8 September 2016    Issue Twelve

    the avenue 
for creative arts 

           
                 
'AveNews' of the World

Writers of the World Unite:  News of the line-up for this year's Singapore Writers Festival - featuring great authors and artists from overseas and the best of local writers. One of our contributing editors attended the Media Launch this week and we provide a few glimpses of what to expect throughout this issue. You can also read what the Straits Times Life Section had to say in its first preview right here. Pictured at left is the symbol for this year's theme - Sayang. Last month's WORD Festival in Christchurch New Zealand was a great success. Read all about it. What's happening at Ubud, Bali? Get a look into the programme for one of Asia's leading writers' events. We also have news of other literary events in Australia, Canada and United Kingdom. What's Shakespeare been up to? Past and present!  News of the launch of the first collection of Southeast Asian Plays.  Much more newsworthy events, people and books. From Singapore and the world. Keep reading. Keep writing. Keep following. 

Three Singapore Musical Ensembles with Impact: You can expect to hear and see much more of them. They will undoubtedly travel the world to perform at music festivals. We're talking about three very special Singapore music groups which we were privileged to experience first hand in the last few weeks. There's the brilliant Teng Ensemble with a unique performing style giving us "10 Stories from an island city". There's re:Sound -  Singapore's first Chamber Orchestra in its debut concert. Then there's the very popular young orchestra which delivers the classics with a modern mix, appropriately called re:mix. We have more in this issue about all three. And we will continue to support and promote their concerts.

Swell Sculpture Festival: We'll be there! So will the lucky winner of our contest in the last issue. The prize entry selected from all those sent in was from Chan Lai Meng, who will be travelling from Singapore on Scoot to the Gold Coast and staying at the Sofitel. It's the Swell Sculpture Festival from 9-18 September. We will report more on this wondrous display of over 50 sculptures built by local, national and international artists at the 14th annual Swell event along Currumbin Beach. The free exhibition is open all hours with a selection of sculptures revealing a new verve as they are lit up under the southern sky. Pictured at right is a special preview image of just one of the sculptures - one third of Dave Hickson's "Pigeons for Peace" - which is totally made from recycled objects. While at left is the work of local sculptor Lynne Adams with her environmentally- messaged "Save our Seabed".

Theatre Takes Centre Stage: There's a feast of theatre over the next few weeks in Singapore. Don't miss the Singapore Repertory Theatre's take on ART which is on right now until end of the month. Coming up we have plays which say it all in one word: Rent, Deathtrap, Gala and Wicked. Local productions and strolling players from abroad. Comedy. Musicals. Serious stuff. All on the stage in Singapore. 


CrowdHub Art Arrives in Singapore: It's here and it's here to stay. Singapore is the first place in the world - yes, you heard it here - to have a crowd-sourcing platform dedicated to the arts. To co-create events and promote the arts. The avenue for creative arts brings all the news and information you need on artists, arts and arts events in Singapore and much further afield. Now CrowdHub Art is the platform to deliver more than the news. We're delivering events, we're delivering support and we're delivering people. We're keen to develop art and cultural exchanges within the Asia Pacific region and even further afield. Our promotion of the Swell Sculpture Festival on the Gold Coast of Australia is the first of many arts exchange projects we'll support. The art of travel and travel for art, on this occasion supported by Singapore's Scoot airline and Sofitel Gold Coast, a member of the Accor group. We'll keep you posted and keep you connected.  
Art Scene and Heard in Singapore  

Philippines is Creating a Scene
Not one, not two or three, but eight exhibitions by artists from the
Philippines - many of them living and working in Singapore - are on show for all to enjoy. Arguably the most creative of all ASEAN nations, Philippines  has taken the Singapore art scene by storm. It all started at the De Suantio Gallery - centrally located in the Singapore Management University buildings in Bras Basah - where we attended to see and hear the Philippine Ambassador open the Art Trek 2016 show, celebrating ten years of art exchanges and exhibitions between the two countries. Two works here are our favourites in the exhibition which is on until Friday 16 September. On the right, is the very personal artist's life story portrayed in watercolour by Wilfredo Calderon, while on the left is the very appropriate "open and shut case" by Nilo Jorge Parilla - Take Flight and Lost - around the exhibition theme Bagaye" (baggage). More information on other galleries - Arndt, Di Legno, artisan, Utterly Art, Bayanihan Cantre, Shophouse Five and Momentous Arts  - which are featuring other art and artists. Go to this comprehensive fact sheet provided by the Philippine Embassy. 

