SYNOPSIS:

NAF Opening Show – Love Is In The Air

15 Feb, 8pm, UCC Hall

NUS Arts Festival (NAF) officially kicks off on 15 February at UCC with the opening show - Love Is In The Air, hot on the heels of Valentine's Day.

This show brings together the NUS Symphony Orchestra Ensemble and the best of local talents for festival 2008's opening show. Providing the artistic vision is Singapore's leading music arranger Iskandar Ismail. The show will feature familiar personalities from Singapore's music scene - legendary jazz maestro Jeremy Monteiro, veteran jazz and music artiste Jacintha Abisheganaden, jazz vocalist Rani Singam and Singapore Idol 2 runnerup Jonathan Leong. Also joining us this year in support of the Arts + Medicine collaboration are musically and medically talented doctors such as Drs Janice Khoo, Julian Theng, Lucy Ooi, Peter Lee and Roy Ang.

In celebration of Valentine's Day, come join us for a musical extravaganza and experience love in the air with our favourite music talents!

Rani Singam
An NUS Law graduate who switched “bars” in early 2002 to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a singer, Rani Singam has since transformed into one of the most sought-after jazz vocalists in Asia. Rani has been compared to well known jazz singers Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald, not surprising since these jazz singers are the very ones she admires. Rani has performed in many high profile corporate events, well known jazz nightspots in Singapore and featured at several jazz festivals locally and overseas. With lovely vocals and a charming stage presence, Rani will surely mesmerize her audience.

Jeremy Monteiro
Cultural Medallion recipient Jeremy Monteiro is a pianist, vocalist, composer and jazz educator who has won critical global acclaim. He has performed all over the world besides Singapore, where he has been dubbed “Singapore’s King Of Swing” by the press.
Jeremy grew up in a family that loved music. Drawn to jazz as a teenager and driven by his passion for jazz music, he spent many years playing in local clubs as well as performing in international festivals such as the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland.
Jeremy also wears many different hats. He is a Fellow of the London College of Music, a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of the Arts, Manufactures & Commerce in the UK (the RSA), a Professor & Visiting Chair of Jazz, School of Music, Faculty of Performing Arts & Integrated Studies, LASALLE College of the Arts, and a Board Member of the National Arts Council.

Jacintha Abisheganaden
Veteran jazz and musical artiste, Jacintha Abisheganaden is a household name in Singapore. An Honours graduate of NUS English Department, Ja grew up in a very musical environment and went on to win Talentime, a singing talent competition, with her trio, Vintage, when she was 18.
She began making jazz recordings in 1999 and is a jazz singer for the label Groove Note Records, USA, under which she has seven solo albums. Ja has appeared in countless performances locally and abroad. Her most recent jazz outing was at Thumper with musicians Paul Kreibich (drums), who played for Ray Charles in The Ray Charles Band, and Anthony Wilson (guitar), who also plays for Diana Krall. The band was led by Iskandar Ismail.
Let Ja’s sultry voice lull you into a state of tranquility and take you to brave new worlds.

Jonathan Leong / ArtisteNetworks
An endearing personality with a rich and soulful voice, Jonathan Leong’s charismatic and imposing stage presence is deeply entrenched in the hearts of Singaporeans. Beneath his cool composure and quiet façade lies an intense passion for music. The runnerup of the second season of Singapore Idol has established a loyal following of supporters, with his versatility and natural star quality.
An NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) and NUS Jazz Band alumnus, Jonathan started taking singing seriously when he and a few camp mates formed a band towards the end of their term in National Service.
Armed with charm, good looks and a unique voice, Jonathan is surely a rising star to watch.

Dr Roy Ang
A family physician who graduated from the University of Singapore (MBBS). Dr Ang runs a solo practice. He has never received any formal training in singing and regards himself as a bathroom singer. His “break” into singing came quite by chance when a close friend arranged for him to sing live during a fine dining soirée for friends from the medical alumni at the now defunct Maxim’s in December 1998. This led, in subsequent years, to more performances at a couple of fine wine and dine soirées organised by the Medical Alumni held at the Conrad Hotel. He has also sung at charity concerts, the most recent of which was on 7 July 2007 at the Esplanade Concert Hall, helmed by Iskandar Ismail.

Dr Lucy Ooi
A private medical general practitioner, with a special interest in aesthetics, Dr Ooi has been passionate about music since young and earned an LRSM (concert-performing, piano) at the age of 16, performing in public on several occasions. Singing was also always an interest, as she graduated from singing in school talentimes to being a member of The Philharmonic Chorus. She is married, with three children.

Dr Julian Theng
Dr Julian Theng graduated from the National University of Singapore in 1992 with the MBBS degree and went on to specialize in the field of Ophthalmology and completed his fellowship exams in Singapore and in London obtaining the MMED (Ophth) and FRCS (Edinburgh) as well as the FRCOphth (in London) postgraduate degrees.
Apart from excelling in his career, he is also an avid sportsman, music lover, and a loving husband and father of three children. As a student, Julian represented National Junior College in the string orchestra. He is a singer and has performed at numerous weddings, hospital functions, other events, and has been performing in many commercial well as church musical drama productions. He was involved with the musical production To Freedom with Love in year 2001 where he played the lead role of the famous ophthalmologist Professor Arthur Lim in his younger days. Also in 2001, he played the co-lead and acted and sang in the musical Temptations.

NUSAF