Borneo
SIFMA 2025: Where Music, Culture and Conversation Converge
Now in its sixth edition, the Sarawak International Festival of Music and Arts (SIFMA) has grown into something larger than the sum of its programmes. Each concert has, in its own way, surpassed the last — not in volume or scale alone, but in the depth of its collaborations and the courage of its programming. To hold a festival year after year is not just an exercise in tradition; it is a commitment to continuity. In Sarawak, that commitment has flourished. In Sarawak, that commitment has paid off. SIFMA has become a meeting ground where heritage is not simply preserved but celebrated anew, where young musicians are paired with seasoned international voices, and where partnerships are fastened that ripple far beyond the stage.
On the 6th and 7th of December 2025, that commitment will once again unfold — this time beneath the gilded roof of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly, an architectural beacon perched along the Sarawak River in Kuching.
A Date to Circle in the Calendar
Festivals can sometimes feel like a blur of programmes and names. SIFMA 2025 asks for something simpler — just circle the date, turn up, and allow yourself to listen. The festival’s promise is not about size or celebrity, but about intimacy and exchange. To sit in a hall where East Malaysian musicians meet international collaborators, where traditions are set against experiments, is to witness art as a living conversation.
An Open Call, A Shared Stage
SIFMA has issued its invitation to artists and musicians everywhere: bring your proposals, bring your stories. It is a call that resists borders. What the festival seeks is not spectacle for its own sake, but work that asks questions — about culture, about belonging, about where music might take us next. For many, it is an opportunity to step onto a stage that has room for risk, for experimentation, and for dialogue with peers across the globe.
A Festival With a Pulse
Identity is a slippery thing for festivals. But SIFMA has made its intentions plain. It is not just a showcase; it is a platform that insists culture matters, and that the arts can be both celebratory and necessary. The festival’s new identity reflects this: bold enough to claim space, light enough to invite participation. Its 2025 edition, set against Kuching’s riverine landscape, offers more than concerts — it offers an argument that art is still one of the few places where communities can imagine themselves anew.
For Dr. Geraldine Law, founder of International Music House and one of the festival’s key organisers, SIFMA is as much about future-building as it is about performance. “Every year, we get to see a beautiful showcase of Sarawak’s heritage and young talent shine,” she says. “This is just the beginning of nurturing youth talent management here — to bring out the best of Sarawak and place it before an international audience. And we hope more people will take the opportunity to visit Kuching, discover the city, and enjoy the concert with us.”
Looking Ahead
The sixth edition of SIFMA will not simply be another festival, but a reaffirmation that continuity matters in culture. Each December, Kuching gathers musicians, dancers, and audiences who together keep the city’s conversation with the world alive. And each December, the wager grows stronger: that art, shared consistently and generously, can anchor Sarawak as a cultural hub in the region and beyond.
For enquiries about proposals, participation, or festival details, please contact Ms. Connie at +60109668769, or the main office at +6082238918. Alternatively, via email. For more about SIFMA, visit their official website here.
