SOTA Malay Fusion Ensemble

Synopsis

Led by composer-performer Syafiqah ‘Adha, the School of the Arts (SOTA) Malay Fusion Ensemble was established in 2017 to complement the school’s chamber music curriculum. The ensemble comprises of SOTA music students from Year 2 onwards, who are themselves active performers on the piano, harp, and guitar, and other instruments.

The ensemble’s mission is to engage students in the fundamentals of urban-based Malay folk music, while also encouraging creative exploration that challenges traditional practices and pushes boundaries in a respectful manner. The ensemble performs annually for its chamber music showcase in SOTA.

Urban-based Malay folk music is usually associated with traditional Malay dance style and rhythms such as asli, inang, joget and zapin. Experience traditional Malay music with new ears as the SOTA Malay Fusion Ensemble goes beyond boundaries to present you several Malay tunes with unique instrumentation and experimental music arrangements. Listen to classical Western instruments such as the piano and harp blend into the idioms of traditional Malay music, alongside the rebana, accordion and guitar. In this performance, the ensemble will also feature their own creative compositions based on selected traditional dance rhythms forementioned above.