Sandy Tan, the founder of Sound & Canvas, delivering her opening remarks

Have you visited Sound & Canvas lately? It was launched earlier recently at Setia Kenangan II, Kiulap, above Games & Latte. It’s managed by Sandy Tan who has the desire and passion for a creative community, devoted to experiment art in Brunei Darussalam. Her new studio aims at establishing creativity merging original music with various forms of arts.

Sound & Canvas (@soundncanvas) collaborated with Other Half Studio (@otherhalfstudio) for the theme “Can you keep a secret?”, an immersive Audio-Visual Exhibit. It is also supported by @happypetalsnco, Bloom Project Co. (@bloomprojectco) and Piccolo Cafe (@piccolocafebn). The Audio-Visual Exhibit will be ongoing until 31st December and it opens from Thursday to Sunday from 7:30pm to 11:00pm.

There is section of beautifully crafted paper petals on the wall where guests can write and post their comments or love notes for Sandy and her new studio.

So far the response has been encouraging and it was good to see the youth turning up for the Audio-Visual Exhibit and beginning to appreciate the artistic value of creative arts merging with original music.

This could be a new space for local artists and musicians to work together in promoting arts and music in Brunei Darussalam. Hence the space will be continually reconfigured throughout the year to host various exhibits and showcases.

In terms of services, Sound & Canvas provides advertising soundtracks, film/short film/tv/podcast soundtrack (that caught my eye huhu) and sounds/music for apps and games.

At Sound & Canvas, Sandy hopes to connect with musicians, artists, performers and independent makers who share a passion for creating original, ambitious work.

She holds BA of Communications (Hons.) from RMIT University Melbourne and BA of Music (Composition & Production) from the Australian Institute of Music Sydney.  Sandy’s creative practice usually involves electro-acoustic instrumentations and manipulating found sounds. Her work is inspired by a curiosity for how sound and music influence our social experiences, as well as parallels drawn between sound and other art forms.  Sandy has learned that anyone can create and showcase art. Talent is made valid with practice.

For updates, you can follow @soundncanvas on Instagram.

It was good opening night where they turned and hung out for the occasion

It’s a looping effect to see arts and music combining to give the euphoric feeling

I love this part of the art

The flower arch created by @bloomprojectco

Awwww so sweet

The mirror floor

A place to chill and destress 😀

Supporting Sandy’s opening night

Hello Fiza :p

Students and the music instructors from Yippy Tune at the 24th KK Music and Dance Festival in the Shangri-La Rasa Ria Resort last weekend

It was quite a memorable moment for the children and parents

A total of 52 students from Yippy Tune Music School participated in the 24th KK Music and Dance Festival in the Shangri-La Rasa Ria Resort on the 1st & 2nd September in Kota Kinabalu. This year, the event saw a record participation of 1,600 musicians from Brunei, Singapore and Malaysia. The participants from Yippy Tune competed in the category of piano, vocal, violin and drums and pocketed a total of 90 medals, which consists of 26 Gold, 41 Silver and 23 Bronze.

Some of the students who attained outstanding results include Siena Hoon, 5 Medals (2 Gold, 2 Silver and 1 Bronze), Freda Ngu (2 Gold, 1 Silver), Ethan Officer and Jonathan Foo (2 Gold each).

This is the second year that Yippy Tune has sent students to compete in the KK Music Festival, following an initial win of 13 medals win during their first visit two years ago. “While the students came here after months of preparations and hard work, one of the main reasons for this participation was for the spirit of communion and exchange with other musicians. Deon Ong, Yippy Tune’s principal remarked, “Completing a performance is like winning a sport event! It helps to create awareness of live music performance and reflects the music school’s practice of providing a balanced and outgoing programs for students.” She added, “Coming to the event required tremendous commitment, time and effort not only from the students alone, but the undivided support from the teachers and parents whom we pay our utmost thanks and gratitude to.”

According to a parent, “The KK Music Festival created an incredibly inspiring and unique experience where my child can perform in front of an international crowd. It really humbles you to see so many talented individuals and at the same time lift everyone’s standard because of the friendly competition.” Said Delon Hon, whose daughter, Natalie received a Gold Medal in her Piano Performance.

Comparing to the previous years, the judges have elevated their expectations, tightened the number of medals they released, while assessing the contestants’ every strength and weaknesses in much greater details. “This is a welcoming change, because it lifts the standard for everyone and motivates the students to work harder in their preparation for the next year’s event. It also makes the award extra more precious for those who have won.” Said Teacher Marcel from Yippy Tune. “All our teachers are extremely proud of our students’ effort and result. Their tenacity and attitude towards music has really encouraged each of us.”

The music gathering this year was a much-anticipated event especially because the organisers stepped up the game by inviting world-class performers and judges to take part in the judging panel and conducted special group classes for the students. Renown participants included Pianist, Yen-Lin Goh whose work appeared in Vera Ivanova’s soundtrack, Wesley Johnson, a senior lecturer from UPSI, Dr. Tham Horng Kent, the recipients of Asia Yamaha Music Scholarship graduated from Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Japanese pianist Misa Yamamoto. Press release and images courtesy of Yippy Tune.

