Friday Performance: Week 16
24/10/08

Week 16. Sweet 16. This week we had 6 performances. To ensure  that the evening ran  smoothly without any technical difficulties,  we  had 3 sound engineers ;  Lexicorn, Bhanu Dhono and Chunny Lau, assisted by the stage manager,  Khoo, whilst the crew were Infai Mae and Feri Lau. For lighting we had Yong Wai Kuan on the controls.

Crowd turn out was not as full as it usually is as most of our musicians were  performing  at the KL Foundation Charity Dinner Event.
However that didn't dampen our spirits as we started the night with Emcee Leong with  a  massive amount of enthusiasm. 

Rocking the night away was our first performer on the guitar playing 'Forsaken', Mark s/o Vijiam. The band did a very good job in portraying a solid rock song with sentimental emotions on the keyboards.  Having a different groove to the song and a lovely tone, the crowd applauded Mark for his good effort.

Up next was  Sook Yee on the piano. Our dear friend took it up a notch with the song 'Mermaid Samba'. We had traingles tinkling, keyboards brassing and  Sook Yee delivered a  very melodious piano solo, creating an atmosphere of one swimming underwater.

Keeping the same samba mood was Chook Shin Nee with a cute Rondo entitled : 'Rondo of The London Bridge'. Her lines on the piano was very impressive and the arrangement was lively and cheerful. For a quiet person, Chin Shin Nee really surprised Judge Farid Yahya for standing out so well.

So that was the end of the Sambas.
After that came Gan Chin Foong doing a canto-pop song by Jay Chou, "Piano Solo". Touching as it was , our judges didn't cry but its soft mood was soothing and relaxing as it was being played in the Recital Hall. The crowd loved it. Shouts of praises were heard as Master Gan ended his song.

Next we had jazzist  Mohammed Houssein Nouraini with the jazz song 'Night and Day' by Cole Porter. It was  a duet played by guitarist Houssein and pianist Simon Wong. Co-ordination between the guitarist and pianist had so much chemistry that Judge Farid Yahya just had to go up on  stage and play the walking bass on the piano. Such motifs, such creativity, being impromptu is always fun.

Ikhsan Perdana then came next. He delivered  a J-Pop song entitled 'XGroove' on the keyboards. 'Bling bling' went the lights as XGroove was played. Musicanship was at its peak as everyone on stage knew what they were doing and grooved to the song. Ikhsan Perdana's groove in experimental music was exceptional and has become his strong signature here at ICOM. Being such a great performance, he had the crowd  screaming for an encore.

And since the crowd wasn't satisfied yet, Judge Kai Ern was sent to the stage to perform an old ragtime piece.

And on that note, the evening ended splendidly with the last chord!.
Have fun all, see you again next week for the next Friday Performance.

Oh, and many hearty congratulations to Judge Kai Ern for finally being confident in commenting on stage. Peace Out.

Written By :Joanna Gough

 

 

Friday Performance: Week 15
17/10/08


It’s Week 15 already and the Friday performances are still going  strong. A whopping amount of 10 student performances and 2 guest performances were staged. Gratitude goes  out to all who  helped make the night a success. Firstly, emcee Rowen S.Nirmal who amused  the audience  with his jokes, sound engineer Prakhar Sood, stage manager Joe Tan, Benjamin on recording, Rachel Lee doing lights and last but not least , the stage crew, Li Shuen and Kok Wai Leong. The night would not  have been as smooth without them.


Rowen started the show off by welcoming  the first performer on stage ; Silas Khor.
Silas hit the evening  off with an instrumental piece, the theme song from the movie ‘DeerHunter’ .  The piece was beautifully led by violinist Rohnie Tan, accompanied by Silas on keyboards, whose steady running notes filled the song with grace.