Gillman Barracks 4th anniversary events 
There's always something of interest at Sundaram Tagore Gallery - one of the most consistently active galleries at Gillman Barracks - so starting 23 September there's a solo exhibition of work by Kamolpan Chotvichai, an emerging Thai artist.  The exhibition is being held in association with the 5th edition of the Singapore International Photography Festival. Yeo's Workshop features "O Dear What Can The Matter Be", the first solo exhibition by Singaporean artist Stephanie Burt.  Arndt Fine Arts has WASAK! Reloaded, a group exhibition exploring the Filipino contemporary art landscape. Gillman Barracks celebrates its 4th Anniversary with an open house on 23 and 24 September.  Visitors can expect new exhibitions by the galleries and the inaugural Supermama Porcelain Festival. There will also be a showcase of home-grown music acts, live mural painting by Singapore artist Speak Cryptic and an official after party at Red Baron on Friday night's Art After Dark event. All the details and events are here. 

Art Reigns Supreme at Raffles Hotel 
Besides the iconic atmosphere of Singapore's oldest hotel  - once called the jewel in the crown of Singapore's tourist attractions  - there's two wonderful galleries that always have something great on show. We visited Chan Hampe Gallery where there was "Invisible Lives: Tempting Frailty", a solo exhibition by Marvin Chan,  until 11 September 2016. Across the courtyard, there's the Kato Art Duo, where you can catch an exhibition by contemporary Japanese artists. 

Affordable Art Fair is Back
The leading showcase for affordable contemporary art is set to return from 18 - 20 November 2016 for its seventh Singapore autumn edition. Proving you don't have to be an art expert to fall in love with art, the Affordable Art Fair offers a diverse range of contemporary art all priced between S$100 to S$15,000. 

20th Century Indian Art in New Delhi 
If you happen to be in Delhi this month - or anytime between now and 14 December - you can get to see  
GROUP 1890 INDIA'S INDIGENOUS MODERNISM.    Pictured is the work of  JYOTI BHATT, the  hand tinted intaglio on paper from the Year 1998. The Delhi Art Gallery - or DAG - keeps us in the loop of all things art-wise happening in India. We even received the very comprehensive and attractive catelogue for the auction of 20th century Indian art which took place last month. DAG operates galleries in New Delhi and Mumbai, as well as New York. For more on what's on and what's coming up, go to the Dag Modern website. 

Art is very alive and well in the Bahamas 
The latest news is of the exhibition by ceramic artist Alistair D. Stevenson. His annual exhibition entitled "Pomp & Pageantry", which opened on 25 August at Doongalik Studios. It's just one of the dozens events in the Caribbean we're kept informed of through the wonderful newsletter of Smith and Benjamin - Bahamian Art and Culture - you can get to see Issue No. 277. It's been sharing art and cultural news of The Bahamas for 18 years. All very colourful and very Caribbean. Must get there one day!

Intersecting Life as Art
MADAME is a French artist based in Singapore. Her pseudonym is the outcome of an artistic project: our name, as a symbol, is only a way to identify ourselves, but not our essence. Her exhibition "Time is money", might be a well known saying, but to this artist means that we should not waste time because we could be using it to earn money. See the artist and her work at  Intersections Gallery, 34 Kandahar Street from 8 September to 16 October. 

Secret Landscapes from Bali to Singapore 
Han Sai Por sees the past and the future, portrayed in the Fishing Boat (pictured) as in other visions of a volcanic vista. The Private Museum presents Secret Landscapes - A Bali Purnati Artist Residency. One of Singapore's leading sculptors and cultural medallion recipient, Han Sai Por's exhibition continues until 25 September. It is the gallery's second collaboration with Yayasan Bali Purnati, as well as the artist's inaugural solo acrylic-medium focused exhibition. If you want to purchase one of Ms Han's secret landscapes, don't delay. 

Can't see the Forest for the Trees? 
Five Trees Make A Forest is being exhibited by Donna Ong until 28 October at the Archaeology Library, NUS Museum. It offers an insight into the various stages involved in the production of tropical landscapes for visual and pedagogical consumption, with a focus on colonial paintings and illustrations, including the works of Charles Dyce from the NUS Museum's collection. The Double Vision exhibition has been extended to 5 November at the Lee Kong Chian Gallery, NUS Museum. 


Iskander Jalil & "Clay Travels" at the National Gallery
The exhibition of the works of Iskander Jalil at the National Gallery opened 1 September. He is undoubtedly the leading ceramic artist in Singapore, recognised for expanding, advancing and reinventing the practice of studio pottery and ceramic art.  Kembara Tanah Liat (Clay Travels) is the first major survey of Iskandar's career and draws on close to 200 works from the 1960s to the present. It runs until February 2017.  A treat on its way is "Artist and Empire" - starting 6 October - organised by National Gallery Singapore in association with Tate Britain, London. It explores the different ways in which the British Empire has been represented and contested through art and it draws upon close to 200 works from international and regional collections as well as Singapore institutions.

