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! 

March is here!

What is CAKE PROJECT?

CAKE PROJECT is a micro crowd-funding project by Toccata Studio which aims to build a strong and diverse network of local art practitioners and audiences. It started as a nostalgic idea of wanting to recreate the atmosphere of Sunday afternoon chit-chat with tea and cakes among friends and family where one could bounce ideas about each other. The current version of CAKE PROJECT is a better structured one where ideas can be turned into projects with the money from the audience and arts community. 

Who goes to CAKE PROJECT? 
People who want to share and realise their creative ideas and people who want to see new things come to live and help artists realise their projects! 
• Dreamers (presenter): eager people who have creative ideas and want to realise them! (We welcome all art practitioners, professional and amateur alike!)
• Audience (voters): people who want to see and hear new, creative things and support them.

How does CAKE PROJECT work?
CAKE PROJECT happens bi-monthly on odd months (i.e January, March, May etc). There is a PRIZE POT in a corner of Toccata Studio where people can contribute any amount CAKE PROJECT. Admission to CAKE PROJECT is at a minimum of RM15 per person, which adds on to the accumulated amount in the PRIZE POT, which will go to the winner at the end of the day. In return, audience and presenter will both enjoy tea and a slice of homemade cake sponsored by kind aunties in the neighbourhood.
• Each presenter is allocated 15 minutes of the floor: 10 minutes for presenting their idea + 5 for a quick Q&A session.
• At the end of the presentation period, each person is entitled to one (1) vote of their choice.
• Votes will then be collected and counted by Toccata Studio while everyone enjoys a slice of homemade cake with coffee or tea.
• Occasionally there may be performances or talks by special guests; sometimes past winners of CAKE PROJECT will return to share the progress of realising their project.
• The project with the most votes wins, and is the recipient of all the money in the PRIZE POT. 

If you would like to come to CAKE PROJECT as a Dreamer, do not hesitate to contact us. Submit a simple write up (no more than 200 words) about your idea/project to etoccata@gmail.com.

If you would like more information before making a decision, do not hesitate to contact us:

phone: 016－3618504 / email: etoccata@gmail.com.

please browse our YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC-KwEQ28-k

Fans and friends of FUGU, take note! 

FUGU has returned and will be playing at Good Friends Cafe 10th March. 

Date/Time: 10/3/2015 (Tuesday), 8.30pm 

Venue: Good Friends Cafe, 15 & 17, Jalan SS 15/8a, Ss 15, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor

Admission by minimum donation of RM30 

Early birds pay RM25 with special gift! (before 5/3/2015)

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


Please browse our youtube website to watch the teaser if you've missed it.

Here is the youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kzp1oSHStEo

November!

The holidays are near! And we've returned from London and ready to put on new performances. Check out the shows below! 

Polka Dot Playground returns to Toccata Studio this 5th November!
 Join us for an evening of interactive and invigorating music! 

Featuring musicians:
Alubakhan Gideon Chen (guqin)

Jimmy Zhai (percussion)

Ng Chor Guan (theremin & laptop)

Venue: Toccata Studio, SS2

Date/Time: 5 November 2014, 8.30pm

Admission by minimum donation of RM25

Please browse our youtube website to watch the teaser if you've missed it.
Here is the youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGFoa804fPA

The 10th installment of Dance=Music Series is here! Beyond Future features two dancers whose passion is with hip hop and newer dance forms.
 Catch Jau Huei and Syaffiq Hambali this 8th & 9th November!

Venue: Toccata Studio, SS2
Date/Time: 8th November, 8.30pm / 9th November, 3pm
Admission by minimum donation of RM25


Don't miss these wonderful showcases of Malaysian contemporary art!
Call/text 016-3618504 to reserve your seats now! 

Hello October!

Hello, friends!

We apologize for the two week hiatus on the blog; things have been terribly busy at Toccata Studio what with preparations for the RevoEvo KL show (it's this weekend!) and our bringing the performance to The Proud Archivist, London. 

