MIRI: The 13th edition of Borneo Jazz Festival is here again, with its opening show to kick off today (Friday May 11) and to go on until May 13 (Sunday) at Coco Cabana Miri.
It would be the first time that the Borneo Jazz uses Coco Cabana Miri as its venue.
This year’s event would be featuring 20 bands (international and locals), apart from introducing a new segment-‘Borneo Jazz Talent Search’.
Acting CEO of Sarawak Tourism Board (STB), Mary Wan, disclosed, that for the ‘Borneo Jazz Talent Search’, they would be three sets of auditions taking place here in Miri (March 4, April 28 and with the final audition on May 13) at the festival to determine the winners.
There are lucrative prizes are up for grabs in the talent search awaiting winners.
The champion will take home cash amounting to RM1,500, while the second runner-up gets RM1,200 and third runner-up will get cash prize of RM1,000.
Best performance (solo) and best original composition will take home RM1,000 cash each.
According to the Borneo Jazz event organiser (No Black Tie), Everlyn Hii, the main purpose of the talent search contest is to unearth new and young talent from the locals in Jazz music.
The Borneo Jazz was first staged in 2006, and was originally known as the Miri International Jazz Festival until 2011.
The event was first organised to create another international music festival in the State as well to promote Miri as a Resort city.
Last year, Borneo Jazz recorded an attendance of 4,000 people, with an estimated economic spin off amounting to RM7.8 million.
The festival was covered by local and international media which generated a media mileage of RM6 million from the 94 attending media from Singapore, Indonesia, United Kingdom, Germany, Brunei Darussalam, the Philippines, China and Penisular Malaysia.
There was an estimated crowd of 40 per cent non-Malaysians coming to the festival last year.
Tickets are priced ranging from RM104 (for Miri residents), RM54 for students, RM124 (Door sales) for May 11 show, while May 12 tickets are each priced at RM154 (for Miri residents), RM74 (students) and RM 174 for Door sales. For the May 13 tickets, they are priced each from RM74 (Miri residents), RM54 (students) and RM84 (door sales).
Meanwhile, the 2-day passes are each priced at RM224 (Miri residents), RM104(students) and RM254(Door sales).
For three-day passes, the prices range from RM254 (Miri residents), RM154 (students), and RM284 (Door sales) each.
For more details on the tickets purchase, public can log onto BorneoJazz website.
Amongst prominent local artistes to stage their performances are Dato’ Zainal Abidin, Michael Veerapan and Miri’s own Zee Avi and Peter Kallang who is famously known as ‘Prince of Borneo’.
Also present at yesterday’s brief press conference was Assistant Minister of Tourism, Arts , Culture Youth and Sports, Datuk Lee Kim Shin.
