Small Island Big Song LIVE
Our Island tour 2022/23/24
2022 JAN to APR USA 24 performing arts centers
2022 MAY Italy 2022 Capital of Culture
2022 DEC Taiwan 4 performing arts centers
2023 MAR Australia 2023 WOMADelaide
2023 APR Taiwan 2023 TIFA at National Concert Hall
2023 AUG South Korea 2023 ACC world music festival
2023 NOV UAE The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi & COP28 Dubai
2024 FEB to APR USA 18 performing arts centers
Framed in a theatrical narrative amongst panoramic visuals of the artist’s homelands, the audience experiences a musical journey across the breadth and into the soul of island nations of Asia Pacific and Indian Ocean, meeting an ancient seafaring ancestry and confronting the impacts of climate change head on, as the performers and youth ambassadors share their island's voice supported through the cinematic sequences.
Drawing on a roster of respected first nation artists, the concert features musicians performing irresistible oceanic grooves to soulful island ballads engaging audiences from huge festival stages to intimate theatres. Combining music, spoken word and live cinema with AV projections featuring footage collected during a 3-year film trip across 16 countries guided by the artists on their homelands.
Moving beyond the concert experience, Small Island Big Song offers a variety of opportunities for students and audiences to investigate the environmental, political, social and cultural contexts on our oceans’ islands.
Photos from our performances at TIFA 2023 at National Concert Hall Taiwan, 2023 WOMADelaide festival Australia, and our USA tour 2022 inc' Bing Concert Hall/ Stanford Univ', Symphony Space/ Broadway, Randolph W. Bromery Center/ UMASS, Penn State P.A.C./ Penn State Univ. & Scottsdale Center for the Arts. Taken by Gelée Lai, Tony Tsai, Samra Teague, and Kimmi Cranes.
PERFORMANCES
- Full concert 90 min' with intermission -
- Matinee show 60 min' no intermission -
- Artists' solo performances -
PRE-TOUR ENGAGEMENT
- Film screening + Virtual Q&A -
Small Island Big Song - An Oceanic Songline
IN-PERSON OUTREACH PROGRAM
- Panel, Multi-media Lecture & Demonstration -
History from an Indigenous Perspective
Climate Crisis - Our Response As Artists
Indigenous Women Making Traditional Culture Relevant
The Genesis of Small Island Big Song
- Workshop -
Dance workshop / party
Trash to Music workshop
- Community Engagement -
Land acknowledgement
Food sharing
A walk with SIBS in nature
Inviting local guest musicians
Youth voice for local environmental issues
Toured to 18 countries across four continents, 200K+ audiences have seen it live since its premiere at SXSW 2018. It has become a feature of SIBS concerts for encore to spontaneously erupt into a shared celebration, with instruments, voices and dancing bodies rising from the seats. Moving beyond the concert experience, Small Island Big Song offers a variety of opportunities for students and audiences to investigate the environmental, political, social and cultural contexts on our oceans’ islands.
Contact
SIBS's Producer & Co-founder
BaoBao Chen baobao@smallislandbigsong.com
North American agent
Featured Touring Artists
Sammy
Merina, Madagascar
Sammy has led an extraordinary life as a Madagascan musician, at a time when most picked up guitars over the traditional Valiha, Sammy followed his passion for Madagascar’s musical heritage, by mastering and learning how to make most of Madagascar’s instruments.
His efforts coming to the notice of the UK’s world music scene as his group ‘Tarika Sammy’, gained international recognition, becoming a regular on major festival stages and being acknowledged as one of the world’s best 10 bands, by TIME Magazine. Sammy has been much in demand since, and we are proud to have him at every Small Island Big Song concert.
Photo: SIBS at 2023 WOMADelaide festival, Australia by Samra Teague
Emlyn
Creole, Mauritius
Featured on CNN, songwriter, musician and dancer, Emlyn is leading a wave of performers across the Indian Ocean proudly reclaiming their unique rhythms and cultural mix.
Written with a reactive pen and sung in Creole, her songs rebelliously express her concerns for her island’s environment. A cause she has taken up as co-founder of ‘Enn Losean Vivab’, a Mauritius based organisation educating school students about plastic pollution.
Emlyn brings the infectious grooves of Sega with its soul from the African slave trade to the stage played on the Ravann, Triangle and Kayamb.
