Sabah
-
Sunset Symphony – music in a Kudat paradise
The photographs in the book were better, supplied by the Sabah Tourism Board. But Kudat manages to shine, even with what I have here. [Excerpt from: Funk, Joanna. SabahSongs: Contemporary Music in Sabah. Kota Kinabalu: Opus Publications, 2013. 44-50. Print.] The story was first published in my blog SabahSongs before the blog became a book.… Continue reading
-
The man who brought Chinese orchestra to Sabah
My friend Yap Keng Vui translated all the conversations with Teo Seng Chong, and I have so much to thank him for. Teo Seng Chong arrived in Sabah in 1986 at the invitation of Tshung Tsin Secondary School (TTSS), to bring Chinese orchestral music into Sabah. He is now Head of Music at TTSS, and… Continue reading
-
Ethnomusicology scholars pick up my book!
Ethnomusicology scholars have picked up my book SabahSongs: Contemporary Music In Sabah. 😀 The 5th symposium of the International Council of Traditional Music study group on Performing Arts Of South East Asia (PASEA) held their event in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah from 16-22 July 2018. Thank you Yap KV for showing me these lovely photos. Yap… Continue reading
-
My book seen at a public library in Sabah
My friend Yap sent me a photo of my SabahSongs book in the Penampang (Sabah, Malaysia) Public Library today. Great to see 👍. Thank you Yap! Continue reading
-
4AG – Chinese heavy metal
For Aggressive Gentlemen (4AG) is a Chinese heavy metal band. Actually it’s the only one in Kota Kinabalu. I was in Razz Ma Tazz nightclub with my husband Mike. 4AG were playing. I knew nothing about metal and it all sounded like feedback and noise to me. “Don’t be like that,” Mike (a metal fan)… Continue reading
-
The Hakka Association in Kota Kinabalu
Yap Keng Vui and Chua Chun Kiong brought me to meet curator Allen Lin at the newly-built Hakka Association building in Kota Kinabalu. “The Hakka Association has 13 districts in Sabah,” Allen said. “Penampang, Putatan, Kota Belud, Ranau, Labuan, Lahad Datu, Tawau, Sandakan, Keningau, Beaufort, Kota Kinabalu and Tenom.” At the entrance is a massive… Continue reading
-
Sabah holiday 2015. Inside the Sabah Art Gallery
My friend Yap took me to the relatively new Sabah Art Gallery. It’s an ecologically friendly building, powered by solar panels. Responsive lights turn on as you approach a painting. It’s a little freaky, but you get used to it 🙂 Continue reading
-
Sabah holiday 2015. My book in Gaya Island Resort library
My cousin Shevon WhatsApped this photo to me, taken at the library in Gaya Island Resort. Continue reading
-
Fascination and Czardas with Sophie VIDEO
Sophie Van Aerde and I has the opportunity to play together again, at Datuk Ibrahim Laiman Diki’s 60th birthday party at the Grand Ballroom in 1Borneo, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. January 2015. Continue reading
-
The Johnny Rodgers Band got my book!
The Johnny Rodgers Band musos have my book, SabahSongs: Contemporary Music in Sabah, courtesy of book sponsors the Society of Performing Arts Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (SPaRKS). So nice! Continue reading
-
My book in Times book store!
My cousin Alyssa saw my book in a Times book store window in Kota Kinabalu. I remember looking at a similar window this time last year before the book was out. I tried to imagine it sitting among other beautiful glossy books about Sabah. It seemed like a dream. Thank you Alyssa. Continue reading
-
Klasik Elastik PHOTO VIDEO
Klasik Elastik is a duo made up of Sophie Van Aerde (violin, recorder) a doctor from France, and me (piano, melodica). We play mostly classical and gypsy songs. Sophie likes to be very expressive, varying the speed of the music when she feels like it. She has taught me how to listen and follow her.… Continue reading
-
From Blog to Book
I wrote my first blog SabahSongs from 2009-12. It was about people working in the field of music in Sabah, on the island of Borneo, where I was living at the time. When I said I was moving to Australia, readers of the blog asked me to turn it into a book. Eight manic weeks… Continue reading
About Joanna
Joanna is British Australian. Her early career was in financial news in London. That ended in 2008. Joanna moved to Sabah, her parents’ birthplace, where she wrote a blog about musicians, which became a book. Joanna came to Australia in 2012 and started this blog — her second. These days, she writes mostly about music, her garden, and trips to Sabah. Oh, and Wookie the Havanese.
Post Tags
13th Street Films actor Agency 888 Australian film Beale Bob Marley tribute band Brisbane Jazz Club castings Chong Ali classical Continuance Pictures David Austin director garden Jacks jazz kangaroo KKIFF live music Melodica metal model orchestra pianist piano Queensland Music Festival rapper reggae reviews Roaring Lion Sabah SabahSongs book Scenestr Scenic Rim short film Sophie Van Aerde Sunnybank Theatre teaching The Fam Under This Sky UTS Valtozash violinist writer Yap Keng Vui