A taste of Southeast Asia on Wellington waterfront

MEDIA RELEASE Tuesday 16 March 2010

A taste of Southeast Asia on Wellington’s waterfront

Renowned internationally for its contemporary take on Philippine music, the Cynthia Alexander Group will entertain audiences at the Southeast Asian Night Market in Wellington on Saturday March 20.

The Southeast Asian Night Market will be held along Frank Kitts Promenade on Wellington’s waterfront from 4pm to 10pm. The event is made possible by the Wellington City Council, the Asia New Zealand Foundation and communities from the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) -- Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam.

A highlight will be the four-member Cynthia Alexander Group who will be playing a mix of standard instruments as well as ethnic Filipino instruments including tungkaling, bungkaka and Maguindanaon brass gongs to produce an East-West hybrid sonic landscape. Band leader Cynthia Alexander comes from a family of artists and musicians – daughter of poet-painter Tita Lacambra-Ayala and fictionist-painter Jose V Ayala Jr and sister of famed Philippine ethnic folk-rocker Joey Ayala. Cynthia is known for being one of the first who began the wave of independent music in the Philippines. She is a formidable producer, arranger, and songwriter with a myriad of side projects and collaborations. Other highlights of the Night Market include open-air Indonesian puppetry with gamelan orchestra, local performers, delicious Southeast Asian food stalls and colourful souvenirs.

The Southeast Asian Night Market is a family event where everyone can sample the sights, sounds and spicy aromas for one night only on Wellington’s waterfront.

ends

© Scoop Media