Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts appoints new Director

The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts has announced the appointment of Professor Adrian Walter AM as its new Director.

Professor Adrian WalterA native of Australia, Professor Walter has had a distinguished career for over 30 years at two major Australian universities as educator and administrator across the disciplines of the arts, humanities, law and business. With vast experience working with stakeholders from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, he is an advocate for community engagement through education, making it accessible for learners with varying needs. An accomplished guitarist and teacher, Professor Walter has frequently travelled to Asian countries, including China, Indonesia and Singapore, for institutional visits and to conduct masterclasses. He was decorated by the Australian Government in 2009 in recognition of his contribution to arts education.

On taking up the appointment, Professor Walter will seek to enhance the standing and recognition of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts both locally and internationally. He looks forward to establishing and continuing dialogue with all stakeholders and celebrating the many successes of students, graduates and colleagues.

Professor Walter succeeds Professor Kevin Thompson OBE who will step down at the end of August 2012 after eight years with the institution. 

For more information, click here.

Masters of Cantonese opera present two nights of classics with SCO

Masters of Cantonese Opera, Ni Hui Ying and Li Jun Sheng, return to stage two nights of Cantonese opera masterworks with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) on 8 and 9 June 2012.

Li Jun Sheng (left) and Ni Hui Ying (right)Queen of Cantonese opera, Ni Hui Ying, will star as the hua dan (also known as 'young women') with rising Cantonese opera master, Li Jun Sheng, who will play the role of wen wu sheng (men with scholastic attainment and martial skills) in the four-movement Cantonese opera symphonic suite, Red Boat. These four movements – Flowers falling into the red boat, Where is my home?, Where is the justice? and Falling flowers, sinking moon, the shadow – depict the story of a young woman in distress who joins the Red Boat Opera Troupe and a young army officer who meets the young actress at her performance in a banquet. Composer, Dong Wei Jie, will arrange this masterwork for Chinese orchestra while retaining the essence of the opera. Performers from the Guangzhou Cantonese Opera Courtyard and the SPH Choir Female Ensemble will also participate.

Besides Red Boat, Cantonese opera lovers will also get to watch Ni Hui Ying and Li Jun Sheng in Cantonese opera masterpieces, Swear of Sword from Nu Er Xiang and Valentine’s Day in Longevity Hall from the Saga of the Tang Dynasty.

Ni Hui Ying

Ni Hui Ying, a National First Grade Artiste of the People’s Republic of China, is the Chairman of the Guangzhou City Literary Association and was previously the President of the Guangzhou Cantonese Opera Troupe. Fondly referred to as the 'Golden Voice' and 'Queen of Ditties', Ni Hui Ying is one Cantonese Opera artiste who excels in singing, appearance and acting. In 2002, the large-scale Cantonese Opera, Red Boat, which she planned and acted in, was the centre of attraction in the Chinese opera fraternity. This production was eventually awarded the First Grade Award for both script and performance in the 8th Guangdong Province Arts Festival, and was subsequently invited to be showcased in the China International Arts Festival. In 2005, she was awarded the Seine Award for Best Female Lead in the 2nd Paris Chinese Opera Festival for her role in Summer Snow.

Li Jun Sheng

Li Jun Sheng is a graduate of the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts. Having started his career as a wen wu sheng in Cantonese Opera in 1980, he has assumed the male lead in numerous theatre works, including Searching the Library, Oriole and the Bitter Phoenix, Love of andthe Western Chamber, Wine Soaked Flowers and Zhong Wu Yan Spoiling the Battle Array. In 1998 and November 2002, he received the Gold Award in both the 2nd and 3rd Guangdong Province Cantonese Opera Performing Awards. In 2002, he received the 2nd Grade Award for Performing Arts from the 8th Guangdong Art Festival. In 2004, he was nominated the Most Popular Artiste of Cantonese Opera by the audience of the Guangdong Television Station.

A Night of Cantonese Opera

Date: 8 & 9 June 2012 (Friday & Saturday)

Time: 8pm

Venue: SCO Concert Hall

Ticket Prices: $55, $45, $35/$19*, $25/$14*

Tickets from SISTIC

*concession prices

Pre-concert Talk

Date: 9 June 2012 (Saturday)

Time: 6pm

Venue: Singapore Conference Hall

Free admission

Digital and Music Matters returns to Singapore

Digital and Music Matters returns to Singapore next month when the much-anticipated global conference plays host to thousands of entertainment digerati and music A-listers.

Digital and Music Matters President, Jasper DonatThe conference, which runs from 22-26 May at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore, will conclude with the live music festival, Music Matters Live, held at Clarke Quay, which will be streamed live for the first time to a global audience via Official Festival Broadcast Partner, YouTube. 

Now in its seventh year, Music Matters, the pioneer music industry event in the Asia Pacific, will feature speakers from the global music industry, including CEO and Founder of Atom Factory, Troy Carter, Artist Manager of Lady Gaga. 

Music Matters 2012 will feature topics including:

• a showcase of mega brands that use music to strengthen their reach, including Coca-Cola, Nokia, Bacardi and Budweiser
• what it takes to launch digital services in Asia
• issues in music publishing and examining the key factors in running successful music festivals

The programme will also focus on key Asian music markets such as Japan, China, Korea, Singapore and India. 

Mentoring sessions will take place concurrently with Music Matters, providing participating artists with the opportunity to network and learn from the industry's A-listers such as managers, publishers and industry professionals, encouraging discussion and creative collaboration and bringing Singapore to the forefront of Asia’s dynamic music landscape. 

