Let's talk music
Ten artists. Ten musical perspectives. One gentle invitation to slow down. There is a particular luxury in music that does not ask you to hurry. For September, Music Press Asia turns down the volume of the outside world with Global Tranquility, the latest collection from Putumayo, bringing together calming and meditative music from across the globe. From Indian yoga melodies…
The Philippines’ internationally recognised Loboc Children’s Choir brings music to the opening of Hong Kong’s ASEAN Film Festival, where cinema becomes a meeting point for Southeast Asian stories and cultural identity. Film festivals are usually…
A New Zealand Composer-in-Residence programme offers one building block for a Music City, and a useful question for Asia: what does a city actually need to sustain musicians? A nine-month Composer-in-Residence position at Te Kōkī…
Live Music / Southeast Asia / Taiwan / Hengchun Mark your calendars: Pingtung County’s Hear Here World Music Festival returns October 9-10 to the West Gate Square of Hengchun Historical City — a walled 19th-century…
In today’s café culture, good coffee is only part of the experience. Customers are increasingly choosing cafés that offer warmth, comfort, and spaces worth sharing with friends and on social media. A thoughtfully designed garden…
Damai International, the international arm of Damai Entertainment and a subsidiary of Alibaba Group, has launched ORCA (Original Creative Artists), a new artist development and content production label designed to discover and nurture emerging performers…
Imagine walking into a hall where a piano can teach itself, artificial intelligence helps musicians compose new works, and music technology designed for gaming, film, broadcasting and even smart vehicles sits alongside instruments of traditional…
The Metropolitan Opera’s acclaimed production arrives in Hong Kong this December. Frida Kahlo has long existed beyond the canvas. Her distinctive self-portraits, indigenous-inspired dress and uncompromising artistic identity have made her one of the most recognisable figures in 20th-century art. Now, the painter enters another…
There is something rather satisfying about coming home after conquering a stage on the other…
The second TMElive International Music Awards has ended with an increasingly clear proposition: Asian music…
Sixty years ago, Korea was still finding its musical voice. Today, its musicals are finding…
What happens when a musician is asked to take an idea from outside the music…
Music competitions are often built around a deceptively simple idea: bring people together through music. For 70 years, the Eurovision Song Contest has attempted exactly that. Born in post-war Europe, it developed into one of the world’s largest televised music…
From Pacific coastlines and Indigenous communities to art, music and mindful living, the 2026 Taitung Spirit Festival invites visitors to experience Taiwan at a slower pace. In an age where travel often revolves around crowded itineraries and endless checklists, Taiwan’s…
The breeze on the Hengchun Peninsula is always filled with the sounds of the sea and the yueqin. In the town of Hengchun and Manzhou Township, the land has produced a folk song tradition. And after decades of field recordings,…
Built in the late 19th century by Chinese tycoon Cheong Fatt Tze, the Blue Mansion stands today as one of Penang’s most iconic heritage landmarks. Located in the heart of George Town, the capital of Penang Island, the indigo-hued residence…
Recently released, Sir David Attenborough presents Asia, a seven-part series dedicated to our planet’s greatest continent, revealing its most remarkable landscapes and animals. Filmed over the course of nearly four…
Building a brand of celebration for the body, mind, and spirit, and resonance between the slow economy and local culture Located in southwestern Taiwan and surrounded by the mountains and the Pacific, Taitung has held…
On a humid evening in Kuala Lumpur, while the city thrums with its usual blend of traffic noise and late-night chatter, Monica Tong is already at her desk, sifting through…
Pinay mezzo-soprano singer Michelle Mariposa was one of the 1,500 participants of the Metropolitan Opera’s Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition. The 30-year-old Filipino-Chinese singer from Quezon City wowed judges with…
What happens when a musician is asked to take an idea from outside the music industry and turn it into sound? Artists and corporations have collaborated for decades. The interesting question is not whether a company can work with a musician, but what happens when…
A Film Story That Isn’t About Film YouTube has overtaken The Walt Disney Company to become the world’s largest media…
The 22nd edition of Music China wrapped up after four dynamic days at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, bringing…
Mountains, Sea and Songs: Taiwan’s Southern Folk Celebration Go as far south as Taiwan lets you, and you’ll hit the…
