Date Night Friday: Alemay Fernandez & Sharik Hasan - A Diary Of Us

Hailed by MusicTalks Sydney as "One of the best Jazz Singers in the world", Singaporean vocal powerhouse ALEMAY FERNANDEZ is a 23-year veteran in the Asian Jazz scene. Known for her sultry tone and an onstage presence that keeps the audience eating out of the palm of her hand, she has the distinction of being the only Asian singer to have performed with three of the world's best jazz orchestras—Wynton Marsalis' Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, The Count Basie Orchestra and The Duke Ellington Orchestra. She has also performed with industry heavyweights like David Foster, Jim Brickman, Gregory Porter, Ernie Watts, Randy Brecker, Lewis Nash, Antonio Hart & Nat Adderley Jr to name a few.

An ambassador of Singapore jazz, she has tours internationally, headlining at notable jazz festivals and venues worldwide including The Black Cat Jazz Supper Club in San Francisco, Wally's Jazz Club in Boston and the legendary Birdland Jazz Club in New York, an honour only a handful of non US-based Asian jazz artists have had. Alemay also did a sold-out six-city tour across Israel in June 2022, the first Singaporean Jazz artiste= to do so.

As an educator, she has worked with vocal students of all ages around the world, conducting vocal and performance workshops. Alemay served as Artistic Director for the Jazz at the Red Dot Workshop Series (2017 - 2019) and also hosted her own jazz radio hour on Symphony 924FM (2017-2018). She is currently Vocal Coach for National University of Singapore Jazz Band, Vocal Lecturer at the Lasalle College of The Arts Singapore and Artist-In-Residence at Singapore's premier jazz venue, Simply Jazz by Tin Box.

Sharik Hasan is one of the leading pianists and composers of his generation to emerge from India. Based in New York City, he has garnered a reputation for his exceptional virtuosity and versatility, making him the top-call pianist for many well-known bands and venues. He tours much of the year internationally with the world-famous Postmodern Jukebox as well as his own band, MND FLO. Hasan is also a Berklee On The Road instructor, traveling globally on behalf of the college conducting clinics, auditions and performances.

He has performed at venues all over the world including Blue Note, Newport Jazz Festival, Panama Jazz Festival, Kriol Jazz Festival, Nancy Jazz Festival, Mondriaan Jazz Festival and Lincoln Center. Hasan has shared the stage with luminaries such as Jeff “Tain” Watts, John Patitucci, Joe Lovano, Wayne Shorter, Terri Lyne Carrington, Sean Jones, Bill Pierce, Adam Nussbaum, Ralph Peterson and David Liebman, among others.

Sharik’s latest album with MND FLO, From Time, features his original compositions which embody an eclectic blend of cultures and acoustic-electric soundscapes. His fluid improvisations convey a natural sense of storytelling, all the while demonstrating an equal fluidity in jazz and Indian classical idioms.