Cambodian Living Arts’ Heritage Hub will host the second edition of REPfest from 3-8 September 2019. The Heritage Hub is CLA’s center in Siem Reap, which has the mission to share and strengthen the living heritage of Cambodia.
REPfest is a platform that brings musicians from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Japan together, to meet, exchange and perform their artistic work both with each other and with audiences in Siem Reap. REPfest focuses on New Traditional Music – where artists build on their traditional cultural heritage to create new creative works.
During the first three days of REPfest from 3-5 September, the musicians will share their work with each other, in a series of closed exchange sessions. Over the second half of the festival, from 5-8 September, they will share and perform for the public, through workshops, discussions and concerts at three different venues in Siem Reap.
Heritage Hub Program. Aimed at bands based in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam or Japan.
Supporters:
Partners:
Technical Provider:
Festival Schedule
05 SEPTEMBER 2019
3:30-5pm at University of South-East Asia – Public Forum ‘ Women Self-expression through Music.’ Panelists: Mai Khoi, Chung Yufeng, Sang Sreypich
06 SEPTEMBER 2019
2-5pm at Sala Thoam Chas, Wat Bo – Workshop by Yaksao, The Do, Takashi Hirayasu Cloud Wandering Trio
6:30-8pm at Heritage Hub, Wat Bo – Performance Part I by Yaksao, The Do, Takashi Hirayasu Cloud Wandering Trio
8-9:30pm at Alliance Française (Rooftop) – Performance Part I by Gita Konyet, All Thidsa Molam, Laomusic Danxang
07 SEPTEMBER 2019
2-5pm at Alliance Française (Classroom) – Workshopby Gita Konyet, All Thidsa Molam, Laomusic Danxang
6:30-8pm at Heritage Hub, Wat Bo – Performanceby Yaksao, The Do, Takashi Hirayasu Cloud Wandering Trio
8-9:30pm at Alliance Française (Rooftop) – Performance by Gita Konyet, All Thidsa Molam, Laomusic Danxang
08 SEPTEMBER 2019
10:30am-12pm at University of South-East Asia – Public Forum ‘Creativity & Tradition’by all artists
2-3pm at Hard Rock Cafe Siem Reap – Workshop by Medha
6:30-7:30pm at Bambu Stage (Black Stage) – Collaboration Performanceby Yaksao & Gita Konyet, The Do & Chung Yufeng, Takashi Hirayasu Cloud Wandering Trio
8-9:30pm at Bambu Stage (White Stage) – Closing Performanceby Medha & Laomusic Danxang (Open Jam)
About the Bands
ALL THIDSA MOLAM
All Thidsa Molam is a Post Molam Band from Mahasarakham, the northeast of Thailand. The highlight of All-Thidsa band is their live performances, in which they attract, improvise, highly engage and entertain the audiences. Most of their members are now became lecturers of Molam music, in the department of traditional and Western music in Mahasarakram University.
See their performance – 06 & 07 Sep 2019, 8-9:30pm at Alliance Française (Rooftop)
Meet the artists – 07 Sep 2019, 2-5pm at Alliance Française (Classroom)
GITA KONYET
Gita Konyet is a small local social organization founded by ZET PWE [traditional theater] musicians in 2015. It has about 300 members and all of them are modern and traditional musicians. The main goal of the organization is to help each other of musician social security such as health, funeral expenses, etc.
See their performance – 06 & 07 Sep 2019, 8-9:30pm at Alliance Française (Rooftop)
Meet the artists – 07 Sep 2019, 2-5pm at Alliance Française (Classroom)
LAOMUSIC DANXANG
Laomusic Danxang was established in 2009 by Aj Khamsuane Vongthongkhamឹហោ who is the artist gold coin of Indochina. The band was fully supported by a family of prime minister Bousone Boubphavan and he invited teacher from National music and dance to teach at Laomusic Danxang. The main course of the class is Khaen, traditional music, national music, singing and dancing. They have been performed their piece national and internationally.
See their performance – 06 & 07 Sep 2019, 8-9:30pm at Alliance Française (Rooftop)
Meet the artists – 07 Sep 2019, 2-5pm at Alliance Française (Classroom)
MEDHA
Medha is Cambodia’s first all-female multi-instrumentalist troupe. In January 2017, Cambodian Living Arts commissioned a group of women in Siem Reap to create a new piece for drums, which traditionally are only played by men. The project was such a success that the group decided to continue making music together and breaking down perceptions about women in the arts, naming themselves ‘Medha’, meaning ‘the wisdom to move forward’.
