KOTA KINABALU: The Hong Kong International Musician Association expressed keenness to hold a music symposium in Sabah.
Its chief executive officer Jye Lee mulled the idea to hold a Sabah Borneo International Music Festival that features competitions, forums and masterclasses, among others.
Jye told this to Assistant Tourism, Culture, and Environment Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai during a courtesy call on Feb 10 at Sabah Tourism Board.
Jye and his entourage also inspected the Sabah International Convention Centre and they were impressed to see its facilities, which met their expectation.
The Hong Kong International Musician Association is a professional organisation that promote music art worldwide.
The association has a global reach and has been involved in more than 600 music events across the globe.
“We aim to offer an international stage for all the musicians, and we believe the Sabah Borneo International Music Festival could potentially attract about 10,000 participants, including family members,” he said.
Joniston said Sabah is looking into hosting more international events in the hope of attracting more tourists and attracting economic investment, both of which would be to the benefit of the state and locals.
“This is an excellent idea because we want to host a homegrown event. I can see the possibility of working together, and given the association’s global connections and performances, Sabah can take advantage of this network.
“It’s high time Sabah had its very own music festival, and I’m confident we can entice musicians to visit, discover, and draw inspiration from our state’s rich culture and landscape,” he said.
Joniston added the Sabah Tourism Board is keen to understand what the association has to offer and suggested that the group prepare a proposal paper.
