In early February 2023, a group from China showed interest in working with Sabah to hold an international music festival in the state.
During a courtesy call, the Hong Kong International Musician Association to Tourism, Culture, and Environment Sabah Assistant Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai conveyed this.
Sabah Borneo International Music Festival
Its chief executive officer Jye Lee proposed that a Sabah Borneo International Music Festival that features competitions, forums, and masterclasses, among others, be staged in the Land Below the Wind.
The group had visited the Sabah International Convention Centre to assess the venue's suitability for events and had found it to have promising possibilities.
The Hong Kong International Musician Association is a professional organisation that promotes music artists worldwide. The association has a global reach and has been involved in more than 600 music events across the globe.
Jye Lee said;
“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,”.
The Sabah Tourism Board chairman said Sabah was looking into hosting more international events to attract more tourists and draw economic investment, which would benefit the state and locals.
Datuk Joniston Bangkuai said;
“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,”.
Conclusion to Sabah Borneo International Music Festival
Finally, Bangkuai added that the Sabah Tourism Board was keen to understand what the association offered and suggested that the group prepare a proposal paper.
On to when this will take place, there is no official announcement and once news is out, I will share it here.