Our second performer after that approached the stage in a more traditional manner. David Ling, our one and only clarinet player melodiously played the piece ‘Contradanza’.  David Ling managed to turn this Classical Baroque piece into a stunning Jazz Latin fusion piece. This led to wonderful praise by Judge Farid Yahya.

‘Lil Bumpin’ was up next.  This song was performed by Richard Wilbert Suzuki on the electric guitar. Richard seemed relaxed the whole time while playing with a nice clean tone. This too impressed Judge Farid Yahya

After that, Noh Wongki came up to the stage to show us the beauty of love with the song, ‘Beautiful Love’.  A truly emotional jazz standard by Victor Young, Wongki played the piece well and managed to even insert lines from The Pink Panther into the song. ‘Beautiful Love’ went on a love cruise and in the end.... shimmered away.

The next performer ,Carin Ng, went pop and performed the song ‘1234567’  a chinese popsong originally by F.I.R. Amazing effort by  Carin who played the solo parts with one hand. She also co-ordinated the piece brilliantly with bright coloured clothings  and 7 back up musicians.  One of the most entertaining performances of the evening.

If you love Disney movies, the next performance would  just blow you away with the theme song from  Beauty and the Beast. Chan Wai Ying performed this on the piano and captivated the audience's attention. Many people were singing along to the song as it was led by vocalists Najwa Mahiaddin and Cheryl Boncimino who brought the song to an amazing level.

Hoong Sheng Guo , delivered a  self-composed  performance entitled ‘Happy Day’, a   jazz swing number  which was very much applauded to later.

Moving on to performance number eight,  we had Adrian Yew bin Erman's performance of ‘ Good Love is On the Way’, originally by John Mayer. A bluesy-rock performance, Adrian played the guitar well but the song wasn't complete as the singer was inappropriate for the song.

Next, the relaxing beats of Bossa seeped into the Recital Hall with Simon Wong’s renditionof  ‘Blue Bossa’.  Simon showed great effort when he mixed the genres of blues, classical, samba, bossa and rock all together. Being his first semester at ICOM, he has shown that he has a bright future ahead of him.

For the final performance, we had congas and triangles used in Hanna Mazlan's performance. Hanna played the song ‘Pavane’, originally composed by Gabriel Faure.  Judge Farid Yahya commented  that this was the cleanest performance of the day.

However the evening did not just end there. We had two guest performances.

The first one was by Abbas Bigdelli. This is a man who plays with strong expressions and emotions.  Abbas pulled off a deep and soulful ‘Pandora the mirage’. His body movements were superb as he leaned over to play the last note.

Monkey Business was a hit! This was the second guest performance and  had Stephanie Tham on the piano, David Ling on the saxophone, Yehuda on the guitar, Koh Keng Hui on bass and Marcellino Adithya Nugraha on the drums. It was an awesome performance. Al portrayed magnificent musicianship on stage.

The evening ended with applause to Monkey Business. It was definitely a performance not to forget.

That then, is the end of another Friday Performance here at the International College of Music. Till next Friday. Have a great weekend now.

Written By :Joanna Gough

Friday Performance: Week 12
26/09/08

Friday performances at ICOM have always been exciting to say the least, giving students the opportunity to collaborate and come up with interesting ideas.
This week was no exception as we had an eclectic blend of styles coming through.

The crew for the evening comprised of Chun, Lex, Alex and Prakhar Sood from India, who was the main man behind the console. The judging panel comprised of Frank and Freddie as usual, with Khai Ern.

The first performer to start off the evening was first semester student, Peyman, on the piano, playing the be-bop tune ‘Scrapple from the Apple’ which is a well known standard played originally by Charlie Parker. His band supported him ably with Julie on vocals singing the melody in unison. The band seemed well rehearsed and it showed.

Another first semester student, Parham, was next on stage. He played the guitar and to my surprise, sang too. He did a good job in performing a Pink Floyd track, which in its simplicity can also be pretty challenging.

