On two platforms
THE Borneo Jazz Festival in Sarawak will return in a hybrid format this year, promising to enthrall fans with great music while empowering the local community.
Taking place between June 24 and 26, the physical concert will take place at Coco Cabana, Miri with one-hour blocks of livestream performances happening virtually.
Sarawak Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the event will revive the state’s music scene that has been disrupted by the pandemic.
“As we all know, artistes and musicians have all been affected by the lockdowns, so Borneo Jazz festival serves as the perfect platform to rejuvenate, rediscover, rekindle and rebuild the jazz connection that was interrupted for the past two years,” he said in a statement.
Abdul Karim added that a hybrid concept was chosen based on the positive response from Borneo Jazz Virtual Experience last year.
“For the record, the Borneo Jazz Virtual Experience 2021 three-day journey garnered 244,637 online viewers from 43 countries. This year, we hope to have a wider outreach to international audiences encompassing more countries,” he said.
The Borneo Jazz festival – with its theme of Jazz In The Jungle –is one of South-east Asia’s longest-running international jazz festivals.
This year’s event will feature a spectacular mix of jazz and hiphop, tribal vibes, world beats and electro-jazz grooves.
The lineup includes acts from the United States, Hungary, Singapore, France and Malaysia, just to name a few. Sarawak Arts Council’s band Sarawak Symphony Orchestra will also be taking to the stage for the first time.
Sarawak Tourism Board chief executive officer Sharzede Datu Haji Salleh Askor hopes that the festival will give homegrown artists more exposure.
“Last year, the music festival reached a broader audience given the virtual format, and we hope to continue this traction once again this year. Our goal is to provide our Sarawakian artists with an even bigger platform for their artistry to be recognised around the world,” she said.
To commemorate this year’s festival, three Maswings ATR 72-500 aircraft will feature Sarawak Tourism’s “More to Discover” livery.
The interior of the aircraft is also painted with visuals of Sarawak’s tourist attractions such as events, food and culture and ecotourism destinations. –