May: Square Fete and more!

Australian new-music collective halfsound are a dynamic, award-wining ensemble at the forefront of modernity. Based within the tradition of western art music, they give performances that always have a strong foundation in the music of today. Their performances aim to create an experiential sonic world in which sounds are linked to underlying themes and theatrics in order to maximize accessibility. Their sonic vocabulary comprises ensemble and solo works written by a wide variety of composers from around the world. halfsound understand the importance of collaboration in music as a means of artistic exchange, and as such they have featured many leading Australian and international interpreters of modern music as guest artists in their programmes. halfsound is jointly directed by two Australian saxophonists, Mr. Matt Hinchliffe and Ms. Ali Fyffe.

 Both Matt and Ali are graduates of the Faculty of the Victorian College of the Arts of the University of Melbourne in Australia and have worked together for seven years. As collaborative partners, they are in high demand and have performed extensively throughout Australia and abroad. They have twice toured Australia, once in 2012 and again in 2014 and in 2013 they undertook an extensive tour of the south of France. They have also performed in New Zealand, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Vietnam, China, Hungary, Italy, and the United Kingdom in various capacities. They also regularly commission new works from composers and have many works attributed to them. halfsound have received much recognition in Australia and abroad in the form of a number of prestigious awards. Most notably, they have received 1st prize in the Musical Society of Victoria Chamber Music Competition, People’s Choice Award at the Gisborne International Music Competition, 3rd prize in the Marco Fiorindo International Chamber Music Competition, the Alan C. Rose Memorial Trust Award and the Athenaeum Prize for Chamber Music among many others.
halfsound are currently based in Hanoi, Vietnam where they are working on numerous projects in the region. Their 2015 concert season will include concerts across Asia and the Middle East as well as many commissions and other independent concerts.

Date and Time: 9 May 2015 @ 830pm
Venue: 39A, Jalan SS2/55, 47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
Contact: 016-3618504
Admission: minimum donation RM30

Performers: Australian saxophonists duo Halfsound, Mr. Matt Hinchliffe and Ms. Ali Fyffe

Program:
Murasaki No Fuchi (for saxophone duo) - Ryo Noda
Hard (for tenor saxophone solo) - Christian Lauba
Mysterious Morning III (for soprano saxophone solo) - Fuminori Tanada
Tre Pezzi (for tenor saxophone solo) - Giacinto Scelsi
Sequenza IXb (for alto saxophone solo) - Luciano Berio
Teintes (for saxophone duo) - Etienne Rolin

Date/Time: 10th May / 12pm - 6pm

Venue: Space. Toccata
39A, JLN SS2/55, 47300 Petaling Jaya.

Admission is FREE!!!

1pm: Contemporary Dance and Chinese Drums + Mobile Phone Orchestra

2pm: Singer-songwriters session

3pm: Cake Project 

4pm: WVC Trio +1 

5pm: POLKA • Playground 

Come by and hang out with us at Space. Toccata.
we've got food, an amazing line up, and great conversation!

Kindly RSVP by 5th May, hope to see you then!

Call/text 016-3618504 or email etoccata@gmail.com to reserve your seats now! 

New year, new performances!

Date/Time: 11/1/14 (Sunday) 3pm 

Venue: Toccata Studio 

Admission by min. donation: RM40 

Drawing inspiration from the many facets of modern life, influenced by Malaysian and other Asian cultures, the music of WVC TRiO +1 cuts across many musical genres and defies any kind of classification. Tunes such as “The Art of the Wind Up Alarm Clock”, “Found and Lost”, “Standing in the Rain on Euclid Avenue” tries to examine and express the human condition in modern life, using the art form known as "jazz" as its stylistic musical vehicle. 

Formed in 2006 as a trio, WVC TRiO +1 completed its quartet line up with the addition of saxophonist Julian Chan. The group has toured extensively in the region, heralding back the spirit being "on the road" of touring jazz bands of old. Through these regional tours, WVC TRiO +1 has brought its music to many corners of Malaysia, Singapore, China, Taiwan, Thailand, and Macao. In one of these tours, the quartet managed to travel extensively over 18 cities within a month, using different means of transportation, playing in many different types of venues.

WVC TRiO +1 has three instrumental albums - “WVC TRiO” (2008), “ELEVEN” (2009), “In the Dark, I See Her” (2011) - that explored different musical genres (while maintaining the spirit of jazz as its core) and combinations in its line-up. Most of the tunes recorded are original tunes written by the band members. In addition, the band also experiments with transforming unlikely pop tunes, Chinese classics, and many mainstream music into new jazz re-arrangements, in the spirit of the great jazz musicians of old.

WVC TRiO +1 has been invited to appear in many festivals in the region such as Taichung Jazz Festival, Kota Kinabalu Jazz Festival, Phuket International Jazz Festival, Tianjin International Jazz Fest, Macao International Jazz Week and many others. In addition, the band has played extensively in the Malaysian local jazz clubs, from No Black Tie, Nero Fico, (the now defunct) Venue, and many others.

The present incarnation of the WVC Trio + 1 consists of bandleader/composer/arranger/music director/pianist Tay Cher Siang, bassist AJ, drummer KJ Wong and saxophonist Julian Chan. The band remains one of the most active units in the Malaysian performance circuit and is one of the most sought after bands in Malaysia for Hi-Fi recordings and live performances.