There was something quite moving about watching these young performers bring songs and dances from Taiwan’s Indigenous communities onto a…
For nearly four decades, Chulalongkorn University has been keeping alive a rare sound from Thailand’s musical past: piphat dukdamban, a…
📍 Quick Facts What: The Notebook Musical When: September 2026 (exact dates to be confirmed by organisers) Where: Manila, Philippines…
Few composers today command the kind of cross-continental presence that Joe Hisaishi now sustains with ease. With 43 confirmed performances…
In a music landscape shaped by both innovation and accessibility, new tools are redefining not only how we create sound, but who gets to create it. This week, two products stand out for very different, but equally meaningful reasons. Play Anytime, Anywhere: Aeroband PocketDrum 2 Max Aeroband PocketDrum 2 Max For musicians looking to break free from physical constraints, the…
The Global Score: One Big Market, Two Realities In 2024, the global recorded-music market was valued at US$29.6 billion, according…
Introduction: AI & Music Creation: Is the Future of Music Artificial? From viral TikTok beats to chart-topping pop hits, artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing how music is created, produced, and shared—and it’s happening fast. Gone are the days when music relied solely on human creativity;…
SXSW attendees gathered on the evening March 10 to celebrate the winners of the 2025 SXSW Innovation Awards, sponsored by LATAM Airlines. Hosted by three-time Grammy nominee SaulPaulSome, the Innovation Awards is an opportunity for some of the most creative projects across 11 categories to…
Chinese Animated Blockbuster Ne Zha 2 Premieres Worldwide The much-awaited most recent version of the Chinese mainland’s animated blockbuster “Ne Zha 2” premiered on Tuesday night in Hong Kong and was scheduled to officially hit Hong Kong theaters on Saturday. Ne Zha is perhaps one…
On 11 August 2025, the New National Theatre Tokyo (NNTT), Japan’s premier performance venue, launched the boldly imaginative Natasha — a one-act, multilingual opera by Toshio Hosokawa with a libretto by Yoko Tawada. As the third new commission under Artistic Director Kazushi Ono, this production not only continues NNTT’s recent dedication to cultivating Japanese contemporary composers but also stakes a…
In the world of late 90s television, few shows dared to blur the line between courtroom drama, emotional introspection, and musical fantasy quite like Ally McBeal. Created by David E. Kelley, the series wasn’t just known for its quirky characters or surreal narrative style—it carved…
The Premiere & first impressions In its international premiere at Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre on 21 June 2025, Gang-a Tsui Theater’s Apostate arrived as a daring philosophical theatrical that dares its audience to think—and keep thinking. Renowned for its cerebral storytelling, the Taiwanese troupe…
For something so universally adored, chocolate remains surprisingly underrated. Sure, we gift it on Valentine’s Day, savour it during celebrations, or reach for it when in need of comfort — but do we truly celebrate chocolate for all it represents? Beyond its rich, indulgent flavour,…
1. A New Beat for Music TourismAnguilla’s first-ever Music Tourism Convention puts the island on the global map as a destination where music, culture, and sustainable travel converge. It’s not just a conference — it’s a blueprint for how small islands can amplify creative economies…
The Ministry of Culture and the Royal Commission for AlUla have signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Riyadh during the Cultural Investment…
International Music X (IMX) recently announced the global launch of its 2025 season, establishing a strategic partnership with Music China,…
Ten artists. Ten musical perspectives. One gentle invitation to slow down. There is a particular luxury in music that does…
The Metropolitan Opera’s acclaimed production arrives in Hong Kong this December. Frida Kahlo has long existed beyond the canvas. Her…
The Philippines’ internationally recognised Loboc Children’s Choir brings music to the opening of Hong Kong’s ASEAN Film Festival, where cinema…
The breeze on the Hengchun Peninsula is always filled with the sounds of the sea and the yueqin. In the…
A New Zealand Composer-in-Residence programme offers one building block for a Music City, and a useful question for Asia: what…
Ten artists. Ten musical perspectives. One gentle invitation to slow down. There is a particular luxury in music that does…
The Metropolitan Opera’s acclaimed production arrives in Hong Kong this December. Frida Kahlo has long existed beyond the canvas. Her…
There is something rather satisfying about coming home after conquering a stage on the other side of the world. For…
Mountains, Sea and Songs: Taiwan’s Southern Folk Celebration Go as far south as Taiwan lets you, and you’ll hit the…
Sixty years ago, Korea was still finding its musical voice. Today, its musicals are finding their way to Broadway. There…
