What do Russia's International Tchaikovsky Competition and the figure skating finals at the 2002 Winter Olympics have in common? Corrupt judging, apparently. Childhood piano prodigy Freddy Kempf made his concerto debut at the tender age of eight, but his international stardom didn't properly kick off until an incident at the aforementioned music event in Moscow in 1998, when his failure to win first prize led to protests and a press outcry about biased judging. Since then, he's...

Hong Kong's best jazz musicians are front and center for a week every summer, when venues like Backstage, Joyce is Not Here, Peel Music and Gecko host swinging gigs (May 28-Jun 1; call 9683-2312 for program details) in the lead-up to two big performances at the City Hall Theatre. This year's long line-up of performers includes Soul Traders, Bella Elektra, Ginger Kwan Group, Joao Mascarenhas Brazilian Jazz Trio, Allen Youngblood and Jostrio Nu-Jazz—a hot ticket for die-hards and...

Jeremy Monteiro is Singapore's "King of Swing," and he never performs without his token velvet-and-gold crown to make sure everyone knows it. The legend is a Cultural Medallion winner (the highest accolade in Singapore's Arts scene) and has released 28 albums to date, recording with artists like James Moody and Simon & Garfunkel. Jazz fans should be pretty pumped for his Asian tour; he'll be performing with vocalists Melissa Tham, Nancy Kelly and Eileina D'ennis...

No, it's not the name of a folky arts-and-crafts store. Cult Icelandic group Múm is joining forces with surf-rock three-piece Wavves to perform at KITEC in their Hong Kong debuts.

Following the success of various hits, including 2011's "Levels," Swedish DJ Avicii has become one of the most talked-about young talents on the scene. Catch the 23-year-old electro house wunderkind perform at KITEC, in an event that kicks off a series of concerts bringing international acts to town. This gig also features Hard Rock Sofa, MAKJ, Iron Kids and DJ Frankie Lam.