Law-Lee poses with Wilson (left) and Lewis during the launching of Rhythms of Sarawak 2018.
KUCHING: IMH Music House launched its inaugural Rhythms of Sarawak 2018 music festival at its auditorium here Wednesday night.
The month-long festival runs until Dec 17 with various workshops, courses and concerts scheduled.
“We first started with the Annual Festival of Music two years ago, but this is the first year we are holding Rhythms of Sarawak,” said IMH executive director Dr Geraldine Law-Lee at the launching ceremony.
She said the festival is a well anticipated year-end close and celebration time for writers, artistes, performers, communities, schools, societies, and others to come forward with their collected products for music, culture and arts, to be shared and made known to the world.
This platform will enable the city to be the focal point for such arts and culture and for all talents and findings to be well documented.
Law-Lee thanked everyone who has contributed towards the festival and urged all corporate and companies in Sarawak and Malaysia to contribute towards its success.
She also urged all who can participate in one way or another to be in touch to be a part of the festival for next year.
Rhythms of Sarawak 2018 was officiated by Sarawak Biodiversity Centre chairman Tan Sri Datuk Amar Wilson Baya Dandot and graced by Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) South and East Asia regional consultant Ryan Lewis.
IMH has been known to produce all the best top musicians in Sarawak, and continues to provide the platform for all such valuable activities and to educate the young and old in the field of music, languages, dance and the arts.
The evening proceeded with a performance by IMH Orchestra, guitar performance, violin duet and IMH Ethnic Ensemble led by Abdul Muthalib, which closed the evening on a high note with a celebration of the Rhythms of Sarawak.
The Rhythms of Sarawak began as a seed in June this year, sponsored by Malaysian Society for Music in Medicine (MSMM), and will continue to be supported.
It aims to be the seed for all races and cultures of Sarawak to beat as one heartbeat and in synchrony and harmony.
This festival will begin to sow seeds with the heads of music/bands/choirs of some schools in Sarawak, so that they can return to initiate its growth in the schools which can all come together at year-end to perform and beat as one.
One of the performances during the launching of Rhythms of Sarawak 2018.