Art is in the Eye of the Beholder
Visitors who want to find their way into such historic establishments like the National Gallery and The Esplanade Theatres on the Bay will need to contend with a few obstacles this month. This is when we are obliged to accept wire walls, fences, gates and a massive array of lights - all part of the infrastructure for the annual Formula One Grand Prix which takes over the historic streets of the colonial quarter of Singapore for quite a few days and nights.  Above the noise and inconvenience there is some art and entertainment of course.  You can go to Marina Bay Sands to enjoy the serenity and spectacular displays at the ArtScience Museum or if you want an adrenalin rush,  go to the Singapore Arts Circuit in Exhibition Hall E for three nights of art, luxury cars and non stop entertainment. Read more about it here.

Amazingly, the art scene is so vast and varied in Singapore, we cannot possibly present it all in one issue of this newsletter - or all for that matter - so please go to a wonderful complete source of information on all galleries and art exhibitions, the Singapore Art and Gallery Guide. 
Wonderful Music Comes in Threes
We were privileged, honoured and overjoyed to be treated to three very different concerts by three distinctively home grown (Singapore) musical ensembles in the past month. Rave reviews from us and others hopefully means that they will come back with more - and more regularly - for us at home and they will travel abroad to share their brands and talents. 

TENG Ensemble 
Indescribably good. Excellent entertainment. A theatrical plus musical performance. Thoughts and words filling the mind and the air after the one night only performance by the Teng Ensemble. Ten Singaporean stories are beautifully told through music, film and dance in this special presentation, directed by Singapore theatre icon Glen Goei. There were some familiar motifs from Singapore's heritage songs such as Chan Mali Chan, Di Tanjong Katong and Munnaeru Vaalibaa featuring in the Ensemble's original pieces, written by New York-based composer Chow JunYi in collaboration with Singapore music arranger Huang Peh Linde. The music, through instruments and voices rare and beautiful,  is brought vividly to life with scenes of the island nation by Singapore filmmakers, alongside dance accompaniment.

re:Sound Chamber Orchestra 
We were there and we can vouch for it. Overjoyed that we could witness the debut performance by this original Singapore Chamber Orchestra. The setting was the grand old dame of Singapore musical occasions, the Victoria Concert Hall, which has echoed the sounds and virtuoso performances of famous stars and orchestras from everywhere. This new group of musicians were at home there from the start to the finish. We applauded as strongly as anyone, but we also noted that the Chairman of the National Arts Council enthusiastically expressed her pleasure at seeing and hearing the first showing by this original Singapore  orchestra. A very welcome addition to the local music scene. A resoudingly successful opening number! The Straits Times reviewer Marc Rochester was impressed! More about the re:Sound Chamber Orchestra is here. 

re: mix orchestra
What to expect when the concert was billed in advance as "naughty ten years of mixing around"?  Was this experimentation and musical expression at its best, mediocre or worse? It was also an oddly named group - re:mix - which said little about its make-up or music. It turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. Yes, a homegrown group of musicians -  supplemented by students from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and the National Youth orchestra - who were all  enthusiastic and talented. The highlight of the evening was their treatment of the famous Freddy Mercury/Queen "Bohemian Rhapsody", which had been given the once over by local arranger Charmayn Chua. The additional percussion and electric bass guitar added to this "rock opera" treatment. Self-described as "an ensemble of classically trained musicians", re: mix will continue to entertain with exuberance to provide family, friends and an even wider audience, with an exciting mix of musical pleasure.  






























 
Famous Last Words - Shakespeare or not!

Too much of a good thing!
A lot of sayings/quotes have been attributed to Shakespeare. He most likely contributed more words - begged, borrowed or invented - to the English language than any other individual. In "As You Like it", he had Rosalind say this: "Why then, can one desire too much of a good thing?"
Shakespeare Lives!                                                                                     
There's much to remind us that Shakespeare Lives in Singapore. It fits in with the Read Fest programme as well, as the National Library promotes the plays and works - to read and watch - from the Shakespeare collection. Displays and action at these libraries continues:

Woodlands Regional Library: 2 September - 29 September

Shakespeare's New Place: One Day Conference

On 17 September, if you happen to be in Stratford Upon Avon, England, with nothing else to do, here's something you shouldn't miss. The Shakespeare Birthplace Trusts' Head of Research, Paul Edmondson, will be joined by Staffordshire University archaeologists, Kevin Colls and William Mitchell (who led the excavations on New Place from 2010 to 2015), and other building experts, historians, and Shakespearians. Read all about it here.


