TODAY

The former “Jazz Bliss” enters its 4th edition as “World Music Festival Yangon” on November 28 and 29, 2014. The festival will take place on the lawn of the French Institute. This year, the focus is being shifted away from a pure jazz event by opening up to other musical genres. The intention is again to bring international high quality ensembles of contemporary music to Yangon and to create opportunities for musical exchange with local musicians.

Organized by the French Institute and the Goethe-Institut Myanmar, this year’s partners will be the Embassies of Israel, Japan and Switzerland. On two long evenings there will be the performances of the following groups and ensembles:

–       from Tel Aviv we are expecting Ohad Hitman (piano) and Yoed Nir (cello), two of the best-known contemporary musicians in Israel bridging with their music between traditional and modern

–       Japan will be represented by  the trio of Kazuo Suzuki (sax and flute), Kenro Oshidari(bass) and Dale Lee (drum) presenting an entertaining and refreshing sound of jazz

–       the contribution from Switzerland will be the singer and guitarist Eliane Amherd with her band combining Brazilian and Latin rhythms with jazzy vocals

–       from France there will be the trio TAB composed by Alexandre Beaurain (guitar), Frédéric Becker (sax) and Frédéric Malempré (drums) who tell and depict with their music simple, but colorful stories and images

–       and finally from Berlin/Germany we expect the trio of Meike Goosmann (sax), Laya Genc (piano) and Christoph Hillmann (drums) who will perform on one evening in a fusion with the renowned Burmese Hsaing Waing Ensemble of Hein Tint and will present in the other concert the result of their 10-days workshop with the Jazz Group of the Gitameit Music School / Yangon.

The concerts will start on Friday, November 28 at 7pm, and on Saturday, November 29 at 6pm.

Free tickets will be distributed by the different partners involved in the festival and will be available for everybody online under ticket@yangon.goethe.org

On Sunday, November 30^th from 3 to 6 pm an informal exchange and an improvisation session open to everyone will be organized at the French Institute with the international artists and the Jazz teachers and students of the Gitameit Music School.

The World Music Festival 2014 promises a unique compilation of excellent contemporary ensembles and musical performances from around the globe in Yangon.