See their performance – 08 Sep 2019, 7:30-9:20pm at Bambu Stage (White Stage)
Meet the artists – 08 Sep 2019, 2-3pm at Hard Rock Cafe Siem Reap
TAKASHI HIRAYASU CLOUD WANDERING TRIO
This trio consists of the musicians from Okinawa,Taiwan and Japan. Beyond different backgrounds, each stringed instruments blend beautifully.ទហេ They recorded and published the new album “Cloud Wandering” in Taiwan. In this album we can listen to great combination of Okinawan traditional music and Sanshin with great rhythm section of e-bass and drums.
See their performance – 06 & 07 Sep 2019, 6:30-7:30pm at Heritage Hub, Wat Bo
Meet the artists – 06 Sep 2019, 2-5pm at Sala Thoam Chas, Wat Bo
THE DO
The Do combines of 6 musicians, they are all members of the Seaphony ethnic orchestra which is part of the SEA Sound project. It aims to gather musicians from across south East Asia who practice and preserve ethnic music of the region in contemporary life. They research, play ethnic at Phu Sa Lab and work on several theatrical performance with ethnic music components.
See their performance – 06-07 Sep 2019, 6:30-8pm at Heritag Hub, Wat Bo
Meet the artists – 06 Sep 2019, 2-5pm at Sala Thoam Chas, Wat Bo
YAKSAO
Yaksao works to create new music from traditional music root, founded in 2017 with 7 traditional musicians from Siem Reap city. Their first music residency workshop led by professional musician Mr. Phan Chamroeun, under thementorship from a composer Chinary Ung and auspices from Cambodian Living Arts.
See their performance – 06 & 07 Sep 2019, 6:30-7:30pm at Heritage Hub, Wat Bo
Meet the artists – 06 Sep 2019, 2-5pm at Sala Thoam Chas, Wat Bo
REPfest 2017
In October 2017, the Heritage Hub staged the first REPfest, which lasted three days and brought musicians from 6 Mekong and Asian countries to Siem Reap. The musicians shared experiences and cultures through workshops, conference sessions, informal exchanges and public performances. REPfest aims to inspire those taking part to develop their music creatively and to share it with new audiences, as well as to sow the seeds for future collaborations.
We hosted an international festival dedicated to world music, drawing artists from around Asia for three days of performances, workshops and forums. From 27-29 October 2017, we hosted artists and audiences at four venues in Siem Reap, including our Heritage Hub center.
This festival brought together artists from around Cambodia and Asia, with a focus on the Greater Mekong, allowing them to share their experiences and skills, and helping to sow the seeds for future collaboration in the region. With artists from a range of styles and backgrounds, REPfest aimed to inspire those taking part to develop their music creatively, and to share it with new audiences. As well as showcases and performances, there were exchange and improvisation workshops so that the artists could learn from each other, and public workshops where artists engaged with the audience on a more personal level. We presented REPfest with support from World Culture Open (WCO) and the Mekong Cultural Hub (MCH).
The REPfest 2017 Artists
Medha (Cambodia)
An all-female drumming group from Siem Reap, Medha were formed in January 2017, when they created the piece ‘Soul of Victory Drum’. Their music explores traditional drumming, as well as their experiences of being women in Cambodia.
Kohei Nishikawa (Japan)
Kohei is an accomplished flutist, trained in both classical and traditional music. He was principal flutist of the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra, and also plays traditional bamboo flutes that accompany Japanese classical dance.
Champasak Shadow Theater (Laos)
Champasak Shadow Theater accompany a film projection about Northern Laos in the 1920s with live music and sound effects – a unique blend of archive footage, music, vocalists, and puppeteers, drawing on ancient cultural traditions from Laos.
Law Ka Nat (Myanmar)
Law Ka Nat comprises some of the most skilled traditional musicians from Myanmar’s Anyar region, all of whom lead their own groups. They creatively reinterpret ancient Myanmar music for the audiences of today
Đông Kinh Cổ Nhạc (Vietnam)
Đông Kinh Cổ Nhạc, meaning ‘The Ancient Music Group of Tonkin’, is a group of artists, traditional singers, musicians and Vietnamese culture lovers with a passion for the conservation of Vietnamese traditional music.
Yaksao (Cambodia)
The members of Yaksao each have a background in traditional Cambodian music, but came together earlier this year to create new music, based on traditional roots. They compose original music with a uniquely Cambodian feel.