     
SSO DISCOVERING MUSIC
THE WORLD'S A STAGE: THE DRAMA OF OPERA MUSIC INSPIRED BY SHAKESPEARE             5 November 2016, 4pm  Victoria Concert Hall

Everything else you want to know about Shakespeare's Big Year, the British Council has it, where-ever you are in the world. Go right here to Shakespeare Lives 
Art in Play: 
All the World's a Stage
*
Singapore Repertory Theatre is playing at ART by Yasmina Reza.  
ART is staged - very appropriately - at the National Gallery Singapore in the iconic City Hall Chamber from 1 o 30 September. 
* WICKED has captivated 50 million theatregoers of all ages, and is already one of Broadway and the West End's most celebrated, spectacular and successful musicals of all time. Wicked starts at the Marina Bay Sands Mastercard Theatre on 29 September and runs until end October. Book through SISTIC. 
Pangdemonium is proud to be staging this 20th Anniversary production of this much-loved and acclaimed modern classic. Directed by Tracie Pang, Written by Jonathan Larson. Featuring Benjamin Chow, Mina Kaye, Frances Lee, Tabitha Nauser, Juan Jackson, Aaron Khaled.  7 - 23 October 2016, Drama Centre Theatre.
*The Necessary Stage 
gives advance notice of Best Of (His Story) which runs from 2 to 13 November at Black Box. 
Cultural Medallion winners Haresh Sharma and Alvin Tan will revisit the topic in Best Of (His Story), this time throwing the spotlight on the husband's narrative. Best Of (His Story) will be performed by well established and popular screen and stage actor Sani Hussin. For more go to The Necessary Stage.

Short-takes on much more in store - a theatrical feast in October in Singapore: 
* Wild Rice brings the Year of the Monkey to a happy climax, Monkey Goes West takes to the stage for a month from 18 October. 
* Theatreworks presents French choreographer Jérôme Bel working with an entirely local cast to present 
6-8 Octber at Victoria Theatre. 
* Jeeves and Wooster, winner of Best New Comedy at the 2014 Olivier Awards, Perfect Nonsense is a hilarious evening of theatrical absurdity 6-16 October.
* The Finger Players, showing how History and fiction collide in Starring Hitler as Jekyll and Hyde 13-15 October. 
* Asylum Theatre presents the Singapore Premiere of Ira Levin's DEATHTRAP 12-30 October at the Drama Box.  
W.O.R.D.S. - Books Come Alive!
We got as far as the M word last issue, so this time we start at N in a quick and quirky overview of the latest literary kind: books, events, writers, publishers, awards and more:

N must be for New Zealand which is keeping us well informed of events and activities of the artistic variety. The NZ Book Council tells us that Justin Cronin, author of The Passage, The Twelve and The City of Mirrors, will be touring four NZ cities - Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin - next week between 12 and 15 September.

O is for Orwell and Olfactory! Fascinating reading about the sense of smell - olfactory - and how George Orwell might have been influenced by this very necessary sense. Read this Guardian article on the subject. And one of the featured authors at the SWF this November: Helen Oyeyemi on the subject: WHAT IS NOT YOURS IS NOT YOURS. 

P is for Prize - in this case the Epigram Books Fiction prize. You writers out there were given a little more time to complete your bestseller. But time's up! Today 8 September is the absolute deadline. Let's look out for the shortlist. 

Q is for Quek Hong Shin is a Singaporean who has witnessed the rapid urbanisation of the country. One of the featured speakers at this November's Singapore Writers festival, in a Storytelling session entitled:  A TOWEL, A BLINDFOLD, A CANOPY AND A SAFETY NET. Quek is  a LASALLE graduate, freelance graphic designer and illustrator, with 'The Amazing Sarong' his first children's book.  

R is for Rix, Brian Rix, who sadly passed away last month. Writers of many things - books, scripts, tv programmes - and an actor in his own right. The BBC paid this tribute to the man who they call one of UK's most successful actor-managers. 

S has popped up for Sustainable TV and Sri Lanka. We uncovered SustainabilityTelevision - the global social media platform and production company focused on sharing good stories about people doing really good things, including a story about Sri Lanka and the Project Eye 

T stands for typography. We heard a Great BBC radio programme about Alan Kitching, the author of "Life in letterpress". All about the very important role played by typography and the printed word. Design through typeface!

U comes up as UNESCO, not only about World Heritage sites like Singapore's Botanic Gardens, but protecting the treasures of the world, including books.The Exeter Book, an Anglo-Saxon poetry anthology dating back more than 1000 years, which has inspired writers from WH Auden to JRR Tolkien, has been granted UNESCO status as "the foundation volume of English literature".