Phuan Sun Aun too played an impressive piece by well- acclaimed pianist Maxim Mrvica, ‘Lola's theme’,  was turned from its classical elegance to contemporary pop. For a 1st semester student the re-arranged piece was done well.

Leading us more into the evening was Mario Gan. For a  guitarist who has been playing only for a short period of time, he did a pretty decent job. However, his performance was affected by him reading off a sheet. Memorizing the piece would serve him in good stead as he will be able to focus on the finer details.

Next up was Loh Ui Li who played a ‘Prelude’, which was technically challenging and required a fair level of musicianship to execute. She showcased her skills really well and we hope she continues to push the envelope.

Balqis on the piano was the 6th performer for the evening. She performed the song ‘ I’ll be Waiting’ by Lenny Kravitz. It was an interesting choice for a pianist to make since it didn’t really showcase her as a player. She played well but the judges who know her capabilities asked her to pick better songs that will feature her as the main performer.

Abbas Bigdeli was up next on the bass guitar. He performed the classic Mr.Big song
‘Green Tinted Sixties Mind’. The band supported him well and he managed to put up a decent performance. It was interesting, since he is known to many as a guitar player.

Last but definitely not the least was Khairul Nizam on guitars.This was perhaps the most entertaining performance of the evening. It was not just the music but the overall personality that came through which fit the music really well. It would be very interesting to see him play different styles in the future.

That brought an end to yet another exciting week at ICOM. Here’s wishing everyone a good Raya break!

Written By :Jared Tasho

Friday Performance: Week 11
19/09/08

Last week was interesting, with performances from new students that was fresh and full of energy. But first I would like to give credit to the crew who made the evening happen. They are Joe Tan, Lau Shir Li, Michelle, Lee, Chun, our host Wai Leong and also our judges Khai Ern and Farid Yahya.

The first performer was Kee Poh Hock. He played a massive metal song called ‘Waking the Demon’, which was full of energy, speed and angst. The performance featured CAP student, Aiman as a vocalist doing growls ,with Kee and Bhanu as backup vocalists. Jimmy and Farouk were the backbone of the song, showing good tone and precision. A great song to start off the performance!

Next was Farid Sabbagh, playing a Russian  classical piece in the style of neo-classical rock. It featured fast notes and sweeps but however, one must  never forget to make sure every note is clean and clear. A good tip is to always practice without any guitar effects and get the tone out clean first.

Koay Vern Hans was the next performer. Besides having a pretty interesting name, his vocals has a lot of potential. He performed a Chinese pop ballad song and his vocals carried the song decently. However, always remember to highlight your major instrument along side with your other talent too.

Fourth to come on stage was Muhammad Anugrah. He played a real tight fusion song called ‘Outraged’. He displayed great technique and feel and also had some pretty ‘outside’ lines which worked well with how the solo was developed. On the other hand, the tone of the guitar was a bit too muddy, so always remember  to readjust your amp settings when you perform.

Biswarup, a student from India did an interesting song which blended hard rock and swing. He really got the crowd going, showing off his licks and lines. The musical combination was definitely something new to me and I really enjoyed it. A note to all of you; never be afraid to try new styles and ideas.

Jeannie Wong was up next doing a re-arrangement of ‘Love Song’ (Sara Bareilles). It was good to see someone of a classical background in music trying out new things. Her playing was consistent and had a lot of energy and also featured an added solo which brought a change of pace. It was a fun performance.

Next person to take the stage was Shuqeera Safinaz doing ‘A Thousand Miles’. As we all know, the song is cute and energetic. She also added a solo to the piece which gave the song a slight twist to it. Rhythmic songs like this require careful precision with timing. So, always be on the look-out for each others’ playing.

Our last performer and also winner of the week was Irma Seleman. She performed ‘Declaration of Love’ and it was well delivered, with lots of expression and energy. The song had a lot of kicks and featured 2 backup vocalists which supported her well.  Irma did a great show and really got the crowd going during the performance. Relating to the crowd and stirring them up with what you do on stage is what performance is all about. A job well done and congratulations!

