Singapore, 6 April 2020 (Monday) – Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) and Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra (SNYCO) are releasing digital concert series and innovative online content series, bringing our music to everyone. To lift the spirits of Singaporeans, SCO first took the lead and launched #DabaoSCO series and #CO101 series on our Facebook page, earlier in February 2020. During this global COVID-19 outbreak, stay home, stay healthy and stay safe with SCO and SNYCO - #SGUnited - Together we can overcome!
SCO Executive Director, Nominated Member of Parliament Terence Ho said: "Given the changing situation globally, members of the arts community have been spreading messages of positivity online. We understand that it is best to stay home, adopt good personal hygiene practices and be socially responsible. During this challenging period, SCO and SNYCO hope to bring our music closer to everyone. Together, there’s music for everyone to enjoy."
On the various SCO social media platforms, there is something to look forward to everyday. The public can now watch free full-length digital SCO concerts under the #DabaoSCO series playlist; learn more about CO music through the #CO101 educational webisodes and relax at home with the newly released #RoomforMusic series, a stay-home music initiative led by SCO musicians.
#DabaoSCO series
First launched on 14 February 2020 (Friday), Singapore Chinese Orchestra releases a fresh new YouTube playlist #DabaoSCO where you get to “da-bao” (takeaway) full-length SCO concerts, and enjoy concerts at the comfort of your home! This series feature some of the best past SCO Concerts.
Here, check out one of our #DabaoSCO series – Strings Fantasty concert: http://bit.ly/StringsFantasy , featuring internationally renowned violinist Lu Si Qing and acclaimed cellist Qin Li-Wei. And please click here for SCO #DabaoSCO Youtube Playlist: http://bit.ly/dabaoSCO .
Till date, SCO has released 8 #DabaoSCO series concerts and attracted a total of more than 52k views, from audiences in Singapore and all around the world. Our patron Prime Minister Lee also shared about #DabaoSCO series in his Facebook and Instagram page. New concerts are released every Friday, so stay tuned! #nuaAtHomewithSCO #YayWeekends
#CO101 series
First launched on 25 February 2020 (Tuesday), Singapore Chinese Orchestra hopes to educate Singaporeans about the origins of Chinese Orchestra. This #CO101 webisode series (aka Chinese Orchestra 101) is the must-see introduction to Chinese music and its history.
Here, check out one of our #CO101 webisode series - An instrumental diSCOvery of Chinese Orchestra Webisode 2: Chinese Confluence, right here: http://bit.ly/CO101series .
In addition, we have our weekly #CO101 quiz just one day before the release of each new webisode. Many followers on our social media platforms and CO lovers learn something new each time a video is released and they leave comments to try out the quiz, some even start discussions within themselves. Keep these comments coming in!
Till date, we are already at the 6th episode and received a total of more than a thousand of views; so please do stay tuned every Tuesday for more #CO101 fun facts!
Concert-In-Progress: SYF Demonstration Concert recorded video
In addition to these two digital concert series, SCO also rolled out this 1-hour long Concert-In-Progress: SYF Demonstration Concert recorded video on SCO’s social media platforms. This video was made available online on 23 March 2020 (Monday). Please click here to view the recorded video: http://bit.ly/SCOconcertinprogress .
Conductor Mr Quek Ling Kiong and SCO dissected the Singapore Youth Festival Arts Presentation set piece Kreta Ayer, composed by Liong Kit Yeng.
Through demonstration and sharing, Kreta Ayer is summed up into 5 learning points; Form and structure, Motif, Counter Melody, Musical contrast and lastly, Recapitulation and Coda. SCO musicians Meng Jie (Suona) and Foong Chui San (Zhongruan) also shared about their journey to becoming a professional musician and performing a solo music piece.
This is an effort by SCO to support the arts and for all the Primary Schools taking part in SYF 2020 to ace the arts presentation.
This concert was originally scheduled on 11 & 12 March 2020, but was cancelled due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Therefore, SCO decided to bring the music to all by sharing the recorded concert video online. #theShowMustGoOn
Despite subsequent announcement about SYF being cancelled, SCO received many positive and uplifting comments from primary school teachers and students, for this comprehensive and engaging educational video.
Till date, this video has received more than 10k views on our Facebook and Youtube channel in total.
#RoomforMusic (#乐来乐宅) (New!)
Launched on 28 March 2020 (Saturday), our very own SCO musicians took the lead to come up with this initiative #RoomforMusic (#乐来乐宅). During this period, concerts were cancelled and postponed till further notice, but our musicians wanted to continue to perform for all and spread some positivity during this dull period.
While the musicians exercise social responsibility and self-practice at home, they begin to brainstorm for ideas. Some gathered fellow colleagues to work together and unleashed their creativity.
Here, check out one of our #RoomforMusic video, Rhyme of Tanci performed by Pipa Principal Yu Jia, Guzheng Associate Principal Xu Hui and Yangqin musician Ma Huan：http://bit.ly/roomformusic1 . And here’s another video not to be missed, this creative version of the well-known Alamuhan, performed creatively by SCO’s 7 Suona section musicians – Suona/Guan Principal Jin Shiyi, Associate Principal Chang Le, Lee Heng Quee, Meng Jie, Boo Chin Kiah, Liu Jiang and Zhang Shuo : http://bit.ly/roomformusic2 .