V is for Very Important People (Writers) starting with V at the Singapore Writers Festival: Varadharajan AK and Vick Low (both from Singapore) and Vijay Seshadri, who gives India and the US as his homelands. 

W is for the World Lit, featuring the 2016 Singapore Creative Writing Resident, Gitanjali Kolanad and Writing My Memoir at Art House 17 September. The personal stories of hope, regret, love and longing. Graduates from the Silver Writing: Writing My Memoir programme will give a dramatised reading of an extract from their writing.  

X could be for xenophobic, which some writers give attention to - see the Encyclopedia of Race and Ethnic Studies
By Ellis Cashmore - but also xylography, meaning engraving on wood or use of wood blocks for printing. Very important. How about this book: The Joys of Polychrome Xylography
by Dan Piepenbring (2015) 
 
Y means young writers who are catered for increasingly to make sure we don't lose them to banking or whatever else takes their fancy. Look out for the promising young writers appearing in this year's Singapore Writers Festival.  

Z is for Zest - much more than lemons but for life and literature! We discovered that Charles Dickens was one of the first to use the word this way in Martin Chuzzlewit describing the midwife Sarah Gamp who "went to a lying in or a laying out with equal zest." He also incorporated the word - with a lemon twist - in a recipe for a fruit punch he apparently gave out in 1847. So there!

Last Word: The Big Read 
Wednesday 28 September 2016 at 6.30pm at the Central Library, Singapore.  The Big Read Meet 
  








 
 

 

  
  
 


 
What's LASALLE up to? 
Gilbert and Sullivan's Take on Life!
If you're quick you can catch  the performance of Topsy Turvy: Gilbert and Sullivan's Guide to Love and Etiquette directed by Akiko Otao, featuring BA(Hons) Musical Theatre Level 2 students in collaboration with Diploma in Technical and Production Management, and Diploma in Audio Production Programmes. Only on from 7-9 September. 8pm. Go here to book and its free. 


What we've been waiting for: 
The first collection of Southeast Asian Plays
Book launch: 29 September 

This book is edited by LASALLE's Aubrey Mellor and Cheryl Robson.
With staged readings from students at LASALLE College of the Arts in association with the Select Centre.
Covering topics as diverse as the global financial crisis, religious faith, the sex trade and corruption, these plays provide insight into the differing concerns of those living in a part of the world which is experiencing profound change. 
WHEN
Thursday, 29 September 2016 from 19:30 to 21:00 (SGT) 
WHERE
National Gallery - The Glass Room (Supreme Court Wing, L4 Mezzanine) 1 St Andrew's Road, Singapore, 178957 
Caberet is Coming Back
We loved the LASALLE production earlier in the year and encouraged the students to stage it again. Cabaret is coming back.
Date & Time: Thu 3 Nov & Fri 4 Nov 2016, 8:00pm;
Sat 5 Nov, 2:00pm
Singapore - Festival City
Not one but seven - yes 7 -  festivals to keep visitors and local art lovers entertained. 
September to November.
There's also the Singapore International Festival of Arts, but we've been telling you about that for months. 

1. Silver Arts Festival: 1 - 25 September
Organised by the National Arts Council (NAC) since 2012, Silver Arts has become an annual festival that collaborates with community partners to integrate the arts into the lifestyles of seniors. From performances to workshops, the festival enables seniors to showcase their creative talents or pick up a new skill. Read what TODAY newspaper had to say: Celebrating the elderly and their talents with Silver Arts Festival. For bookings, venues, more information go to Arts for All.

2. Singapore International Photography Festival: 19 August to 13 November 
This the 5th biennial festival strives to provide a platform for Southeast Asian artists to showcase their works alongside their international peers at various venues across Singapore. The three main festival components are the Exhibitions, Professional Workshops and Outreach Programmes. More information on SIPF is here. 

3. Green is the New Black Festival
As the first festival of its kind in Singapore, Green Is The New Black (GITNB) promotes awareness of how to improve the way we live, work and consume in our daily lives. The idea is to provide knowledge that inspires us to make more conscious decisions. It is a one-day event that fuses the best speakers, change makers, music and brands with mindfulness, the pursuit of happiness, and meaningful connections.Saturday, 22 October 2016 from 9AM - 9PM at Hotel Jen Tanglin Singapore. Much more is available here. 

