Having established itself in just five years as one of Singapore's premiere music events - thanks to an eclectic, yet selective, lineup - the annual Mosaic Music Festival is now beefing up its education role by increasing interaction between international artists, local musicians and their audiences.
This year's 10-day extravaganza, running from March 13 to 22 at The Esplanade Theatres on the Bay, will feature several US musicians in residence - drummer Dave Weckl, jazz guitarist Mike Stern and jazz fusion quartet the Yellowjackets - who will conduct six workshops for general audiences and 10 master classes for semi-professional and professional musicians.
And those in attendance will undoubtedly be enriched by what their professional music teachers have to say. Modern Drummer magazine has inducted Weckl into its hall of fame, naming him 'one of the 25 best drummers of all time,' while the Yellowjackets' latest album, Lifecycle, featuring guitarist Stern, was nominated for two 2009 Grammy awards.
Jimmy Haslip, the electric bass player of the Yellowjackets, says the quartet believes education is a 'vital aspect of what we do as professional musicians'.
'Teaching inspires not just the student but also the teacher in many ways. It seems that whenever we are teaching a classroom of students, we always come away from the experience with a greater knowledge and understanding,' he says.
This is the second year the festival has artists in residence. 'Last year, we only had one, jazz vocalist Kurt Elling,' says Amy Ho, the festival's producer.