Back for the second year and held in association with Asia's leading multi-channel industry association, CASBAA, Digital Matters addresses the critical issues of content monetisation and production in the digital age.

Digital Matters 2012 promises to cover a range of topical and informative panels in the digital space that includes:

• how to create social media success
• opportunities for the entertainment industry to diversify into gaming
• financing options for the entertainment industry
• developments in mobiles
• monetising Over The Top (OTT)
• connected devices
• innovations in digital advertising

The latest addition to the conference is the inaugural Gaming Matters workshop produced with GameSpot. The workshop will offer a high-level introduction to the gaming industry and will bring some of the most influential industry leaders in the gaming world to share insights and to illustrate the path to running successful gamification models. 

Digital Matters will also see the introduction of the Adobe Digital Publishing Matters workshop held in association with the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) which will provide insights on the changes to the publishing industry as it undergoes a digital transformation. The workshop shows participants how leading publishing houses are paving the way towards monetising online content. 

Dubbed as Asia's celebration of live music, Music Matters Live features emerging and established bands from Asia and around the world. Music Matters Live, in partnership with YouTube, Facebook and CapitaLand, aims to bring together local and international bands in Singapore in order to gain new fans and be discovered. Together with some of Singapore's best-loved home-grown talents, the dynamic line-up of almost 50 bands hails from the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Taiwan, Indonesia, Korea and more. 

With support from Official Festival Broadcast Partner, YouTube, the festival will be streamed live to a global audience for the first time. Music Matters Live will rock audiences from 24-26 May at several venues in and around Clarke Quay with the main stage at the Central Fountain Square. 

Acts for Music Matters Live 2012 include: 

• Drunken Tiger (Korea) 
• Midnight Youth (New Zealand) 
• Minor Soul (Hong Kong) 
• 9 Maps (Hong Kong) 
• This Sanctuary (Australia) 
• BTOB (Korea) 
• Fire Ex. (Taiwan) 
• Aftermiles (Indonesia) 
• Gary Nock (UK) 
• The Auditory Effect (Singapore) 

Additional showcases will feature bands from Australia, Canada and more. 

Jasper Donat, Co-founder of Branded Ltd and President of Digital and Music Matters, said: 

'Digital and Music Matters 2012 is the event that matters for anyone involved in the digital entertainment, media, technology and music business. We have an extremely high-profile list of speakers covering all that matters in the music and digital entertainment industries. With Gaming Matters, we have broadened our flagship events, making the conference the one-stop access point for all to gain insight into the industry. 

'We are also bringing the music to a global audience with our partnership with YouTube for Music Matters Live, promoting bands which have been carefully selected from the hundreds of applications received from the world over.'

For more information on the conferences and music festival, visit www.allthatmatters.asia. 

YSTCM composition alumna wins ASCAP Award

Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music composition alumna, Emily Koh, has been awarded an ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) Morton Gould Young Composers Award 2012.

Emily KohEstablished in 1979 with funding from the Jack and Amy Norworth Memorial Fund, the ASCAP Foundation Young Composer Awards Programme grants cash prizes to concert music composers of up to 30 years of age whose works are selected through a juried national competition.

Emily Koh holds Master of Music degrees in composition and music theory pedagogy from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, a Bachelor of Music (with honours) degree in composition from the National University of Singapore and Diplomas from Trinity College of Music, London (music theory, criticism and literature) and the Royal Schools of Music (double bass performance). 

Currently a Doctoral Fellow at Brandeis University, Massachusetts, Emily Koh will receive her award, along with fellow award-winners, at the annual ASCAP Concert Music Awards at Merkin Concert Hall in New York on 24 May 2012.

To read more about this year's awards, click here.

Legendary Scottish percussionist to debut with SCO

Legendary Scottish percussion virtuoso, Evelyn Glennie, will make her debut with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) in June 2012.

Evelyn Glennie

Miss Glennie will perform in a two-night concert - Drumming from East to West - with Chinese percussion master, Meng Xiao Liang. Both concerts will be conducted by SCO Music Director, Tsung Yeh.

Scottish-born percussionist, Evelyn Glennie, is the first person in musical history to successfully create and sustain a full-time career as a solo percussionist. Since graduating with an Honours degree from London's Royal Academy of Music at the age of 19, Evelyn gives more than 100 performances a year worldwide. Profoundly deaf since the age of 12, she taught herself to hear with her other senses. She was awarded the Dame Commander of the British Empire in 2007 for her services to music. To date, she has received over 86 international awards and recorded numerous albums worldwide.

Meng Xiao LiangMeng Xiao Liang graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Li Zhen Gui. He furthered his studies at the Toho Gakuen School of Music in Japan and learnt under Takashi Kobayashi and Keiko Abe. He performed with the SCO in 2001 in Da Qu by Zhou Long. He is currently based in Japan and scheduled to perform worldwide. He is also involved in the progress of restoring various ancient musical instruments.

Concert details

Drumming from East to West

Date: 1 & 2 June 2012 (Friday & Saturday)

Time: 8pm

Venue: SCO Concert Hall

Ticket Prices: S$55, S$45, S$35/S$19*, S$25/S$14*

Tickets from SISTIC

*concession prices

Pre-concert Talk

Date: 2 June 2012 (Saturday)

Time: 6pm

Venue: Singapore Conference Hall

Admission: Free