Here's a recap of what we've done since our last blog entry: Almost Human happened on 14/9, Sunday. It is a collaborative improvisational performance between cellist Seth Woods and dancer/choreographer Steve Goh exploring the ideas of being and becoming 'human' via the interactions between dance and music. The following weekend, on a Saturday (20/9), we joined the good people of Putrajaya in the Great Festival 2014 and brought RevoEvo to their platform, alongside local bands such as Khottal and Monoloque; an amazing night despite the on and off rain!

We began October with Merle Noir, a choir of extra-normal voice led by Michael Edgerton, an associate professor at the Universiti Malaya. The concerts (Oct 1st & Oct 3rd) were invigorating explorations of voice and music.

This weekend we have the all new RevoEvo KL! Featuring new footage taken from the wonderful city that is Kuala Lumpur, RevoEvo KL will premiere in Toccata Studio on 10/10 (Friday) 8.30pm and 12/10 (Sunday) 3pm. 

Date/Time: 10/10/14 (Friday) 8.30pm & 12/10/14 (Sunday) 3pm

Venue: Toccata Studio, 19b, ss2/55 47300 Petaling Jaya. 

Admission by minimum donation of RM25

Call/text 016-3618504 for more information and to reserve your seats! 

Please browse our youtube website to watch the teaser if you've missed it.

Here is the youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDPkBQsEOCo

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. (:

Happy Merdeka Day!

It's the long Merdeka weekend! What are your plans?

Here at Toccata Studio we're busy with the last bits of preparation for the art exhibition next week (come to the opening! It's 6/9/14, a Saturday), and also for the 14th Cake Project! Have you checked out our Cake Project page on Facebook recently? We post stuff about creativity and inspiring things regularly! Go now!

The Rakyat Post compiled 5 of this year's Merdeka ads and this below is our favourite! Go check the rest of them out, if you like!

::::::::

Once again, Happy Merdeka Day! 

And have a great weekend. 

Thanks for reading. (: 

A September of shows and excitement!

August has been a little quiet and now we've bounced back refreshed and ready to present you with more performances and things!

In the first two weeks of September we have an art exhibition with 13 artists and 26 artworks.

The opening of the exhibition is on 6/9/2014 (Saturday) at 3pm; admission is free! 

Do come by and enjoy both art and some light refreshments.

New Music Series #8: Oh, Strings!

New Music Series #8 -Oh, Strings!

Violin: Ken Lee 

Zhong Ruan: Simon Chong 

Er Hu and Guitar: Ziyan Tung

Curator : Ng Chor Guan

Date: 20 August 2014

Time: 830pm 

Venue: Toccata Studio 19B,SS2/55, 47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. 

Admission: by minimum donation RM25

Contact: 016-3618504 

Email: etoccata@gmail.com 

Make Like A Tree

Make Like A Tree; A Concert by Sergey and Friends 

While one man was traveling

The seed of a tree fell into his heart It grew upAnd reached God...
Make Like a Tree is a musical traveling project started by Sergey Onischenko from Ukraine.All songs are recorded in different places of the world inspired by meeting with musicians who play in dissimilar music styles. Each concert is played with new members and can turn Make Like A Tree in a duo or in quite a large improvising ensemble. 
Check out Sergey's Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/makelikeatree
Date: 1/8/2014; 8.30pmAdmission by minimum donation of RM25. 

A Concert by Terence Chong and Friends

One. Two. Three. 

Friends of Terence include a pianist, Eugene Chong, an oboist, Nelson Wong, 

and guest player, Lawrence Fong on the clarinet.

Venue: Toccata Studio, 19b, SS2/55, 47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Date/time: 30/7/2014, 8.30pm. 

Admission by minimum donation of RM30. 

It's Mid July!

It's Dance=Music Series: Moonlight! 

Today is the second show for Dance=Music Series: Moonlight! Will you be joining us? It's at 3pm, at Toccata Studio, 19b, Jalan SS2/55 47300 Petaling Jaya (above Poh Kong SS2). We had an amazing show last night, with rather enthusiastic young members in the audience. It is always a pleasure to have children be exposed to the arts; their curiosity and wonder know no bounds!  