It was a great week with bright new talents  of the new semester. Keep ‘em coming guys, and keep up the good work. Catch you later this week.

Written By :Silas Low

 

Friday Performance: Week 9
05/09/08

Week 9 of Friday performance is always a little tough on the performers since it is also an important exam week. However, the performers certainly put in their best effort and did not disappoint.

Our MC for the evening was our well known senior Edwin Saw and we had Freddie and Frank on the judging panel as usual.

The first performer for the evening was Fatiah. She sang the ballad ‘Stand up for Love’ and was well appreciated by the audience. The judges also applauded the effort and  found her tone to be good. They advised her to look out for some pitch problems, which is always a challenge for singers when they perform live.

Next up was another 1st semester student Nina. She was on the piano performing a song from the popular rock band Nickelback.The song was decently executed and the band sounded good. The judges thought that her playing was fair and gave her some valuable tips on playing with the band. They also suggested that she explore her capabilities by learning different styles.

Our 3rd performer for the evening was Imran on guitars. He attempted a Fuel track which was something new. The band consisted of mainly 1st semester students apart from Feri on bass who has been playing for quite a number of people. The judges suggested that Imran should get a better tone when he plays the next time and switch tones during solos that would help bring the focus to his lines.

Grace, another 1st semester student was up next on the piano. She played a Korean pop song ‘I Believe’ with a band that gelled together well. The judges felt she was proficient and praised her effort in playing something different than what she would normally play as classically trained pianists usually find it a little difficult to switch to contemporary styles.

The last performer for the evening was 4th semester BTP student Adria Jerusha who
covered a track from the Indonesian artist Barry Likumahuwa.  The band was extremely good and tight while the melody was being played. The judges too commented on the tightness of the band and appreciated the performance. They also asked her to improve on her technical skills and vocabulary as PI-4 (private instruction) is known to be very demanding on students.

Written byJared Tasho

 

Friday Performance: Week8
29/08/08

This week saw the performances of first semester students which is always quite an experience, getting to know our new peers’ styles. But first and foremost, I would like to mention the crew on that day were Silas Khor and Lau Shir Li on the console, Prakar as recording engineer, Lee as lighting engineer, Bhanu, Jasmine, Lex and Khoo as stage crew, Chun manning the camera and Rowan as MC.

Amirul Khalis was the first performer for the day, playing a Malay rock song. It was good to see a backup vocalists section and they were put to good use with an a-capella section with multiple vocal harmonies. On the other hand, as performers, we must always remember to relate to the crowd and be active on stage, which always creates  a positive effect.

Next up was a ‘not-so-junior’ drummer and winner of the week, Omar Ibrahim, playing a rock song, showing off his expertise and keeping a steady and solid groove for the song.  There is something important for mobile performers (guitarist, vocalist… etc) to note, which is to always allow the main performer to shine and be seen, as he should be the featured performer.

Third to perform was Mohamad Nazamir performing a song called ‘Midnight’.  It was a funky song with a lot of kicks which brought the song to life. Irmawati did a great job as vocalist for this song, being very lively and powerful. However, some parts with held chords could have been brought to life by some lines to fill in the spaces, which actually gives room for the performer to shine more too.

The second last performer was Kok Wai Leong, performing ‘Hard Rain’. It was an acoustic guitar solo featuring some elaborate harmonies and the guitar’s body as a percussion instrument. It was an interesting show but the parts needed to link and transition better and also could have been accompanied with more attitude. Especially so for solo performers, he/she is the only focus on stage so have strong stage presence is very  important as no one else can be stirring the crowd for you.

Joanna Gough is a young songwriting talent who was the final performer for the week. She played a classical piece solo on the piano.  The performance was delivered quite effectively, with good tonal control and dynamic expression. Although it was a great performance, I believe more strength could have been put into it to further emphasize the louder parts and to get a better  tone during those parts.