Photo: SIBS at 2023 WOMADelaide festival, Australia by Samra Teague
Putad
Amis, Taiwan
Powerful, entrancing, unapologetic all words used to describe Putad’s engaging stage presence. In the proud spirit of her Indigenous Amis heritage Putad unites ancient vocal traditions with raw energy of grunge, rock and punk as her and her brother Wusang’s band Outlet Drift express. Their bold, uplifting and uncompromising shows place their Amis heritage on centre stage at 100db & 100mph as they confront prejudices taking the audience on an unforgettable sonic ride.
In the SIBS ensemble, she brings this energy, her soaring voice, rock bass along with her coastal Amis ancestry and love for the ocean.
Photo: SIBS at 2023 WOMADelaide festival, Australia by Samra Teague
Vaiteani
Tahitian, Tahiti
Vaiteani is the lead singer songwriter of the Polynesian group bearing her name, with her partner and gifted multi-Instrumentalist Luc, they perform songs as captivating and beautiful as her homeland Tahiti which inspires them. Vaiteani are one of the most popular acts in Polynesia today, a standing they have been able to use to draw awareness to environmental issues.
They sing for her people and nature, with one foot in the world of contemporary music styles, Soul, Folk and the other, exploring the timeless music traditions of her Polynesian heritage. People get moved by the captivating tone of her voice while their songs bring us all to some hidden place where we can discover a deeper substance to the subject.
Photo: Bruno Drouot
Yoyo Tuki
Rapa Nui & Australia
The world sees Easter Islanders as the people who foolishly depleted their natural resources deforesting their island, Yoyo Tuki confronts that image as he stands strong in his Rapa Nui ancestry steadied through a deep respect for his land and traditions as nurtured by his grandfather ‘Mana Roa’ (Great Wisdom).
A mana (Substance of presence) ringing out through his singing, music, art and performance, lifting us above our prejudices. Pioneering fusions of reggae, folk and funk with his mastery of Polynesian ukulele styles, Yoyo Tuki sings out for one of the most remote islands on Earth.
Photo: SIBS at 2023 WOMADelaide festival, Australia by Samra Teague
Olivia Foa'i
Tokelau/Aotearoa
Olivia Foa’i is a singer-songwriter, musician, director and dancer. Being the daughter of Opetaia Foa’i, the founder of internationally acclaimed Polynesian band - Te Vaka. She’s performed across 40 countries with the band and is featured on Disney's "Moana” soundtrack. In 2019 she released her debut solo album Candid and won "Best Pacific Album" in the Aotearoa Music Awards and "Best Female Artist" in the Pacific Music Awards 2020.
Photo: SIBS concert at 2023 TIFA Taiwan International Festival of Arts by Tony Tsai
Sauljaljui
Paiwan, Taiwan
In 2009 a typhoon devastated Sauljaljui’s village and community, her response was to write “Lament of Colored Cloth” a song which enabled the village to unite their tragedy and recover, winning a prestigious songwriters award in Taiwan.
Two albums and countless international concerts later, Sauljaljui is just as dedicated to her Paiwan community, directing a yearly cultural festival, being the first female leader in her community youth group, and contributing to the community's cultural canon. Recently with her elders, she created a Paiwan warriors song, now regularly performed, the first time a woman has taken this role.
Photo: SIBS concert at 2023 TIFA Taiwan International Festival of Arts by Gelée Lai
Richard Mogu
Magi, Papua New Guinea
From Amazon Bay on the south coast of Papua New Guinea, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Richard Mogu has been a feature musician in PNG for many years as a solo artist and session musician. Excelling in both traditional and contemporary style. Whilst bass is his feature instrument, he is also adept at mambu (bamboo flutes), garamut drumming, guitars and percussion.
He was taught by legendary Sanguma founder Tony Subam. Mogu has also been involved as a producer of other PNG artists and toured internationally inc' London Olympic cultural festival, Australia and the USA.
Photo: SIBS concert at 2023 TIFA Taiwan International Festival of Arts by Gelée Lai
"Honestly [Small Island Big Song] was one of the best, most wonderful projects I have worked on in a presenting career that is going on 30 years!"
- Amy Vashaw - Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State Univ'
“Small Island Big Song was definitely worth the wait! Such a pleasure to get to know each of you and see what can be created from deep, extended collaboration such as what you have engaged in.”
- Laura Evans - Bing Concert Hall / Standford Live!