July has been busy and fulfilling, so far! In the first weekend we had Cake Project #13, where three dreamers submitted their proposals for a chance to kick start their projects; Lee Siew Min's idea, Art Elongation, is to connect the community to art by gathering people together to draw and paint on the same canvas. Second presenter, Teo Wey Herng, wants to organize a workshop titled Building Blocks for children to teach them about stories and the art of story telling. Third presenter is dancer Lee Ren Xin, whose proposal B.E.D. is a piece of dance theatre discussing the ideas and stories about resting and beds. 

 Lee Siew Min: Art Elongation

Teo Wey Herng: Building Blocks.

Lee Ren Xin: B.E.D 

 The audience listening in rapt attention.

The vote! Our cake sponsor did an amazing job 

with the Hummingbird cake, yum! 

Stay tuned for more updates about events! Thank you for reading. (: 

Today we're sharing a TED Talk that inspires us! Watch it, or save it for a Saturday afternoon, and come join us on Sunday. (click on the quote to get to the TED talk!)

1. Béatrice Coron is a papercutter artist who tells stories with layers of papercutting. 'But the result is always to have stories. So the stories, they have a lot of possibilities.' She became an artist only at 40 years old! Art and creativity has no age limit, friends! 

What do Creative People Say?

5 days to CAKE Project #13! Today we bring you 13 quotes on creativity by those of the creative ilk! 

Edward de Bono of 6 Thinking Hats says: 

We need creativity in order to break free from the temporary structures that have been set up by a particular sequence of experience. 

Edwin Land, the co-founder of Polaroid tells us to not fear failure: 

An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail. 

Controversial performance artist Marina Abramovic is a bit stern, but speaks the very truth: 

Your ego can become an obstacle to your work. If you start believing in your greatness, it is the death of your creativity.

Classic Hollywood star Marilyn Monroe (really, she needs no introduction) reminds us of the humanity in creativity: 

Creativity has got to start with humanity and when you're a human being, you feel, you suffer. You're gay, you're sick, you're nervous or whatever. 

The great American poet of the 1920's T.S. Eliot remind us how anxiety is absolutely normal:

Anxiety is the hand maiden of creativity. (x)

Contemporary dancer and choreographer Twyla Tharp reminds you to make creativity (creating) a habit:

Creativity is a habit, and the best creativity is the result of good work habits. 

Yo-yo Ma, a world renown cellist and the founder of the Silk Road Project, says this about creativity: 

Passion is one great force that unleashes creativity, because if you're passionate about something, then you're more willing to take risks.

The powerful and inspirational African-American civil rights activist, Maya Angelou (may she rest in peace and power), believes that creativity is an innate quality:  

Everybody born comes from the Creator trailing wisps of glory. We come from the Creator with creativity. I think that each one of us is born with creativity.

Beyonce Knowles (who needs no introduction, the Queen Bee of pop music!) says creativity is her life: 

If I weren't performing, I'd be a beauty editor or a therapist. I love creativity, but I also love to help others. My mother was a hairstylist, and they listen to everyone's problems - like a beauty therapist!

Impressionist painter Henri Matisse reminds you to be courageous about your art: 

Creativity takes courage. 

Ken Robinson, who writes about creativity and finding one's passion says this: 

Creativity is the process of having original ideas that have value. It is a process; it's not random.

Yoko Ono, a musician, artist and most known for being John Lennon's (of the Beatles) second wife, says this about her music: 

I always believed that my work should be unfinished in the sense that I encourage people to add their creativity to it, either conceptually or physically. Back in the 1960s, I was calling for 'Unfinished Music,' number one, and number two, with my artwork - I was taking unfinished work into the gallery. And that's how I was looking at it.

We'll end this post with another quote from dancer and choreographer Twyla Tharp, who reminds us that creativity is for everybody: 

Creativity is not just for artists. It's for businesspeople looking for a new way to close a sale; it's for engineers trying to solve a problem; it's for parents who want their children to see the world in more than one way.