It was a great sight to see our new talents of ICOM taking to the stage. We hope to see more performances by them.  Catch you all next week !

Written by Silas Low

 

Friday Performance: Week 7
22/08/08

The past week saw some of the college’s veteran players at work. It was a good show , showcasing some senior students’ composition abilities. Our host for the day was Khalis. Wei Key, Shir Li, Lee, Lex, Bhanu and Joe were our technical crew for the day. Also, our judges were Farid Yahya and Frank Ong, with a little guest input from Eric Li.

Jimmy Chong was the first person to perform on stage. He performed a heavy rock piece called ‘Damage’, accompanied by ICOM rock veterans Steven Tan and Bhanu. Jimmy did a good job laying down some double pedal lines through the riffs. The song carried so much energy that a bunch of the audience were  jumping around the stage towards the end of the song. That was an amusing and great sight!

Next to perform was Hiroaki Maekawa. He did an original composition, playing solo on his bass. Hiro who is known for his solos,  didn’t fail to deliver this time. What’s more, he used a fretless bass, which made it even more intense, producing a good balanced tone and great play with harmonics. One must always remember that the type of tone used for solos is very different from the type used for band situations because as a soloist, the performer must cover a broader spectrum of frequencies.

Third performer was Lo Shi Seng who also soloed with a semi-hollow electric guitar. He played an original piece, elaborated by finger picking and a soothing melody which was really relaxing. However, as the judges noted, performers must never neglect the audience in which they are entertaining. Audience relations play a big role in making your audience feel your performance expressions.
               

Wendy Chong was next to take the stage with an original pop ballad. The song had a lot of energy and had a lot of good harmony elements. I personally liked the octaved lines which is always  a good technique for use in pop ballads. But then again, the song’s melody could have really shined if it was a vocalist carrying the melody.

Second last was Yasyka, who performed ‘Journey’, a slow dance themed song. The song really had a different feel from the other performances. It had a new-age kind of tonality to it, with a soothing, catchy and light hearted motive to it.

The final official performer, for the evening was Cheryl Boncimino. Her accompaniment was a string section consisting of 2 violins, a cello, and an acoustic guitar. As expected from this veteran singer, she had good expressions and voice/microphone control. But I also believe having a keyboard pad synth behind everything would have done some good to fill up the gaps.

There was a guest performance done by Joanna Gough, singing and playing the piano to the popular tune, ‘All I Have To Do’. It’s good to see new students performing as guest performers, getting some exposure. It is a good way to overcome stage fright and gain some confidence on stage. Just like Soon Aun did it, I hope more students that have stage fright make the effort to overcome their weakness here at the Friday performances.

Gear up and get ready for  next week’s performance. Hope to see all of you there!

 

Friday Performance: Week 6
15/08/08

Last Friday’s performance was interesting  as each performer was very different in terms of the genre, musicianship and approach.

We had Prakhar Sood on the console who did a commendable job and as usual we had Frank on the judging panel, all by himself this time.

First up we had Jared Tasho who played the Mike Stern tune ‘Chromazone’. The song started off smoothly with a fast groove. He had a  saxophone player playing in unison with his guitar lines which was new territory for him and the coordination between the two was commendable. As the song progressed, he chose to improvise and came up with very nice phrase in the middle section of the song. It was very well appreciated by the audience and added true entertainment value to the song. However towards the endof the song, the band had trouble perfecting the obscure fills of the drummer but were able to pull it off at the last moment.

Our 2nd Performer for the evening was Nick Hogan, who attempted to sing and play guitar for the first time. He chose to perform ‘Stop this train’by John Mayer.It was a very good effort on his part and we would love to see him grow in his new avatar.

Next up was Khai-Meng, a talented musician on bass.It was a surprise for some as he played the piano for his last performance. Nevertheless , he came up with a good performance playing a Japanese pop song.