Gerry Hemingway - Drum Set, Composer

Sarah Weaver - Composer 

Gerry Hemingway’s solo concert program will premiere two new solo works composed by Sarah Weaver along with a selection of acoustic works that are from the vast solo repertoire Mr. Hemingway has developed over the past 40 years.

Date and Time: 20 January 2015, 8.30pm

Venue: Toccata Studio, 19B ,SS2/55, 47300 PJ

Admission: minimum donation RM30

Contact: 016-3618504

This performance is co-organized with KLEX KL Experimental Film and Video Festival 

吉隆坡实验电影节 

Partially supported by Pro Helvetia, Liminal Music Inc.

photo credit: Erika Kapin Photography

POLKA • PLAYGROUND is returning to Toccata Studio this 23rd January! 

NG CHOR GUAN (theremin and laptop)
JIMMY CHONG aka JIMMY ZHAI (percussion)
GIDEON ALUBAKHAN CHEN (zither)

Date/Time: 23/1/2015 (Friday), 8.30pm
Venue: Toccata Studio
Admission by min donation: RM30

Call/text 016-3618504 to reserve your seats now!

Rosalind Phang: A Solo Piano Recital

Rosalind is an active performer and enjoys collaborating in chamber music and piano duos. In 2007, Rosalind performed Shostakovich’s 2nd Piano Concerto with orchestra and in 2010, Chopin’s 2nd Piano Concerto with a string quintet arrangement in numerous concerts. She also premiered contemporary Swiss composer’s Cecile Marti’s piece, “Changing Five” at the Swiss Ambassadors’ Residence in London. In May 2012, Rosalind went on a concert tour to Holland performing for three consecutive days where she also played the Dutch premiere of Debussy’s Jeux for two pianos, arranged by pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet. In March 2013, she performed Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with the Dinas Powys Orchestra in Wales. Rosalind has also performed in many concert halls in the United Kingdom, including Cadogan Hall, St James’ Church Picadilly, and Wigmore Hall

Rosalind Phang Solo Piano Recital at Toccata Studio 

Date & Time: 28 Dec 2014 @ 3pm 

Venue: Toccata Studio, 19B, SS2/55, 47300 PJ.

Contact: 016-3618504

Admission : minimum donation RM30

Program: 

Frederic Chopin - Piano Sonata no.2 in B-flat minor, op.35 

I. Grave - Doppio movimento

II. Scherzo

III. Marche funèbre: Lento

IV. Finale: Presto

Claude Debussy - Images (Book 2)

I. Cloches à travers les feuilles

II. Et la lune descend sur le temple qui fut

III. Poissons d'or

Franz Liszt - Légendes - St François de Paule: marchant sur les flots

Call/text 016-3618504 to reserve your seats now!

2 days to Malaysia Day!

It's two days to Malaysia Day! How will you be spending your weekend?

Here at Toccata Studio we're getting ready to wrap up an art exhibition: if you haven't had the chance to see the paintings, do come by this weekend as tomorrow is the last day of the Autumn: Art Exhibition / September 2014! 

The cello recital last evening was a success! Check out pictures and insta-vids at both Toccata Studio's and Ng Chor Guan's Instagram accounts.


Have a great weekend!
Thank you for reading. (: 

A very busy first week of September!

Hello, friends!

We kicked off the first weekend of September with the opening of the Autumn: Art Exhibition / September 2014: there was food and friends and wise words from well-meaning people all around! We'd like to thank those of you who came and shared the wonderful afternoon with us, hope to see you again soon!

On Sunday we had Cake Project #14, where pitchers Suhaili Micheline, Teo Wey Herng and Ng Chor Guan each tries to woo the audience with earnest presentations of their projects. Suhaili Micheline's 'Marrying Me' is a musical about self discovery, the ups and downs of a mother daughter relationship, and ultimately, self love. Though Suhaili did not win, she is bringing the performance to New York City! Best of luck, Suhaili!

Second pitcher Teo Wey Herng represents Toccata Studio in presenting an event named 'Square Fete'; it is a festival that will be put on by Toccata Studio in January featuring a series of events and performances including a contemporary art exhibition. Teo Wey Herng quoted Malaysian writer and painter Duola in her presentation: 'we want to bring arts back into SS2'.

Winner Ng Chor Guan pitched his ongoing project RE: Revolution Evolution, a live performance inspired by cycling and recording the present world with modern day tools: Ng Chor Guan and collaborator cycles about the area they feature and collect sound and visual material, which will be transformed into coherent music and visuals, forming a poignant performance. Donate a few ringgit to their Gofundme page: http://www.gofundme.com/d9n82c They are planning to bring this around the world!

Also check out the video for RE! 

On Tuesday evening we had Suhaili Micheline in Toccata Studio for our 9th installment of Dance=Music Series! She and composer Ng Chor Guan recreated the performance space and turned it into a room where 'a parcel is unraveled'; the performance room is scattered with crumpled newspapers and the space under the piano turns into 'a cave', says a member of the audience. 

This Friday we've got Yi-feng: a solo recital by Seth Woods, an artist who is reputed to be 'straddling several genres' and performs a diverse range of music including the works of Bach and avant-garde compositions. Outside the chamber and solo setting, Seth has played with the New York City Ballet, Orchestra of St. Lukes, Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra, Di Capo Opera Theater and Vertical Player Repertory Opera. Seth Woods will also perform an improvisation session in the second half of the concert with Malaysian composer, Ng Chor Guan, who will be manipulating the theremin. 

Hope to see you this Friday!
Thank you for reading. (: