This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on April 20, 2018

5 musical offerings

Romea

A former member of the Andromakers duo, whom she toured the world with, DJ Romea is a solo French electro-pop artist based in Cambodia. As a lover of the 1980s and 1990s music scene, she performs personal electro music inspired by hip-hop, lo-fi and R&B using analogue synths, spoken samples in French and sung samples in English. One of her recent performances was at the Diamond Moon Festival in Phnom Penh, which featured many of Cambodia’s top indie bands. Now she invites techno aficionados everywhere to dance at Pisco Bar in Jalan Mesui, Kuala Lumpur tonight from 9.30. Admission fee is RM30, with tickets available online at peatix.com.

Igudesman & Joo

Virtuosic violinist Igudesman and pianist Joo return to Kuala Lumpur to perform at the Petronas Filharmonik Hall (DFP) with their delightfully daft new show UpBeat. Audiences will be taken on a madcap musical ride, as their performance covers Ravel to rock. The baton turns into a ‘weapon of mass conduction’ and the tug of war over who gets to give the initial upbeat sets the concert off to a tumultuous start. The concert will be held today and tomorrow from 8.20pm at the DFP hall. Tickets are available at www.mpo.com.my.

Springtime Serenade

Join the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and resident conductor Naohisa Furusawa as they perform two serenades to celebrate springtime. The repertoire of music includes Rossini’s String Sonata No 3 in C Major and Dvorák’s Serenade for Strings in E major. They will also be performing Serenade for Winds, composed by virtuoso Richard Strauss when he was only 17 years old. Listen to this repertoire of springtime music on Sunday from 3pm at the Petronas Filharmonik Hall. Tickets are available online at www.mpo.com.my.

Tiger Huang and Ricky Hsiao

Witness Tiger Huang and Ricky Hsiao live at Resorts World Genting tomorrow night from 8.30. Huang is a Taiwanese singer best known for her unique voice and covers of other artists’ songs. In 1990, she was named the Best New Artiste at the Golden Melody Awards, and she released her debut album within the same year. Since then she has attained success in the music scene, earning her the title “The Queen of Pub” by followers of her music. Hsiao is an outstanding singer-songwriter in the Taiwanese and ‘Mando-pop’ scenes. Hsiao gained attention in the Hokkien pop scene after winning the Best Male Vocalist — Taiwanese Award at the 19th Golden Melody Awards. Don’t miss this performance at the Arena of Stars tomorrow, from 8.30pm. Log on to www.rwgenting.com.

Tribute to David Bowie

Two bands will be playing at No Black Tie tonight from 10 as a tribute to the legendary artiste David Bowie. Diamond Dogs is a rock and roll band put together in loving tribute to the killer songs of Bowie. Comprising players from Mystery Tapes and Cats in Love, Diamond Dogs are four Bowie fans living out the 1970s rock dream on stage. The Moonbeams is a band consisting of friends and fellow musicians that came together through their shared passion. The band will be covering a good mixture of the old, groovy and modern hits. For tickets, log on to www.noblacktie.com.my.

1 lesson in gastronomy

Chef Leoniel

Enjoy an up-close and personal cooking class with Chef Leoniel DG at the premises of Alliance Francaise de Kuala Lumpur. Participants will start by preparing some of the chef’s signature’s dishes under his guidance every step of the way, and finish by toasting their newly earned culinary skills at a buffet reception, which features a fabulous tasting menu. The event will take place on Sunday from 6pm. Registration for the event is RM80. You can register at peatix.com.

1 wine tasting session

Chateau de Lafont

Come and experience the beauty of wine through a casual wine-tasting class presented by the owners of the Chateau de Lafont winery. Participants will be taught the fundamentals of wine serving and making and most importantly, a guided talk of the wine they will be sampling. For this basic class, participants will be tasting one white wine, one rose wine and two red wines from different vintages. The wines will be paired with delicious canapes by Chef Lioniel to add notes about pairing food with wine. This all-around basic class, which takes place tomorrow from 7.30pm at Alliance Francaise KL, will give you all the information you need to start your journey on wine application. Sign up now at peatix.com

1 activity for the family

Eco Festival

A family-friendly Eco Festival will be held from today until Sunday to highlight the Rainforest community’s environment-friendly businesses and non-profit organisations. There will be a wide range of activities, such as exhibitions, live concerts, traditional performances, open mic sessions, a poetry competition, karaoke competition, extreme sports competition and a street market. The event will take place from from 9am to noon at Taman Botani, Shah Alam. Tickets for one-day entry is RM15, and for more information, call (012) 2271245.

2 theatrical performances

DiZang — The Musical

Director-scriptwriter Yang Wei Han presents DiZang — The Musical, following the success of his highly acclaimed musical, XuanZang: Journey to the West. Based on the “Sutra of the Great Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva” and the Bodhisattva’s spirit, the musical relates to the perplexities of modern life. It examines good and evil, right and wrong, the cycle of life and death, the toxic afflictions of greed and the hatred of ignorance. Through this in-depth presentation of sights and sounds, it appraises the meaning of life. The musical will take place at Damansara Performing Arts Centre, with shows today and tomorrow (8.30pm) and Sunday (3pm). Tickets are priced at RM88 and are available at www.dpac.com.my.

Diagnostic Reserve

 “One has to choose for subject the worst tragedy in the hope of making the best comedy”, says J P Martinez, the playwright of the play which will be performed in KuAsh Theatre today. Diagnostic Reserve, presented by Kopi Theatre and comprising non-professional actors, touches on the sensitive subject of euthanasia. The plot revolves around a man who is in a deep coma following a tragic accident. His brother and sister are consulted on whether they should keep him artificially alive when in fact, they haven’t seen him for a long time and are unable to make a decision. Then his presumed partner enters, and we learn more about the circumstances of the accident. Don’t miss this play, which will take place today and tomorrow from 8pm at Kuash Theatre. For more information, log on to www.facebook.com/kopitheatre.