Muhammad Husni was the 4th performer who played a Marty Friedman track. He had a nice tone and played with good taste. However, some of his technical skills let him down but he pulled it off in the end. A good effort  on his part.

Last but not the least was Rohnie Tan, He played the violin accompanied by only an acoustic guitar and came up with the best performance of the evening. He had great tone and played some nice lines which got the crowd into the act.

It was no surprise when Rohnie Tan was declared the winner of Week 6. We hope to see better and  more entertaining performances from him in the near future.

Review written by Jared Tasho and Shamoon Khatri

Friday Performance: Week 5
08/08/08

Week 5 was yet another exciting week which showcased some of our talented students. Our MC for the evening was Edwin Saw and as usual we had Freddie and Frank on the judging panel. The production crew for the evening was Shirley on the console, helping her out were Lex, Lee, Aiman and Yan. Photographs for the evening were taken by Chun.

First up was Joel on guitars who played an Indonesian pop song. It was a slow number and he managed to capture the feel pretty well. The judges liked the overall sound and balance of the band and praised the arrangement. The judges also praised the singer Irma, who was performing for the first time in ICOM.

Our second performer for the evening was second semester student Rui Chi on guitars who played the classic ‘Afirmation’ popularised by George Benson. This was a surprise for many because Rui Chi is known more for his rock guitar skills than mellow jazz. The judges liked his performance but asked him to work on his stage presence for his future performances.
Next up was Dean on guitars again who put up a very good performance. The band sounded really good with David, NK and Shanthopila on saxophone and keyboards respectively. The judges really liked his performance and we expect even better performances from him in the near future.

Our last and final performer for the evening was Shan on keyboards. She played the Van Halen classic ‘jump’. The band showed great energy and the highlight of the evening was our MC Edwin singing and jumping around the hall which got some great response from the crowd. Freddie said that the practice she had put in had really paid off and Frank liked the performance too. That brought an end to week 5. Hope to see everyone next week!

Written by Biswarup Chattopadhyay

 

Friday Performance: Week 4
01/08/08

Last Friday saw only 3 performances but that did not make it any less exciting as we had  ICOM’s cream of crop performers. The judges were as per the previous week, Farid Yahya and Khai Ern.  Manning the board from the console was Lee and his crew

The very first performer opened the show with a big BANG, performing a rock song titled ‘Circle’. Marcel had great stage performance and was energetic as always, making the crowd really excited. In his band was alumni Steven Tan lending his powerful vocals as frontman. It was a real powerful performance to witness!

Second to perform was Ovira. She performed an energetic and fun song called ‘I Am A Dreamer’ from the anime Cardcaptor Sakura. It was very happy, lively and  technically challenging, with  many sections and little musical elements flying around. But even with all those interesting nuances, never forget to let yourself shine through as the main performer.

The last act was Najwa. She performed ‘At Last’ and won the week. Her setup was real simple with only herself and Clara Dovinka as her pianist. The small setup not only put more focus on her, but also allowed her to shine throughout the performance. Sometimes, one might want to consider that less can be more. A good lesson learned here.

I hope to see more participating performers next week, so get yourself prepared and see you all next week!

Written by Silas Low Eng Hin

 

Friday Performance: Week 3
25/7/08

Week 3 of college saw a great line up of performers ready to show off their stuff at the weekly Friday performance. Our judges were Chai Khai Ern (a new lecturer in the college who is alumni) and Farid Yahya. Behind –the- scenes and at the other end of the hall was me, Lee, Khoo, Michelle and Aiman.

The first performer was Charissa Tay performing a rearrangement of a jazz standard, ‘Summertime’. It was delivered in a very blues-y style with David Ling on saxophone. This performance also had Friday performance veteran Marcel on drums, supporting the song with elaborate drum parts. The piece was well arranged and really brought a new flavor to it.

