Music Masterclasses: Jazz and Beyond

Music Masterclasses

The Music Masterclasses: Jazz and Beyond series taps into the expertise of leading musicians and music educators to offer technical and performance-related insights for music practitioners, from keen hobbyists to potential professionals. Participants will learn how to prepare for performances, how to listen and practise better, how to infuse their own performances with creativity, and how to be more professional in their approach to music-making. The sessions are open to all those who have a keen interest in music, and preference is given to those who are practising musicians of any age with some level of prior experience.

8 December 2021 - What I Talk About When I Talk About Playing Piano

Tay Cher Siang (Musical director, Pianist)

Tay Cher Siang discusses the role of a pianist – in a band setting, as accompanist or as a soloist. The session is a hands-on demonstration of various types of playing, what to listen to, how to react to musical ideas in real time, preparations, and the kind of practice that would improve playing.

9 December 2021 - All About the Singer and the Song

Junji Delfino (Singer)

This masterclass is for singers and teachers wanting to delve deeper into what it takes to be a jazz singer. Get to understand more about the voice, and how to manage microphone technique, phrasing, style and improvisation. The focus is also on what is means to be a singer, learning to create a repertoire and how to direct, interact and groove with an instrumental ensemble. An ideal opportunity for those who want to explore the intimate relationship between the singer and the song with a true professional.

10 December 2021 - Improvisation Strategies for Jazz Guitar

Rizal Tony (Guitarist)

For many performers, the obstacle that prevents them from being fluent during improvisation is the ability to develop an improvisational concept, shaping ideas and patterns into expressive content. There has to be a structure, system or method that applies: mental representation of a piece, patterns of practice and strategies that high-level performers adopt during improvisation. This masterclass led by Rizal Tony looks at how guitarists/musicians train, think and improvise. All guitarists, instrumentalists and voice enthusiasts are invited to join. Let’s have some serious fun!

About the Facilitators

Tay Cher Siang (Musical director, Pianist)

Tay Cher Siang is one of Southeast Asia’s finest jazz pianists, composers, arrangers and producers, and currently lives in Kuala Lumpur. With an early training in classical music, he took up jazz in his teens and began a musical odyssey as a jazz pianist. He studied with the renowned teachers James Miltenberger and Paul Scea in the United States, before returning to Malaysia to immerse himself in jazz education at a number of universities, while also teaching at his private studio and giving masterclasses and jazz clinics. As a pianist and composer, Cher Siang has toured extensively, performing in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America with both the multinational band Unit Asia, and with his own band WVC Jazz – one of Southeast Asia’s leading contemporary jazz ensembles.

 

Junji Delfino (Singer)

Junji Delfino is a name deeply etched in Malaysian jazz and performing arts circles. Born into a family whose name is synonymous with music in the Philippines, she has become a vocalist of critical and popular renown, developing a sound and a style all her own. A gifted songwriter, lyricist and composer, Junji has released two albums. Her solo album Here I Am (2010) received rave reviews both locally and internationally, and she released It’s Christmas Time Again (with David Gomes, 2014) to great popular acclaim. She has appeared at several jazz festivals, including the first edition of KL International Jazz Festival in 2012, with performances in Southeast Asia and the United States. Junji won the Best Vocal Performer Award at the BOH Cameronian Arts Awards in 2012 for her tribute show Lush Life.

 

Rizal Tony (Guitarist)

Rizal Tony is a full-time music educator, jazz guitarist, musician, music director, music arranger and composer, affiliated with Universiti Teknologi MARA. He has collaborated widely with local and international musicians and artists working in the genres of both jazz and popular music.

* Only those who are fully vaccinated (having received the second dose of vaccine after 14 days, or after 28 days for single-dose vaccines) are allowed to enter.

* Only children aged 13 years and above are allowed to enter.

Dates:

8 - 10 December 2021

Time:

7.00pm - 9.00pm

Venue/Platform:

Hikayat, George Town, Penang/Zoom

Fee:

RM10 per Masterclass

Fee:

RM50

Basic Intaglio Woodcarving Experience Workshop

Duration:

2 hours

Fee:

RM200

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