KUCHING: The inaugural Sarawak International Band and Orchestra Festival (SIBOFest) 2024 will take place for four days in Kuching, from September 17 to 20.

Sarawak Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said, the inaugural edition with the theme of 'Music, Culture and Friendship' is expected to be held at Lodge Secondary School, while the main event which is the Gala Finale Concert will be held at The Waterfront Hotel Kuching.

According to him, the festival aims to broaden access to music education by providing affordable professional workshops for music practitioners.

"More than 200 participants comprising musicians, educators and industry experts as well as 15 tutors from Malaysia, Singapore and Japan will participate in this festival to build international relationships through the music classes offered.

"This will be a high-impact event for the local and international music calendar," he said in a press conference held at Baitulmakmur, here on Monday.

Dato Sri Abdul Karim added, SIBOFest 2024 is not only for musicians, but is also open to the local community, whereby a combination of unique activities wlll also be held throughout the event with support from the Sarawak Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts (MTCP) under the Heritage, Art and Culture Facilitation Fund.

He further explained that the activities are designed to ensure that participants and visitors can enjoy the cultural richness of the Land of the Hornbills while witnessing the amazing talents from the international stage.

"Local and international musical talents will be featured including performances from At Adau, The Band Lab, as well as 60 members from Japan's leading music group, the award-winning Aikodai Meiden High School Symphonic Band.

"Therefore, SIBOFest 2024 is believed to provide significant economic benefits by attracting tourists, promoting local businesses and strengthening Sarawak's reputation as a cultural destination on the international stage,” he said.

Registration for SIBOFest 2024 is now closed, but music lovers from all over the world are still welcome to attend the Gala Finale Concert on September 20 at The Waterfront Hotel Kuching with admission tickets can be purchased online via thebandlab.com/sibofest/. -UKASnews