"We had a wonderful experience with Small Island Big Song. The entire team was warm and great to work with and the enthusiasm and thoughtfulness of Tim and BaoBao and the entire artistic collective was felt by all who participated in the residency activities. The class visits, discussions, and workshops were superb and engaged our students and community in meaningful ways. The performance was enthralling for everyone who attended - we received so many wonderful comments from audiences as they were leaving the theater."
- Shannon Hooker - Modlin Center at Univ' of Richmond
“I think I speak for everyone at MDC Live Arts when I say that we loved working with SIBS - they have been great every step of the way!”
- Kathryn Garcia - Miami-Dade College / Live Arts Miami
2023 Taiwan International Festival of Arts, Taipei Taiwan
2023 WOMADelaide, Adelaide, Australia
2022 Cloud Gate Theatre, Taipei Taiwan
2022 Taitung Art Museum, Taitung Taiwan
2022 2022 Italian Capital of Culture, Procida Italy
2022 Warner Grand Theatre, San Pedro CA
2022 Univ. of California in Santa Barbara, Santa Babara CA
2022 James Madison Univ. & Forbes P.A.C., Harrisonburg VA
2022 Zeiterion Perf. Art Center, New Bedford MA
2022 Dartmouth College & Spaulding Auditorium, Hanover NH
2022 Lehigh Univ. & Zoellner Arts Center, Bethlehem PA
2022 Penn State Univ. & Penn State P.A.C., State College PA
2022 Moraine Valley community college & Dorothy Menker Theater, Palos Hills IL
2022 Univ. of Massachusetts & Randolph W. Bromery Center, Amherst MA
2022 Symphony Space & World Music Institute, New York City NY
2022 Univ. of Richmond & Camp Concert Hall, Richmond VA
2022 Univ. of Illinois in Urbana & Foellinger Great Hall, Urbana IL
2022 Fox Cities P.A.C., Appleton WI
2022 Miami-Dade College & North Beach Band Shell, Miami FL
2022 Scottsdale Center for the Arts, Scottsdale AZ
2022 Univ. of Arizona & Centennial hall, Tucson AZ
2022 Stanford Univ. & Bing Concert Hall, Stanford CA
2022 Pantages Theatre, Tacoma WA
2022 Mount Baker Theatre, Bellingham WA
2022 Vashon arts center, Vashon WA
2022 Town Hall Seattle, Seattle WA
Album 'Our Island'
Concert Tour
2019 Colors of Ostrava Festival, Ostrava Czech Republic
2019 Rudolstadt Festival, Rudolstadt Germany
2019 MTC Southbank Theatre, Melbourne Australia
2019 Verona Palace, Sydney Australia
2019 Kaohsiung Container Arts Festival, Kaohsiung Taiwan
2019 Torba Arts Festival, Mota Lava Vanuatu
2018 Legacy, Taipei Taiwan
2018 Taoyuan Music Festival, Taoyuan Taiwan
2018 Førde World Music Festival, Førde Norway
2018 EtnoSur Festival, Alcalá la Real Spain
2018 Pllek, Amsterdam Holland Prachtwerk
2018 Prachtwerk, Berlin Germany
2018 Peace Boat, Copenhagen Denmark to Reykjavik Iceland
2018 Indigenous Celebration, Bali Indonesia
2018 South by South West, International Day Stage, Austin USA
2017 World Stage Design (Work in progress), Taipei Taiwan
Album 'Small Island Big Song'
Concert Tour
2020- Theatrical cinema release, 14 cities in Japan
2021 See you Sound Music Film Festival, Turin Italy
2020 LUCfest, Tainan Taiwan
2020 Melbourne Documentary Film Festival, Melbourne Australia
2019 Antenna Int' Documentary Film Festival, Sydney Australia
2019 Ânûû-rû Âboro Int' Film Festival, Noumea New Caledonia
2019 Jeju Film Festival, Jeju Island South Korea
2019 Ishigaki Film Festival, Ishigaki Island Japan
2019 Torba Arts Festival, Mota Lava Vanuatu
2019 Landjuweel Festival, Amsterdam Holland
2019 Kino x MoMo Fest, Rotterdam Holland
2019 Watershed, Bristol UK
2019 Castle Cinema, London UK
2018 Bali Indigenous Film Festival, Bali Indonesia
2018 Okinawa International Film Festival, Okinawa Japan
Film 'Small Island Big Song - An Oceanic Songline'
Screening Tour
