Can you actually see what you hear?

Yes, according to Festival Director of the Singapore Arts Festival 2007, Ms Goh Chin Lee. “Music you can see,” was her summary of what can be expected from this year’s month-long event starting from May 25 to Jun 24.

At a press conference at Raffles City Convention Centre on Apr 10, she added that the performances this year will be unlike any other, with the lines separating the different art forms, namely, dance, music and theatre, becoming increasingly indistinguishable.

Expect a musical line-up of 9 performance groups from local artistes as well as collaborations with international composers and artistes from Germany, UK, USA, Iraq and Italy, with offerings that cross musical genres.

Top 3 musical performance picks:

Optical Identity is one such example, teaming up award-winning Scottish performing arts company Theatre Cryptic and home-grown classical music string quartet, the T’ang Quartet. With the artistic direction coming from Cathie Boyd from the former, who will be directing the overall performance and the visual elements, along with the musical talents of T’ang Quartet, who have stamped their mark internationally after winning multiple awards such as the Bartok prize in Austria, the show is sure to be a multi-sensory experience.

Date: May 31 – Jun 2, 8pm
Venue: Drama Centre Theatre
Ticket prices: $20, $30, $40 and $60

Taraf De Haïdouks is a group of 12 traditional gypsy musicians who will introduce listeners to medieval ballads and Turkish-influenced dance tunes. After releasing 6 albums spanning over a period of 15 years, they are the most famous Romanian gypsy orchestra in the world. They have also starred alongside Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci and Cate Blanchett, in Sally Potter’s 2001 film, The Man Who Cried, which was aired in the US, UK, Australia and France.

The group uses an interesting mix of instruments, including wild fiddles, cymbaloms and accordians to create a unique sound. If you need some exotic music to reinvigorate your jaded music palate, these talented musicians are sure to bring forth some interesting melodies.

Date: Jun 21 – 22, 8pm
Venue: Jubilee Hall
Ticket prices: $20, $30, $40, $60

PLAY! A Video Game Symphony (USA/ Singapore) is a performance by the Singapore Festival Orchestra under the baton of Grammy Award-winning artiste Arnie Roth, who is famed for his work with artistes including Diana Ross and Charlotte Church. Possibly the first performance which is made up of a world-class choir and orchestra to feature music from blockbuster video games including World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy, it’s no wonder their showcases in Europe and America were sold-out successes. According to The Singapore Arts Festival website, accompanying the musical performance will be a large screen suspended above the orchestra that will feature some of the most memorable digital graphic moments from popular video games. This promises to keep those who need visual stimulation happy.

Date: Jun 15 – 16, 7:30pm
Venue: Esplanade Concert Hall
Ticket prices: $20, $30, $40, $60 and $70

If music is seeing, and seeing is believing, be sure to grab your tickets for some of the most ear-licious as well as eye-satisfying musical performances in this year’s Singapore Arts Festival.

All photos courtesy of Jason Michael Paul Productions except the Optical Identity photo which is courtesy of Watson Lau.