Renee Lau was the next performer on stage. She covered ‘I Turn To You’ by Christina Aguilera in a piano and vocal style. It was good to see Cheryl on stage as she is such a natural performer. This performance also saw the debut of 2 first semester students as backup vocalists. It’s wonderful to see our new talents getting active from the very beginning! But aside from all the nice dresses and fancy looks, one must not forget the importance of stage presence and presentation. Great singing may move the crowd to a certain extent but what really makes it a great performance is the expressiveness of the performers.

The next performer was Alexander Thanos who played a rearrangement of Cissy Strut. The performance was groovy, seeing the re-appearance of veteran drummer Joshua Maran. It was a fusion song with a constant trippy, rhythmic pattern going throughout which was a good change from typical straight- ahead fusion pieces. Alex delivered his solo well and tastefully.

The fourth to perform was Ian Charlie playing a song called ‘Layang-Layang’. The song was in a latin jazz style that had a lot of sections and also featured Wei Chun on percussions. This performance by Ian showed a big change in selection of musical genre (compared to the previous semester), which is a good sign that he is expanding his horizons musically.

The final performer and winner of the week was Yehuda Manusama. A song called ‘Mi Angelita’ was performed. Yehuda didn’t fail to impress us with his performance which was delivered with lots of evergy and goove. His playing was very mature and did well in all aspects ,such as toggling and improvisation. He even added quite a lot of rock guitar elements into his improvisations which is new, coming out of him.

Congratulations to Yehuda for winning this week’s Friday performance! I hope all of you stay tuned for next week!

Written by Silas Low Eng Hin

 

Friday Performance: Week 2
18/07/08

It was a great start to the new semester as ICOM students kicked off the 16-week Friday performances with a blast , following Fritz Renold's clinic. Fritz sat in as our guest judge, along with Frank Ong and Freddie. The first performance was led by Clara Dovinka on piano. Clara performed a track entitled 'Say What', which started off quietly then built up to a rousing finish. Clara delivered a great performance, the best she has done so far, according to the judges. A word of advice was to always maintain control and come across strongly as band leader. Sukma Raya ( Uma ) took to the stage after Clara, with an R&B tune, ' Sweet Thing', backed by 3 vocalists. Najua gave a brilliant performance, with vocals reminiscent of a soul diva ; full of heartfelt passion and soul. The judges commented on the smooth vocabulary and gave the performance an overall thumbs up. Next on bass was Laura Lim with a track entitled ' Ctrl+Alt+Del'. This was by far the most entertaining performance with Laura living it up with Alex on guitar. Dynamics of the band was strong, as seen in the interaction between Laura and the rest of her band mates. The judges however commented that although it was an entertaining performance, they tried integrating a lot of styles and did not get on top of the style, hence making the performance rather draggy. The next performance was Stephanie Tham on piano. This up -and -coming jazz pianist/keyboardist delivered a track entitled ' Spain'. Judges' comments was to keep the band under control as the drummer did not sync with the pianist. Overall, this talented young lady gave a good performance. The final performance was by Nelson Leong on bass. Nelson impressed the judges with the track 'Giant Steps', which was considered a brave attempt that displayed his creativity. Advice to Nelson was to keep an open mind and continue moving in the right direction. This was followed by special guest performers, Benjamin Renold on drums and Sharon Renold on bass. Young Sharon rocked the stage with a rendition of Sly and the Family Stone's ' If You Want Me to Stay'. At only 11, Sharon definitely is one young and rising star to look out for. Older sister Lydia then joined them on guitar, belting out an Irish folk tune. To end the amazing evening, the students returned to stage to perform ' My Funny Valentine', with Nelson on bass, Stephanie on piano, Silus on drums, Alex on guitar and Cheryl on vocals. Kudos to all who gave such a great performance! With such a great start to the 16-week Friday performances, here's looking forward to the upcoming Fridays!