Sydney Moss
A Little Words About Us
is the co-owner of BlackMoss Productions
and the Producer of the annual APIS IDOL and the Chiang Mai Regional IDOL & BATTLE of the BANDS Inter-School Music Talent Competitions. In September 2016, these productions were renamed The CHALLENGE of the VOCALISTS – BANDS & TALENTS. This production remains exclusively committed to discovering and promoting the musical and non-musical skills and talents of all school aged children everywhere and from all social backgrounds. This proudly includes all of our very deserving children living in orphanages and homes.
In Thailand, Sydney was employed at the same American Pacific International School (2007-2011) where his wife, Leona taught and both their sons enjoyed a wonderful international private education. His role as the School Guidance Counselor and Band Teacher were the main drivers that prompted the founding of The Music Teachers Association of Chiang Mai.
These Inter-School musical talent productions rapidly gained popularity and evolved into an annual school wide tradition.
Sydney founded these in an effort to effectively support and promote student talent for school age children of all cultural backgrounds. He remains convinced, there is currently nothing like these platforms available to school children only and this real-life opportunity is a much needed personal and social skills developmental tool to support and enhance personal growth and the building of self-esteem and self-confidence while learning to recognize and accept a true concept of one’s own personal self value as a member of our multi-cultural global community. Sydney’s parents, both being successful long time educators, remain one of his major influences and learning from their open and honestly shared experiences help create a comfortable learning environment for such student centred projects.
Born and educated by Jesuits in New Delhi India, Sydney is proud of his mixed heritage which includes strong traces of Portuguese, Indian, Burmese, French, Dutch and Malayan bloodlines. Similar to Leona, Sydney’s maternal grandfather too was a very accomplished musician, a first-violinist in the Indo-Burmese Naval Band during the Second World War.
Sydney began his musical career at the age of nine as the school band drummer. He has fond memories of playing drums to Hungarian Rhapsody #5. He started his first school band when he was twelve and they entered every inter-school competition and returned home the winners all through his school career. A few years later Sydney switched from drums to play guitar (ask him why when you meet him). Fresh out of high school he joined the professional musician’s circuit on bass and vocals, playing at night clubs of major deluxe hotels throughout New Delhi, India. Later he spent eleven years as a band leader in Eilat, Israel. The moved to Germany where he met and married Leona. BlackMoss was founded later taken to America and then brought to Thailand. The rest, it’s history!
Sydney has always trusted and relied on his musical and human instincts and admits he will never satisfy his unquenchable, endless thirst for new, different and emotionally rewarding musical and life experiences. The CHALLENGE is one that is very close to his heart! His life’s motto pretty much sums up Sydney’s life’s philosophy: “I am not here to stay, I’m only passing thru, but, before it’s time for me to leave, I intend to make and collect as many memories as I can, with or without you”. It is this inner force that has always been the motivator encouraging Sydney to continue his travels and experience ‘life’ first hand while always choosing to live on the edge…….he says he has no plans to ever stop!
Living in Thailand, Sydney was elected the Vice President of the Chiang Mai Friends Group and remains a strong and committed supporter of the J.J. Market Group Youth Activities Program.
Sydney’s vast world experience and clear insight is the source of his vision, confidence and determination and provides him the power needed to support and promote sensible and much needed projects such as continuing with The CHALLENGE. These inter-school productions, are sparked by his firm belief that especially school-age children, deserve their fair opportunity at ‘stardom’ as well. For all young growing minds, live musical experiences are a vital component responsible for a healthy overall development of our young people internationally.
A perfect example of this can be seen on the faces of the past APIS IDOL and the Chiang Mai Regional IDOL & BATTLE of the BANDS Inter-School productions that were held annually in Chiang Mai. These events were produced from 2007 up to 2011 and have since rapidly gained popularity among students, families, friends, relatives and faculty members. The main reason he has finally decided to take these student focused productions to the next level.
