This year, Singapore’s largest international contemporary visual arts exhibition will surprise and awe with a selection of works revolving around the theme of Wonder. With exhibits at various locations around the island, including historic buildings and outdoor public spaces, this event provides opportunities for interaction and collaboration among diverse audiences.

www.singaporebiennale.org

October 2008 marks the 24th Singapore French Film Festival. Organised by the Alliance Française de Singapour, the French Embassy and Cathay Organisation, the festival has brought the best of French cinema, art and culture to Singapore for over 2 decades. Over 20 French films make their debut screening in Singapore. From heart-wrenching dramas to romantic comedies, the organizers present a wide-genre of award-winning films set to entertain and expose Singaporeans and expatriates alike to the brilliant world of French cinema.

Come and discover an alternative cinema at the 24th Singapore French Film Festival.

http://www.alliancefrancaise.org.sg/whats.html   

The Embassy of the Republic of Poland with the support of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore Botanic Gardens and Yamaha Singapore are proud to announce the unveiling of Fryderyk Chopin’s monument in the Singapore Botanic Gardens, as a gift from the Polish people to Singapore. The official ceremony will take place on October 5, 2008 and will be graced with a concert performed by the NAFA orchestra. This cultural initiative aims to reach out to the people of Singapore through the music of the most prominent Polish composer and serves to tighten the bonds and understanding between the two countries.

www.nafa.edu.sg
www.singapore.polemb.net
www.sbg.org.sg

Discover Europe is a one day event that will provide undergraduates, junior college and polytechnic students in Singapore with the opportunity to discover the political, economic and cultural importance of the European Union and how they can capitalize on the opportunities offered by the EU for their future.

The group’s recent, winning performance at the US Harmony Sweepstakes:
Surprise National Champs of the 2008 Harmony Sweepstakes Finals, all-male German quintet Vocaldente, appearing last after very strong sets by the previous seven Regionals winners, quickly got the crowd laughing and on their feet applauding at the end. They easily won Audience Favorite, and it was no surprise when the judges awarded them first place. The title tune of this excellent CD, Cole Porter's "Let's Misbehave," was their opening number, is beautifully done here, as is Kenny Loggins' "Footloose," the group's encore performance. Other winning covers are Vanessa Carlton's "A Thousand Miles," George Michaels' "Faith," the Rat Pack favorite "Everybody Loves Somebody" (here mimicking Dean Martin's rendition of the song), Freddie Mercury's "Don't Stop Me Now," a silly faux-ukelele version of Dion's "The Wanderer," and a tongue-in-cheek spoof of Abba's deathless "Mama Mia." Vocaldente sings all these songs (with the exception of "3-Tage Bart," which is in German) in very good English, but their strength is in their innocent, non self-conscious humor, which is not at all harmed by their unexpected and charming German accents. The sweet, pure falsettos, faux horns, strings and other instruments, comic asides and samples (like one from Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" at the end of "Mama Mia") combined with their totally deadpan posing and pretending to play their faux instruments, are all, quite simply, hilarious. While we're laughing at this, we're noticing that their stuff is amazingly arranged (by group members Tobias and Oliver) and that they are top-drawer professional singers and vocal percussionists. From seeing them live, it's also clear that they are having big fun up there, and so are we. Two kinds of genius come together here, comic and musical, to award-winning effect!

www.a-cappella.org.sg
www.theartshouse.com.sg

Although living a comfortable life in Salon-de-Provence, a charming town in the South of France, Julie has been feeling depressed for a while. To please her, Philippe Abrams, a post office administrator, her husband, tries to obtain a transfer to a seaside town, on the French Rivera, at any cost. The trouble is that he is caught red-handed while trying to scam an inspector. Philippe is immediately banished to the distant unheard town of Bergues, in the far North of France. Leaving his child and wife behind, the crucified man leaves for his frightening destination, a dreadfully cold place inhabited by hard-drinking, unemployed rednecks, speaking an incomprehensible dialect called Ch'ti. Philippe soon realizes that all these ideas were nothing but prejudices and that Bergues is not synonymous with hell...

Comprising 25 choristers between the ages of 10 and 14, the Vienna Boys Choir returns to Singapore to present a programme of songs and lieder, waltzes and polkas. These celebrated ambassadors of music will undoubtedly captivate the hearts of audiences with their exquisite vocal beauty.

Don’t miss the world’s favourite children’s choir.

www.yms.org.sg

Be enchanted by the works of acclaimed German artist Hans Mendler who expresses himself in a language of colours, surfaces and lines through his paintings. Hans Mendler follows his artistic instinct with the use of colour that for him embodies both spatial and atmospheric dimensions. The act of painting then becomes one of the internalisation and self-reflection for the painter.

Mendler’s works concentrate on the use of colour, enhancing it by layering, to produce an orchestral brightness of rich creations using unconventional canvas surfaces and materials.

www.thecoffeeconnoisseur.com
www.singaporesunfestival.com

Concerto!  Concerto!  Concerto!  Isabelle Moretti (France) and Katryna Tan (Singapore) together with The Philharmonic Orchestra led by Lim Yau, opens this year’s Harp Festival with an array of Harp concertos.

For the first time in Singapore, Isabelle and Katryna will feature a double harp concerto by French composer Parish Alvars.  They will also be performing Boieldieu’s Harp Concerto in C and Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez.

www.harpfest.com

Be prepared for an exciting evening of a harp concert—jazzed up!
Be swept awayby Harp Trio (Cindy Yan-violin, Katryna Tan-harp and Natasha Junyan Liu-cello) presenting classical to finger snapping music.
Discover a new frontier of Jazz on Harp with Jakez Francois (France) and Singapore’s own Percussionist, Tama Goh and bassist, Tony Makarome…..

www.harpfest.com

Indulge in a beautiful evening of harp music with Lynne Aspnes as she brings you music from Bach, Korngold, Grandjany, Piazolla and many more….

www.harpfest.com

Wartime bandleader Betty is in a predicament. Every time the Blonde Bombshells, the most glamorous swing band in the North of England, play an American G.I. camp, they lose members! Four of her girls have gone AWOL, and with an important BBC radio engagement in the offing, Betty needs to find new musicians – and fast!

Among those who turn up to the hastily organized auditions are naïve schoolgirl Liz who plays a mean clarinet; Miranda, an upper crust saxophonist; singing nun Lily, and Patrick, a male drummer prepared to don a dress in order to avoid a drafting. With her motley line-up complete, Betty and the band prepare to dodge Hitler’s bombs and make the dangerous journey to far-flung Hull, the BBC and potential fame and fortune.

Alan Plater’s original play “The Last of The Blonde Bombshells” starred Judi Dench and won a prestigious BAFTA award. This warm and witty musical version of the play is filled with glorious, live swing band performances of 40s jazz classics.

Packed with toe-tapping classics by Fats Waller, The Andrew Sisters, Ella Fitzgerald, Glenn Miller and many more, including Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree, Goodbyee and T’aint What You Do, Until the Real Thing Comes Along – drive away the blues with this hilarious musical play!

The Independent - “Delightful, the audience went wild, knock-out concert in the second half”

The Times – “A mixture of nostalgia, can-do spirit and Forties hits … get ready to swing”

Daily Telegraph – “An absolute blast … go see and enjoy”

www.britishtheatreplayhouse.com