Happy Deepavali

The Royal Arts Gala, 12 November 2012

My Performing Arts Agency in collaboration with the National Department for Culture & Arts, with the support of the Ministry of Information Communication & Culture & the Performance Management Delivery Unit has recently launched an entry point project for the creative industry, part of the Economic Transformation Programme under NKEA of Communication Content & Infrastructure.

The Royal Arts Gala is positioned as an iconic arts event, an addition to Malaysia’s calendar of signature events e.g. the Royal Langkawi International Regatta, The Malaysia International Gourmet Festival & F1 Gala Dinner. This is an annual exclusive & significant arts gala to raise funds & energise collaborative partnerships for the creation & development of new arts ventures in Malaysia intended to raise the profile of the arts in Malaysia & to encourage the private sector to be supportive of the development of artistic & cultural aspects of Malaysia.

Directed by the renowned Pat Ibrahim & hosted by Harith Iskander, The Royal Arts Gala showcase Journey Through The Arts takes you on a fun & entertaining tour through the history of Malaysian performing arts, highlighting the various milestones of our country’s rich arts heritage. Bringing the showcase to life are a dazzling Malaysian cast of performers including the legendary Dato’ M. Nasir, superstar Tony Eusoff, the beautiful Suhaili Micheline, the haunting sounds of rebab player Kamarul Baisah, upcoming musical stars Stephanie Van Driesen & Nadia Aqilah, accompanied by some of Malaysia’s best dancers. The showcase will also feature West End star David Shannon, who has played leading roles in iconic musicals such as Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera & Sweeney Todd.

The Royal Arts Gala is more than just a showcase. Its main mission is to develop & foster a community of arts supporters & connect them with artists, in order to facilitate creative partnerships to help develop & fund new arts initiatives.

Proceeds will be channeled into a fund to energise arts ventures in Malaysia that may include the following:

• Promotion of Malaysian artistes/arts abroad.
• Facilitating collaborations between Malaysian & international arts practitioners.
• Research & documentation of Malaysian arts.
• Training arts managers & administrators.

As a highlight of The Royal Arts Gala's fundraising initiative, an auction will feature a unique range of items available for online bidding. Spanning from fashion to art pieces as well as performances, the items were all donated by passionate supporters of Malaysian arts. Some of the items for auction are: Painting titled Crumbling Penang by Haron Mokhtar (image on the right), water colour work titled Fishing Boats by Wong Kean Choon and performance by Dato' Seri Idris jala.

Starting this year, to commemorate the inaugural Royal Arts Gala, a special award - Pingat Jasa Kebaktian Seni Diraja will be conferred by Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Ibni Sultan Badlishah to a selected recipient. Want to know who will be conferred with such honorable award? ..... You'll have to wait until the event is over.