One of the gold medal recipient from Yippy Tune

Aubrey Lee receiving a medal too

Siena Hoon was one of the biggest winners with 2 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze

Siena with her mother Deon Ong

Freda Ngu and Audrey Koh were also recipients during the event

Ethan Officer with his gold medal

Siena with the music instructors from Yippy Tune

The balloons hit during the “Adventure of a Lifetime” song

Amazing lighting and atmosphere. Thank you, Coldplay

My oh my… It has been a while since I attended a concert. My last was Pitbull gig in Singapore. Yea that was fun and he was a great entertainer during his 2013 Global Warming Tour and merely a 5,000 crowd attendance. I heard that he will be back again in Singapore of Climate Change tour this coming May.

Fast forward to 2017, Coldplay’s A Head Full of Dreams tour was my next concert. Yea, I missed out Guns N’ Roses gig in Singapore last February but i heard mixed reviews due to the logistics, the venue as well as the sound system.

It was totally opposite for Coldplay’s A Head Full of Dreams tour held at the enormous Singapore National Stadium last weekend. I was worried if there was no shelter but I didn’t know that stadium has a retractable roof and it worked to great effect.

Jolene Law and I were fortunate enough to attend the first ever gig by Coldplay for the year 2017 and of course, the few familiar faces from Brunei who made it for Coldplay. The attraction was just tremendous. Coldplay first gig was back in Singapore, 2006 at the Indoor Stadium for a 10,000 audience. Then back in 2009 with Coldplay’s Viva La Vida Tour with 12,000 fans and now (in 2017), it’s a different story with 100,000 fans altogether for two shows. What a huge jump and I can tell you why.

People queueing in as early as 6pm

The merchandise was selling like hotcakes. Each t-shirt costs around $50

Hello Sue, I hope you were awed with Coldplay.

One of the guys who were selling spare tickets and also merchandise. Apparently he sold them t-shirts for $20 each

The tickets are barcoded. Well, you just have to print them and enter. But once you go in, you can’t go out.

Jaymee was also one of those who flew from Brunei 😀

Hello Jolene and I hope you enjoyed your belated birthday gift. See you next time in Singapore.

We were totally impressed with the Coldplay experience

The strong 50,000 crowd after the concert ended.

Now there are a few reasons why Coldplay is the most electrifying concert that I’ve attended so far. It’s more than just a concert. It’s the whole wham bam experience.

1. Chris Martin is a great connector. The lead vocalist and the main person behind Coldplay was able to engage the audience with his movement on the stage and also during transitions between songs. Of course, the crowd was quite responsive and some were even in tears. He even joked about the humidity in Singapore as you can see his sweat dripping when he was passionately hitting the notes on the keyboard (Yea, we saw it on the gigantic screen lol). Chris was so uplifting from start to finish and the star of the show.

2. The LED wrist band. One thing was fans and not-so-big fans looking forward to Coldplay is the technicolour experience that you will enjoy from a Coldplay concert. The theme “A Head Full of Dreams” was fitting enough for fans to enjoy a euphoric feeling as we became awed with the random bright luminous colours from the electronically controlled wristband. The colours of the light will be in tuned with the songs and my favourite one would be the yellow/green moment.

3. The props and stage design. Yea, we might be seated at a restricted view as highlighted on the tickets. But we didn’t feel restricted at all. Ironically I loved the view as I was able to see the overall experience such as the confetti, the balloons and the laser light effects. The only setback would be the angle of the gigantic screen due to our seating position. But I ain’t complaining since it didn’t really bother me as much. The pyros, the confetti and the colourful balloons created a whole new experience as a concert goer. Those who paid more were privileged to experience the shower of confetti.

4. The sound. This has always been a big issue in other gigs such as Madonna and Guns N Roses. The acoustic was at its best (and I probably believed that there was a lot of planning in this). Speakers were not just on the main stage area but also around the arena. I missed the first song but I could hear it clearly with the vocal and music outside the arena. So imagine being one of concert goers inside the arena. Every single note from the musicians was noticeable among the 50,000 strong crowd and once you reach that almost perfect acoustic and sound, it will bring more energy to the crowd.

5. The crowd participation. Of course, with the help of the electronically coloured wrist band, it will make the audience waved their hands with the flow of the music. The fans can really make a difference to a concert experience and that night, it was one of the best I’ve been too. They were singing even though they don’t remember the whole lyrics (like me). Some were even so emotional because it felt so surreal. I had my moments of screaming because I felt quite high in energy. Coldplay + the crowd were a win-win situation and that made it ever more rewarding and fulfilling.

Overall, it was the best concert experience to date and it’s no surprise if tickets were sold out in other cities. The best moment for me was “A Sky Full of Stars” and “Up & Up”. I’m hoping to get another gig of theirs in the future. Even replaying the videos I shot still gives me the goosebumps. For now, I can say my dream has been fulfilled. Thank, Coldplay and Singapore. Verdict: 10/10