Mosaic Music Festival

Launched by the Esplanade in 2005, the festival has since garnered good reviews in regional newspapers such as Thailand's The Nation, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post and Malaysia's The Star. The 10-day fiesta in March 2007, drew about 90,000 people, compared to last year's 80,000 and 2005's 60,000.[2] The Festival featured over 100 performances and 60 percent of those were free. Headline international acts include singer songwriters Rachael Yamagata, jazz band Duke Ellington Orchestra, blues group Buddy Guy and rock musicians Yo La Tengo. - CNA/ms Since its inception three years ago, Mosaic has become an anticipated event in the annual music calendar. Audiences started enquiring about tickets to this third festival as early as October the previous year.

One event that we are introducing for the first time is 'Relax One Corner With Najip', where he is actually going to talk to these artists so that we demystify the whole idea of an artist being somewhere up there.

—J P Nathan, Director of Programming

After 10 years, the Esplanade retired the Mosaic Music Festival in 2014, although ad-hoc concerts will still be held under the Mosaic brand.[3]

The team behind Mosaic expanded its jazz and world-music repertoire to include folk and rock acts. The aim is to cater to all age groups with a range of music, from experimental to jazz to classical. And it is not just about showcasing the music; the Esplanade also hopes to provide opportunities for audiences to get to know the artists and their personalities. What started out in 2005 as a soul and jazz-themed event which attracted an older crowd, now boasts a broader range of genres, including indie-folk, folk rock, Afrobeat, ska, pop and R&B that is sure to entertain and give youths an all-rounded immersion into musical culture. With a line-up of some 400 artistes from 17 countries, the Festival in March 2007 sure was a lively one.[4]

The festival includes a programme of free music both indoors and outdoors at the Music Station. Both local band such as Beat Lab and Gan Ainm play for the crowds strolling the esplanade as well as regional bands such as Dina (Malaysia) and Tofu (Indonesia). Another new feature is concerts at the 11th hour. This is the first time performances are going to be staged so late - an hour before midnight. The idea behind this, say organisers, is to throw a regular schedule out of whack. The introduction of the 11th hour segment, which saw 11pm performances at the Esplanade's concert hall, featuring the likes of American singer-songwriter Rickie Lee Jones and Swedish singer-songwriter Jose Gonzalez, drew some groans from audiences who had to stay past their bedtime.

We are all so organised, and we keep thinking we have work to do, and then we go to this concert, and after that we'll have dinner, go back home and it's the next day. We're trying to break people out of this routine to free ourselves, and I think when you do that, you experience more.

--Mr Nathan

• Official Mosaic Website
• Official Heineken Singapore Website
• Mosaic Music Festival