Putting George Town on the world stage
Inaugurated in 2010, the George Town Festival has been growing from strength to strength, writes Alan Teh Leam Seng
COMPARED to other international productions it is still considered relatively small scale but do not be deceived; the George Town Festival resonates like no other event in Malaysia. In fact, this month-long celebration of artistic talent is fast gaining a reputation as Southeast Asia’s most exciting revelry of culture, heritage and community.
Inaugurated in 2010 with a day-long festival to mark the inscription of the historical core of George Town as a Unesco World Heritage Site in the previous year, the George Town Festival has been growing from strength to strength ever since.
The marked increase in both local as well as international acts utilising the city’s heritage landscape as performance venues from Aug 4 to Sept 2 this year is proof enough of the festival’s growing allure. In reflecting this trend, organisers are expecting this year’s visitorship to beat all previous records.
Like in previous editions, this year’s formidable list of programmes are primarily designed to celebrate and preservelocal arts, culture and heritage. Visitors can look forward to a continuous stream of exciting events including major music performances, photographic and art exhibitions, creative workshops and a film festival.
Fortunate to have the second weekend of August free, I set about making a comprehensive list of selected events to attend. After some time, I realise that with so many tan ta li sing performances to choose from, the task is actually easier said than done. Nevertheless, I steel my resolve and, after countless revisions, finally succeed in my endeavour.
Right on top of my list are two local photographic exhibitions — Over Penang and Borneo People: A Photographic Journey. The former features the works of Penangite David Loh who documents the island as it tries to strike a delicate balance between progress and preservation. I have always been fascinated with Penang and this showcase at the Eastern & Oriental Hotel will be a great place to start my brief George Town Festival sojourn.
Then, it is off to Black Kettle at Lebuh Pantai to view Dennis Lau’s take on Sarawak’s native people. Through prints taken by this accomplished photographer of Chinese-Melanau descent, I am confident of getting a better insight about our fellow Malaysians from across the South China Sea.
On the evening of Aug 11, Dewan Sri Pinang hosts the combined musical genius of pianist Yaron Kohlberg, the Penang Philharmonic Orchestra and world renowned conductor Ciaran McAuley. I am definitely looking forward to a relaxing evening filled with classical melodies composed by Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann and Grieg.
The next day, I plan to spend the entire morning exploring the city’s historic quarter and take advantage of the numerous free exhibitions and installations. Among those on my list are the miniature Bonsai showcase (Lorong Toh Aka), Grit & Grace monochrome photograph exhibition (Bangunan UAB) and The Poverty Line’s candid look at life (Whiteaways Arcade).
Then I am off to a quick lunch at one of the many cafes in town taking part in the Window Shopping Project, a collaboration with local artists, before heading to the Penang House of Music at the iconic Komtar building. The venue plays host to “Reflections”, a series of performances by young Malaysian musicians.
This event is a definite must as I cannot think of a better way to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon than appreciating the music that has helped shape our society over the decades. Patriotic tunes from the 1960s like Jimmy Boyle’s Putera Puteri and Belaian Jiwa start the ball rolling and the audience is taken on a musical journey to the early 2000s. Among the notable renditions are those of Alleycats (Senandung Semalam), Sheila Majid (Sinaran), Zainal
Abidin (Hijau) and Jaclyn Victor (Gemilang).
In the evening I plan to head back once again to Dewan Sri Pinang for some Taiwanese music performed by the Hsinchu City Youth Chinese Orchestra. Founded in 2011, the members consist of outstanding performers from various music conservatories throughout Taiwan. Always performing to sell-out crowds, this orchestra devotes itself to the advancement of both traditional and contemporary Chinese music.
Like several other examples, this Taiwanese performance is a good example of how George Town Festival serves as a conduit for the active promotion of regional cultural arts. The other collaboration that I am looking forward to is a joint programme with the Singapore Tourism Board and the National Arts Council called ConneXions.
Highlighting the shared culture and strong ties between the two fellow Straits Settlements cities, ConneXions is where elements of music, art, dance, theatre and food from both Penang and Singapore share centre stage.
After going through the entire George Town Festival programme, I realise that spending just a weekend in Penang is definitely not enough to fully appreciate all that the festival has to offer.
As such, I will definitely make plans for a second visit to the Pearl of the Orient during the closing days of the festival when many other world class acts are scheduled to perform.
For those who are planning to visit Penang around this time, I suggest a visit to the official website www. georgetownfestival.com to start planning your own personalised itinerary. Make haste as this is definitely a festival that is worth making a road trip for.