4. Contemporary Dance Festival
21 November to 2 December 
M1 CONTACT Contemporary Dance Festival 2016 
Dance and the Moving Images with Sue Healey

5. SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF MUSIC 2016
Victoria Concert hall. 13 October.
Myths & Legends: Mother Goose and the Tales of 1001 Nights
Featuring Musical Olympus and Chamber Orchestra of Europe

6. Indian Festival of Arts
18-27 November
Kalaa Utsavam - Indian Festival of Arts 2016
Guru Vandanam - To Sir with Love 
Featuring Bombay Jayashri and Abhishek Raghuram. Info and bookings here. 

7. Singapore Eco Film Festival: 10-13 November
This is a celebration bringing together all the environmental organisations in Singapore, to ignite a public passion for protecting our environment in Singapore and beyond! The organisers call for help, in the hope it will become more than just a traditional film festival. It's on 10-13 November, so you can look forward to a jam-packed weekend filled with unforgettable experiences - workshops, talks, panel discussions, playgrounds, children's activities, a farmers market and more! For more information on the festival activities. 
Sounds of anything but silence! 

What to look forward to over the next six weeks in Singapore:

Takacs Quartet:  BEETHOVEN
The Grammy Award-winning Takács Quartet returns to the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music Concert Hall for an all Beethoven programme. Beginning with Quartet Op. 18, No. 2, which masterfully demonstrates everything he learned from Haydn. His Quartet No. 11, one of the middle period quartets, has a nickname given by the composer: the "Serioso". The evening ends with the tremendous seven-movement Op. 131.  Friday 16 September. Bookings at Sistic.

Top of the Charts: Mus'Art Wind Orchestra
One night only, 12 September, the Mus'Art Wind Orchestra brings you Top of the Charts. Featuring chart toppers by Bruno Mars, Adele, Katie Perry and Taylor Swift, the orchestra will be joined by eminent Singapore vocalists Alemay Fernandez, Cassandra Spykerman and Afwan! For more go to Sistic. 

All You Need is Love: Bootleg Beatles & Orchestra
Beatle-mania is set to sweep through Singapore once again as The Bootleg Beatles, the world's first and finest homage to the Fab Four, make a welcome return with their acclaimed show this 22-24 September. Now in their 37th year, The Bootleg Beatles have performed almost 6000 shows across the globe. Find out more about this Marina Bay Sands event. 


Viennese Gala: Strauss, Mozart, Brahms & Haydn
A Gala night - 28 September - to remember as we celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Austria. Dedicated to Viennese music and friendships, it brings together some of the finest music from four of the world's most recognised composers. Sinfonia Conservatory Chamber Orchestra performs Strauss, Brahms, Mozart and Haydn. This concert also celebrates the orchestra's continuing collaboration with our community partner - Sengkang Health and its  "Arts in Healing" initiative.  Here's where you go for more & to book. 


Jazzy Business with Jeremy: 40 years of music making
Celebrate 40 years of music making with Singapore jazz icon and Cultural Medallion recipient Jeremy Monteiro. Journey through an exciting music career with Monteiro's fellow musicians and friends as they gather with the maestro himself to commemorate the occasion. This coincides with the 40th anniversary of Singapore's Business Times. Put that in the paper and play that tune! Book here for more. 


Australian World Orchestra: Singapore 
The Australian World Orchestra (AWO) will bring 94 of Australia's finest musicians, from the greatest orchestras around the world, together for one concert in Singapore under the baton of Australian conductor Alexander Briger AO. Programme includes Boléro, Ravel; Symphony No. 5, Tchaikovsky and The Witching Hour - Concerto for 8 Double Basses, Elena Kats-Chernin. Read all about this well-travelled collection of musicians in this Straits Times article. 
Favourites at Festivals: Vienna Boys Choir
The world's favourite children's choir and one of today's most celebrated ambassadors of music returns with a one-night-only concert at the Esplanade Concert Hall on 13 October. A special segment of the programme features the Choir with the Kids Philharmonic Orchestra of Singapore. Maestro Manolo Cagnin conducts both the choir and the orchestra. Prior to coming to Singapore, the boys have been performing at seven major European music festivals since June showing the breadth of the choir's repertoire, and its versatility. For more on the Choir and its history go to this website. To book in for the Singapore concert, go to SISTIC. 

