Tickets to events in the KL International Arts Festival are on sale now on its website. Scheduled to take place throughout September 2017, the Festival will showcase more than 50 local, regional and international artists across five genres in over a dozen venues in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur.
Music enthusiasts are in for a treat with the diverse performances in this year’s Festival – from intimate solo instrumental performances to a 10-piece big band ensemble, complete with backing singer and dancers; from pre-Merdeka Malayan classics to cross-cultural fusion of Western jazz and South Asian instruments; as well as an invigorating showcase of drums and percussion by hearing-impaired youths.
Adding KL to its list of world-renowned stages where it has performed is the acclaimed Sachal Ensemble. Making its Malaysian debut under the Festival, the Sachal Ensemble will perform re-creation of songs made iconic by the likes of Duke Ellington, The Beatles, Dave Brubeck, Henry Mancini and Richard Rodgers, as well as traditional Pakistani folk songs.
For dance enthusiasts, the Festival’s programme is a feast for the senses. Be spell-bound by Entranced: An Evening with a Ghost, a haunting weave of dance, installations, visuals, sounds and vocals that brings together – for the first time – the dynamism of contemporary Southeast Asian trance-rituals and the ancient Japanese Noh drama traditions. Boy Story, the 1996 prestigious dance classic from Hong Kong celebrates its 21st anniversary with performances in the Festival. Also not to be missed is the powerhouse all-male company of 12 gauchos who bring the fiery Malambo traditions and virtuosic dancing to the contemporary stage for the first time in Malaysia.
For the young ones, The Breath of Dragons and Bon Voyage!, as well as the KL Shakespeare Player’s A Tale that Must be Told: Macbeth, are some of the productions that have been included in the Festival for their enjoyment. Also in the line-up is Letter’s End performed by Wolfe Bowart who is making a return appearance after a successful outing at last year’s Festival. In Letter’s End Bowart weaves together his signature mix of physical comedy, illusion, shadow puppetry and interactive film to lead audiences of all ages on a dream-like journey down a most magical memory lane.
Visual arts enthusiasts will have the privilege of getting up close with one of the key drivers in the development of art in Malaysia – Yeoh Jin Leng – in an exhibition featuring his works, complemented by an exhibition of photographs by the late Sultan of Terengganu, Almarhum Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah at the Edge Galerie. The Festival will also host a photo exhibition – Ceritera – featuring South East Asia’s best image-makers and stories from Asean at Ruang by Think City.
Finally, for those passionate about words and letters, the Festival has put together a programme of literary events that will appeal to both the mind and heart.
KLIAF2017 will include both ticketed and free events, and will take place in venues around Kuala Lumpur including Auditorium DBKL and Panggung Bandaraya, among others.
For more information about the Festival and tickets, visit www.DiverseCity.my or email info@diversecity.my
