Let's talk music
There are many ways to describe summer. Long afternoons. Cold drinks. Vinyl records spinning lazily in the background. And, apparently, a dog behind the decks with a cocktail in hand. French illustrator and comic artist Baptiste Virot seems to understand the brief rather beautifully. Based between Strasbourg and Brussels, Virot trained at the Arts Décoratifs de Strasbourg before developing a…
There is something rather beautiful about watching a composer step into the light. For years, Aubrey Suwito has been the man behind the music. The arranger. The musical director. The composer who stood just slightly…
From music and performance to contemporary art and cultural identity, our Reading Room gathers books that help us understand the creative currents moving through Asia. Some books give us information. Others change the way we…
Suntory Hall has once again placed contemporary Japanese composition at the centre of Tokyo’s classical music scene, with composer Yuki Nakahashi receiving the 36th Yasushi Akutagawa Suntory Award for Music Composition following a public competition…
Sixty years ago, Korea was still finding its musical voice. Today, its musicals are finding their way to Broadway. There is something rather satisfying about a theatrical form born in the West travelling east, taking…
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…
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 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…
Ten artists. Ten musical perspectives. One gentle invitation to slow down. There is a particular…
The Philippines’ internationally recognised Loboc Children’s Choir brings music to the opening of Hong Kong’s…
A New Zealand Composer-in-Residence programme offers one building block for a Music City, and a…
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 town near Kenting National Park,…
The second TMElive International Music Awards has ended with an increasingly clear proposition: Asian music does not need to remain a regional story. Held over two days at Hong Kong’s 50,000-capacity Kai Tak Stadium, the 2026 awards brought together 34…
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…
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 New Zealand School of Music in Wellington is not, on…
What happens when a musician is asked to take an idea from outside the music industry and turn it into…
A Film Story That Isn’t About Film YouTube has overtaken The Walt Disney Company to become the world’s largest media…
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,…
There are many ways to describe summer. Long afternoons. Cold drinks. Vinyl records spinning lazily in the background. And, apparently,…
There is something rather beautiful about watching a composer step into the light. For years, Aubrey Suwito has been the…
From music and performance to contemporary art and cultural identity, our Reading Room gathers books that help us understand the…
Suntory Hall has once again placed contemporary Japanese composition at the centre of Tokyo’s classical music scene, with composer Yuki…
Ten artists. Ten musical perspectives. One gentle invitation to slow down. There is a particular luxury in music that does…
There is something rather beautiful about watching a composer step into the light. For years, Aubrey Suwito has been the…
From music and performance to contemporary art and cultural identity, our Reading Room gathers books that help us understand the…
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…