We'll stop here, for now. Hope you've been appropriately encouraged and motivated reading these quotes; we'd love to see you this Sunday, whether as part of the audience or one who comes forward with a proposal. Though if you do have a proposal, send it to us (etoccata@gmail.com) immediately! 

Quotes taken from brainyquote.com. Check them out if you need extra motivation! 

A Week to Cake Project #13!

Hello friends, July is closing in and we're already in the middle of 2014! How time has flew, indeed. Today at Toccata we're at the last legs of preparation for the first Dance Dance Dance showcase (it's tonight!), an initiative led by dancer and choreographer Steve Goh, where dancers can come together to learn and connect with each other in contemporary dance. Hope to see you tonight! 

July also means another Cake Project session! It's the 13th this time around, and we're hoping that this particular number won't jinx the number of proposals we might receive. *fingers crossed* If you have a proposal or an idea that needs funding or just a proper hashing-out or an audience - who isn't family or friend - to maybe give you feedback, send us your proposal already! We can't wait to hear you out (and maybe vote for you so you can realise your dreams). 

We'll be posting creativity-related stuff this entire week both on Facebook and here, so stay tuned! Meanwhile, enjoy the slideshow of pictures from past Cake Project afternoons. (: 

STOP . LOOK . GO 

红绿灯

Violin: Fung Chern Hwei (New York)
Piano: Lee Shih-Yang （Taiwan)
Theremin: Ng Chor Guan (Malaysia)

Date: 18/3/2014
Time: 8:30pm
Venue：Toccata Studio 19B, ss2/55,47300 Petaling Jaya,Selangor, Malaysia.
Contact：016－3618504
Blog：http://toccatastudio.blogspot.com/

Admission: minimum donation of RM30


Please browse our youtube website to watch the teaser if you've missed it.
Here is the youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dL4MSILW7-g

Dance=Music Series #6: Dancing in the Wonderland

Dance=Music Series #6: Dancing in the Wonderland

Dancer: Chai Vivan 
Musician: Ng Chor Guan 

Date & Time: 22/3/2014, 8:30pm
                    23/3/2014, 3:00pm
Venue：Toccata Studio 19B, ss2/55,47300 Petaling Jaya,Selangor, Malaysia.
Contact：016－3618504
Blog：http://toccatastudio.blogspot.com/

Admission: by minimum donation RM25

Moving Bach

 

Contemporary dance and baroque Bach music.

Artistic Director: Ng Chor Guan 

Dancer/ Choreographer: Steve Goh, Aida Redza

Musician: Tan Su Yin, Dylan Lee & Ng Chor Guan 

Idea initiated and produced by: Tan E-Jan 

Date & Time: March 15 @ 8:30pm (Saturday), March 16 @ 3:00pm (Sunday)

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

Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

Admission: By minimum donation RM 30

Contact: 016-3618504

Blog: http://toccatastudio.blogspot.com/

FB: Toccata Studio

舞动巴哈-巴洛克音乐和现代舞蹈的对话

当巴洛克音乐遇见现代舞蹈的刹那， 你脑海浮现了怎样的画面呢？

参与表演的艺术家包括青年舞蹈编舞家吴振辉及资深舞蹈编舞家 Aida Redza；音乐家陈素音，李名堂及黄楚原。巴洛克音乐的传统与规律，现代舞蹈的奔放与激情，当两者相互对谈、相互碰撞、以致相互融合，过程将是如何与众不同？期待“舞动巴哈”迸发出全新非凡的火花。

日期、时间：3 月 15 日（星期六）， 晚上 八点三十分

               3 月 16 日（星期日），中午 三点正

地点：Toccata Studio, 19 B, SS2/55, 47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

入场：最低乐捐 30 零吉

联络：016－3618504

网页：www.toccatastudio.blogspot.com

面子书：Toccata Studio

Please browse our youtube website to watch the teaser if you've missed it.

Here is the youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tafTiO5oHzQ