       
    

More Festive Events at Home and Abroad for all 
Writers and Fellow Travellers:

Let's share what we know about Writers and Literary Festivals around the world for the upcoming months of 2016:
* Brisbane Writers Festival (Australia) - 7-11 September - Yann Martel (pictured above), author of "Life of Pi", comes to Brisbane for one night only to discuss his latest novel "The High Mountains of Portugal".
* Singapore Literature Festival takes place in New York Wednesday to Saturday, September 28 - October 1, 2016. This independent, biennial festival brings together Singaporean and American authors and audiences for in-depth conversations about literature and society. 'Singapore Unbound' is the theme of this year's festival which involves a number of locations in the city. Go here for more about this event. 
* Cheltenham Literary Festival  (United Kingdom) - 7 -16 October - Just one of the attractions: What was it about life in a cold and isolated parsonage in Yorkshire that inspired three sisters to become supreme storytellers whose works have joined the classics of English literature? In the 200th anniversary year of Charlotte's birth, Brontë biographer Juliet Barker (The Brontës: A Life in Letters) and Lauren Livesey, Arts Officer at The Parsonage Museum.  Chaired by Libby Purves. 
* 29th Vancouver Writers Fest (Canada) Celebrates stories with 6 days of events on Granville Island, 18 - 23 October. 
* Ubud Writers & Readers Festival (Bali, Indonesia) 26 to 30 October, celebrating the theme Tat Tvam Asi or  'I am you, you are me.' One of the many dozen authors featured is Lionel Shriver from the UK (pictured above). 
* Singapore Writers Festival  is on from 4 - 13 November.  The 2016 Singapore Writers Festival delves into the multi-faceted human condition with the theme, Sayang. One of the many writers who'll be featured is Okky Madasari (pictured above) from Indonesia, who is also co-founder of the ASEAN Literary Festival, which was held in Jakarta in May this year.  
* 16th Hong Kong International Literary Festival will take place from 5 - 13 November. 
* Clare Readers & Writers' Festival (Australia) - 26-27 November - in the Clare Valley of South Australia, where's there's plenty of wine to go with the writing.


News: Our Selection of Arts Capitals of the World

1. Christchurch, New Zealand takes the cake as our first selected art capital of the world - the Southern Hemisphere anyway! It has just staged WORD Christchurch, an extremely successful literary festival. Read more about the WORD.  We had alerted readers in advance that there would also be the announcement of the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel. Sure enough, the prize went to Christchurch crime writer Paul Cleave for his book "Trust No One". Our just-appointed Christchurch correspondent Stephanie K promises to keep us posted and for starters has provided us with the schedule of events in the South island capital - September, October, November - to feast on. You can see the full programme of Christchurch events here in the Spring issue of CityScape.  We also have to alert you to the existence of an magazine with a name similar to ours - the avenues - which has been around for a little longer. 

2. Hull, United Kingdom gets it all off! One way to get international media attention is to encourage 3,200 people to shed their clothes, paint themselves blue and let American photographer Spencer Tunick - famous for his ambitious installations featuring crowds of nudes - capture you in various public poses. Many could well have turned blue by cold alone, but a number of shades were added for a very colourful and moving public installation. It was commissioned by the city's Ferens Art Gallery for Hull's UK City of Culture celebrations next year. For more, see the Guardian story. 
 
3. Dublin, Ireland for volumes  of volumes. Doing the rounds on Twitter recently was the voluminous nature of this place. Forget about your Guinness and comprehend what's on and around the bookshelves here. Three hundred years old and Library's history dates back to the establishment of the Trinity College in 1592. It is the largest library in Ireland. Today it has over 6 million printed volumes with extensive collections of journals, manuscripts, maps and music reflecting over 400 years of academic development. The most famous of its manuscripts, the Book of Kells and the Book of Durrow, were presented by Henry Jones, Bishop of Meath and former vice-chancellor of the University, in the 1660s. 

4. Sydney, Australia makes others turn green with envy. When the famous 
Opera House lights up during the Vivid Festival. When the fireworks decorate the Harbour Bridge at New Year's Eve. When the city stages writers and artists festival which attract massive audiences.. When the big yachts sail off on Boxing day bound for Hobart. All this adds up to Sydney being one of the best places in the world to enjoy art, architecture, the environment and the water. Now the Sydney Opera House is turning green in more ways than one. It's announced plans to become a model in energy efficiency and go through a deep retrofit to add to its environmental credentials along with its creative energy. That's where art and sustainability come together in perfect harmony!  

5. Melbourne voted as the World's Most Liveable City again! That must be because it has such a thriving arts scene. We know one big Melbourne show to look forward to, but there's obviously a lot more. ART+CLIMATE=CHANGE 2017 will run from 19 April to 14 May 2017 with over twenty curated exhibitions at many of Melbourne and regional Victoria's pre-eminent museums and galleries including The Ian Potter Museum at the University of Melbourne, Heide Museum of Modern Art, Geelong Gallery, Shepparton Art Museum, and Tarrawarra Museum of Art. The organisers anticipate that audiences for ART+CLIMATE=CHANGE 2017 will reach over 150,000! To express your interest in the 2017 event and to support it, go to the Australian Cultural Fund page.

