Date Night Friday: Too Close For Comfort

Hailed by MusicTalks Sydney as "one of the best jazz singers in the world", Singaporean vocal powerhouse Alemay Fernandez is renowned for her electrifying stage presence. Over her illustrious 25-year career, she has become the only Asian singer to have performed with some of the world's best jazz orchestras, including Wynton Marsalis' Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, The Count Basie Orchestra, The Duke Ellington Orchestra and the Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars.

Alemay has also shared the stage with some of the biggest names in music including David Foster and Jazz greats Ernie Watts, Randy Brecker, Gregory Porter & Emmet Cohen to name a few. She has also performed for visiting celebrities and dignitaries like Ethan Hawke, Paloma Picasso, Serena Williams and former U.S. President Barack Obama. As an ambassador of Singapore jazz, she tours internationally, headlining renowned jazz festivals and venues worldwide. She performs original material in collaboration with artists from across the globe, including the legendary Birdland Jazz Club in New York.

As an educator, Alemay has conducted vocal and performance workshops for students of all ages globally. She serves as Vocal Coach for the National University of Singapore Jazz Band and Vocal Lecturer at Lasalle College Of The Arts Singapore.

CHOK KERONG has established himself as one of Singapore’s most versatile talents and is a highly respected veteran in Singapore’s music scene. A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music and the first jazz musician to receive the National Arts Council (Singapore) Arts Scholarship (Overseas), Kerong traverses the numerous genres under the umbrella of popular music with equal aplomb.

Over the years, he has distinguished himself as a keyboardist, composer, songwriter and producer of remarkable clarity and depth. His compositions and arrangements have been performed by Jeremy Monteiro, Rani Singam, the T’ang Quartet, the Singapore Wind Symphony, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, and his own chamber ensembles. Jazz luminaries such as Randy Brecker, Antonio Hart and Jay Anderson have also played his arrangements, which he wrote as Associate Music Director of the Jazz Association of Singapore Orchestras.

Kerong is also Music Director and Arranger for Singapore music icons Charlie Lim and Joanna Dong. An influential educator, he serves as the Principal Tutor of the National University of Singapore Jazz Band and is also an instructor at LASALLE College of the Arts and School of the Arts (SOTA). He is a Mosaic Associate Artist with Esplanade, providing tailored, intensive support for his work.