, joins us to discuss his plans and aspirations for this project, which is also co-led by visual artist, Bayu Utomo. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US-based Malaysian animator/ artist/ author Cheeming Boey drops in to discuss his first book, "When I Was a Kid: Childhood Stories" which is a compilation of stories growing up in Malaysia and Singapore, which he has uniquely told through stick figure drawings accompanied by endearing text. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10 world renowned dancers will be in Malaysia to perform a showcase of classical, neo-classical and contemporary style-ballet, including excerpts from The Nutcracker, Spartacus, The Sleeping Beauty and many more. We catch up with Japanese dancers Ena Hirose and Hironao Takahashi about what's in store. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Takahisa Ota, the Conductor & Music Director of the klpac String Ensemble & klpac Orchestra, together with Mio Yachita, the Head of the Cultural Affairs Department at the Japan Foundation Kuala Lumpur (JFKL) and Malik Taufiq, the Brand Strategist and Marketing Manager of both klpac and The Actors Studio, discuss the concert "klpac Orchestra Look East! Celebrating 30 Years" and the mult...

Ivan Lam, one of Malaysia’s leading contemporary artists, joins us to discuss his latest trilogy of monumental works, which each measure 9ft x 7ft. The works are said to present the veneer of a harmonious existence, which is sometimes overshadowed by underlying issues lurking beneath the surface. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Comedians Rizal van Geyzel and Kavin Jay drop by to plug the One Mic Stand series, which is a weekly session of raw comedy that the duo co-host. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Art For Nature series - organised by Rimbun Dahan in aid of the WWF Malaysia - returns for its 15th installment, this time with the theme "Snapshots". Angela Hijjas, Chairperson of the Art For Nature Committee and Shahnaz Said, the new Arts Manager at Rimbun Dahan, discuss this year's offerings and the need to get creative in the fight for environmental conservation. See omnystudio.com/listene...

"Imports" is a double bill performance featuring works by directors Jude James and Marvin Wong, which explores the weight behind making decisions on love through two drastically different stories. Jude, Marvin and Kamahlaan Thiagarajan, who is the production assistant for the performance, drop by to discuss the performance and also to share their own personal experiences of working in the arts. Se...

Michiko Kasahara, who is an established authority in and curator of Japanese photography, discusses contemporary identity in photography. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Visual artist Vincent Leong and curator Eva McGovern drop in to discuss Vincent's long-awaited solo exhibition, You Are Here , which presents the artist's viewpoints about Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur through nostalgic, critical and humorous bodies of work. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We find out more about the art of stilt walking and non-verbal performances from Marine Moncaut, the Cultural Coordinator at the Alliance Francaise Kuala Lumpur, and from Olivier Léger, who co-founded the French acrobatic group Cie Chabatz d’Entrar. The acrobatic/ circus group Cie Chabatz d’Entrar are here to perform their latest production, Perchés for the French Art &am...

Cécile Corbel is a Breton singer/ songwriter and harper, whose music is inspired by tales and ancient melodies. She is visiting from France with her long-time collaborator Simon Caby, for a series of performances here in Malaysia that are part of the French Art & Film Festival 2012. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joseph Gonzales, the Dean of the Dance Faculty at Akademi Seni Budaya dan Warisan Kebangsaan (ASWARA), drops in to tell us about the performance Unleash!, which is the graduation showcase from ASWARA's dance faculty, while also discussing the issues surrounding dance and art education in the country. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Raja Ahmad Aminullah Raja Abdullah, the Director R A Fine Arts – The Gallery drops in to plug the exhibition "Nuansa Nusantara" which features artworks by some of the country's most renowned artists, among them Syed Ahmad Jamal, Abdul Latiff Mohidin and Mansor Ghazali. He will also discuss the launch of the book he helped compile, "Nuansa Nusantara, Art & Liberation" which contains a col...

Ashly Nandong is a thirty-year old artist and sape player from Kuching, Sarawak who is at Rimbun Dahan for three months as artist-in-residence. He shares more of his eventful career and artistic pursuits, and tells us more of his personal "berjalai" which is an ancient Iban custom of journeying in search of knowledge and wisdom. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This international event organised by the Malaysia Barathanatya Dance Association, is an effort to create a platform for all Bharathanatyam dancers, from both the local and international fronts, to come together to discuss the dance form. Prof. Dr. Aruna Gopinath, who is the Secretary of the Malaysia Bharathanatyam Dance Association, shares her own experiences with the ancient dance form, while fi...

Our favourite collector/ hoarder John Nicholson returns, this time with old maps, emblems and flags of Malaya and Borneo in hand. Sharing his collection of old cigarette cards which depict these flags and emblems, John, the founder of Popular Picture History Resources, also shares amusing tales of the changes from colonial rule to Independence. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Dithyrambic Singers are set to present a showcase of choral compositions with influences of Asia's cultural heritage. We find out more about the choir group and their upcoming performance from members Cynthia Tan, Rachel Tan and Oskar Musaev.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Renowned conductor Stéphane Denève made a trip to KL for a performance with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, and he shares highlights from his illustrious career and discusses the French-themed performance at Dewan Filharmonik Petronas, which includes pieces by Debussy, Poulenc and Ravel. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.