We're giving notice that we are starting the process of collecting evidence to assemble the best arts capitals of the world. Please nominate a city that you think deserves the title as "arts capital". Send your choice in an email with the subject line "My Arts Capital City" to: ken.hickson@crowdhubgroup.com. This could  be the start of something significantly creative!

"To boost retail, Singapore must become more cultured." 
That's what we are doing.  To show what's cultural and creative can also be "retail"

1. K+ Curatorial Space, a room full of ideas. Stephen Wiltshire is the first international artist to be featured in the gallery of the new K+ multi-concept store. The British artist is celebrated for his prodigious ability to draw lifelike, accurate representations of cities from memory after having only observed them briefly. Even more astoundingly, he can easily render scenes he saw years ago with the same accuracy. At Scotts Square Singapore, hosted by K+,  the people behind the design studio Kinetic Singapore.  Go see K+ for yourself. 

2. Fickle Walls: An online marketplace to buy and sell pre-loved art. The store features original and limited edition works of art put up for sale by art lovers with prices ranging from S$100-$5000. Some of the more well-known artists whose works are listed include: Tung Yue Nang (Singapore), Peh Eng Seng (Singapore), Eng Tay (Malaysia),Jan Wisse (Netherlands)and Kong Weiming (China). More on Fickle Walls here. 

3. Aesop is full of delightfully smelling goodies for the body and mind, plus is staffed by friendly, knowledgeable and lovely people! We visited the Ion store the other evening for a Singapore Writers Festival event and we know Aesop not only believes in being creative but actively supports the arts and artists. Check out the nearest Aesop shop near you. 

4. Mud Rock is run by the delightfully talented Potter extraordinaire Michelle Lim. We met at Aesop Ion too. She's already had a Royal commission. Yes, she's made a tea set for the Queen of England. See image at left. Her studio/Gallery is at 126 Towner Road. But you can find out - and see - a lot more on the Mud Rock website
 


5. Books Actually is well known and besides its wonderful crammed book
 store in 9 Yong Siak Street, Tiong Bahru - always worth a visit - the indomitable bookstore owner and publisher Kenny Leck has also started a book vending machine business. See the Vending Machine story in the TODAY newspaper. But you never know where Kenny and his books will pop up next.

6.Grey Projects is a place for reading, learning, exhibiting and working. Novel and exciting. You can also buy - ideas, books and art. Here's where to find the place (not far from Books Actually actually!)
6B Kim Tian Road, Tiong Bahru, Singapore 169246. Go to Grey Projects for more. 

7. Indesign Singapore is back with lots to see and do. One day only: 8 October. SGID will be offering architects, interior designers, specifiers, industry professionals, students and designer hunters a one-of-a-kind opportunity to engage and connect with the industry. For more on where to find and what to do, go to Singapore Indesign.

     
The winner of trip for two to the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia to attend this wonderful outdoor art event was:
Chan Lai Meng.
She flies with her sister on Scoot from Singapore to the Gold Coast (and return) and staying at the Sofitel Gold Coast.

Congratulations Ms Chan for winning the first art exchange contest/promotion offered by the avenue/CrowdHub Art. Thanks to all our readers and followers who entered the contest. Better luck next time. There will be more opportunities to win. Follow us closely!  
 
Art exchanges, co-created events and renewed promotion of art and artists in Asia Pacific

Attending the wonderful debut concert by Singapore's first Chamber Orchestra re:Sound on 31 August, we had the opportunity to engage in conversation with National Arts Council (NAC) Chairman Professor Chan Heng Chee. When we told her about the avenue-CrowdHub Art alliance, she made it very clear she welcomed this private sector initiative to co-create events, promote the arts and provide support for arts organisations large and small, old and new. She was also very supportive when hearing of our plans to promote art and cultural exchanges within Asia Pacific and beyond - and our first project to send prize winners and media from Singapore to the Swell Sculpture Festival in Australia - and suggested we should keep her NAC people abreast of our projects and plans. We have many ideas in mind and many opportunities to grasp. While we're in Australia, we'll be exploring how we can encourage artists from Southeast Asia to participate in events like the Swell show and see how we could "borrow" the expertise of the Gold Coast team to stage an equivalent sculptural occasion in Singapore. Meantime, we'll continue to promote "the art of travel and travel for art" and encouraged by the support we received from Scoot and Sofitel we'll be doing all we can to boost attendance at premier events, like the Singapore Writers Festival. Write on!                             Ken Hickson
                                                                    Managing Editor
                                                                    the avenue-CrowdHub Art