Although this #RoomforMusic series was just released about a week ago, we have already received more than 5000 viewers across the various social media platforms. Please stay tuned for our daily #RoomforMusic updates!
Human Diaries （乐家心语）(New!)
Coming your way, please look out for our new “Human Diaries” series. This series is more personal, as it centres around human interest stories and lives of our SCO musicians.
With the aim of connecting with our youth audiences by showcasing the human side of our musicians, this biweekly series will be presented in a variety of capsule video interview formats such as:
- #HumanDiaries
Casual interview settings which delve more into their personal lives, beyond a musician.
- #Questionswith (#快问快答)
Quick “either or” questions that require our musicians to answer spontaneously in less than 5 seconds each.
- #ADayintheLifeatSCO
Musicians vlog about their entire day, providing glimpses of their lives beyond showtime on stage.
- #PracticeChallenge
Musicians challenge themselves to practise difficult musical passages, sharing tips and also stories about their lives along the way.
#StaySafeWithSNYCO (New!)
Launched on 2 April 2020 (Thursday), the Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra members wanted to take the lead in encouraging Singaporeans to stay health and stay safe during this global COVID-19 outbreak. Thus, there are 5 #StaySafeWithSNYCO challenges that await our members, while they exercise social responsibility and self-practice at home: the #thermometerchallenge, the #cleanhandschallenge, the #tissuepaperchallenge, the #distancingchallenge and also the #facemaskchallenge. Stay tuned for our weekly #StaySafeWithSNYCO updates!
Here, check out the very first #thermometerchallenge: http://bit.ly/staysafewithSNYCO, which has received more than 2000 views so far. SNYCO members urge all to do our part by monitoring our temperature twice daily! Stay Safe with SNYCO ❤#staysafewithsnyco #sgunited #sgclean #thermometerchallenge #snyco #snycosg #sco
#SNYCOReplay (New!)
Coming your way, please look out for our new #SNYCOReplay series, where full-length SNYCO concerts will be released on their Facebook page weekly. Enjoy concerts at the comfort of your home, as this series feature some of the best past SNYCO Concerts. Stay tuned for more updates!
Cancellation of SCO’s April and May concerts
SCO announced the postponement of Singapore Chinese Music Competition 2020 and the cancellation of SCO’s Tunes from Yunnan concert last week (Click here: http://bit.ly/SCOmedia260320 ). In addition, the upcoming SCO’s April and May concerts have been cancelled. These include:
- 28 April 2020 Music Tuesdays: Picturesque Mountains and Rivers
- 8 & 9 May 2020 Mother's Day Concert: To Mum, With Love
- 21 & 23 May 2020 DiSCOvering Treasures of Chinese Music - Riddles in the Raindrops
- 29 May 2020 Hits of Chinese Music III: Huqin
SCO and SNYCO would like to thank all friends for their support and patience during these turbulent times. Regular updates on all SCO and SNYCO concerts and events can be found on our website and Facebook page.
Don’t miss out the excitement!
SCO Website: https://sco.com.sg/
SCO Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/singapore.chinese.orchestra/
SCO Instagram Page: https://www.instagram.com/singaporechineseorchestra/
SCO Wechat Page: http://bit.ly/SCOwechat
SCO Youtube Channel: http://bit.ly/SCO-youtube
SCO Spotify Account: https://tinyurl.com/SCOspotify
SCO iTunes: https://tinyurl.com/SCO-itunes
SNYCO Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/snyco/
SNYCO Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/snycosg/
SNYCO Youtube Channel: http://bit.ly/snyco-youtube
Thank you for supporting Singapore Chinese Orchestra and Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra,
Stay healthy, stay safe and stay tuned for more updates!
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About Singapore Chinese Orchestra
Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) is Singapore’s only professional Chinese orchestra. Inaugurated in 1997, the orchestra made up of more than 80 musicians took on the twin role of preserving traditional arts and culture and establishing new frontiers through the incorporation of Nanyang music elements in its repertoire. SCO has impressed a broadening audience with its blockbuster presentations and is fast establishing itself among its counterparts around the world. Known for its high performance standards and versatility, the SCO is recognized through invitations to perform at numerous prestigious events locally and internationally. In line with its vision to be a world-renowned people’s orchestra, SCO continues to inspire, educate and communicate through its music.
About Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra
The Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra (SNYCO) is made up of more than 90 talented musicians between the ages of 10 to 26. SNYCO is managed by the Singapore Chinese Orchestra Company Limited, and is under the purview of the National Arts Council and supported by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth since 1 April 2015. SNYCO is under the music directorship of Quek Ling Kiong with Tsung Yeh as the advisor and Moses Gay as the associate conductor. Only the finest musicians are selected to be members through the rigorous auditions held each year. As a National Project of Excellence recognised by the Ministry of Education, SNYCO strives to nurture aspiring musicians into future pillars of Chinese music in Singapore.
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