Singapore, 15 March 2023 (Wednesday) – Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO)’s newly minted Conductor Emeritus Tsung Yeh and SCO presents past winning works from Singapore International Competition for Chinese Orchestral Composition (SICCOC). This is also the first show conducted by Tsung Yeh in 2023. Audience members who watch live concerts at the SCO Concert Hall will all be in for a treat!
The orchestra, rooted firmly in Southeast Asia where different cultures and traditions from the region converged, has evolved into one with East-meet-West and Nanyang flavour characteristics. The first Singapore International Competition for Chinese Orchestral Compositions was held in 2006. It was an effort to attract talented composers to create “Chinese orchestral works with strong Nanyang flavour”. The 2nd & 3rd competitions were held in 2011 and 2015 respectively. The competition aims to continue with its objective of promoting musical creativity, stimulate international awareness and to establish a repertoire of Nanyang- and/or Singapore-inspired Chinese orchestral pieces.
SCO presents Charms of Nanyang concert on 25 March 2022, 7.30pm
Come March, under the baton of Conductor Emeritus Tsung Yeh, join Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) in Charms of Nanyang concert, as we present past winning works from Singapore International Competition for Chinese Orchestral Composition (SICCOC) organised by SCO. Pipa Principal Yu Jia is featured in the pipa concerto Arise, You Lion of Glory!, composed by Gordon Fung Dic-Lun, while Kevin Cheng performs the sheng in Volcanicity composed by Tang Lok Yin. You can also catch SCO crowd favourites such as Wang Chenwei’s Sisters’ Islands and an excerpt from Law Wai Lun’s Zheng He - Admiral of the Seven Seas. Be awed by the creative rigour from these brilliant works by composers from the region, a Nanyang-repertoire-themed concert not to be missed!
Conductor Emeritus Tsung Yeh, previously SCO Music Director was the one who first mooted the idea of “Chinese orchestral music with strong Nanyang flavour”.
Conductor Emeritus Tsung Yeh said, “Our Patron, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had donated generously and financed two editions of the Singapore International Competition for Chinese Orchestral Compositions. SCO’s growth and development would not be possible without the support and encouragement of fellow musicians and our friends. Charms of Nanyang concert features selected seven award-winning works, each of them with its unique subject matter and language of expression.”
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Charms of Nanyang Programme List
Conductor: Tsung Yeh
A Stroll in the Lion City, Composed by Xie Xiangming
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Volcanicity, Composed by Tang Lok Yin
Sheng: Kevin Cheng
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Izpirazione II, Movement II: Rambutan, Composed by Simon Kong Su Leong
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The Sisters’ Islands, Composed by Wang Chenwei
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Buka Panggung, Composed by Yii Kah Hoe
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Arise, You Lion of Glory!, Composed by Gordon Fung Dic-Lun
Pipa: Yu Jia
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Zheng He - Admiral of the Seven Seas, Movement I: The Voyage,
Composed by Law Wai Lun
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Charms of Nanyang Ticketing details
SISTIC Link: https://www.sistic.com.sg/events/nanyang0323
Ticket Price (Excludes SISTIC charges):
$70、$60、 $40、$20 (Concession, includes Senior Citizen, Student, NS Men etc)
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SCO presents newly released Charms of Nanyang III album on 25 March 2023
In conjunction with the Charms of Nanyang Concert happening on 25 March 2023, SCO will be releasing the latest Charms of Nanyang III album.
Charms of Nanyang III is a remastered album of the five winning compositions from the Singapore International Composition Competition for Chinese Orchestral Composition 2015. Brimming with a unique Singapore flavour, this album brings you an audio feast of Southeast Asia-inspired Chinese orchestral works.
Charms of Nanyang III album artwork. Photo Credits: Singapore Chinese Orchestra
This album features Arise, You Lion of Glory! by Fung Gordon Dic-Lun, The Calling from the Distant Hills by Liu Wei-Chih, Go Across the Rainforests by Kong Zhixuan, Krakatoa by Kahchun Wong and Bale Bengong by Chew Jun An. Kahchun Wong was awarded the Singaporean Composer Award and Chew Jun An was the Young Singaporean Composer Award winner.
To date, we have a good number of these works in our repertoire collected over the years from the competition. They are not only popular with our local audience, but also received rave reviews when they were performed by well-known orchestras overseas. SCO has since released 2 CDs of winning works.
Previously released on Spotify, Charms of Nanyang I is a 2-CD collection of the six winning compositions from the Singapore International Composition Competition for Chinese Orchestral Composition 2006. Brimming with a unique local flavour, this album brings you an audio feast of Nanyang inspired Chinese orchestral works. The 6 winning compositions featured in this album are Tapestries I – Time Dances by Eric Watson, Izpirazione II by Simon Kong Su Leong, Buka Panggung by Yii Kah Hoe, Admiral of the Seven Seas by Law Wai Lun, Volcanicity by Tang Lok Yin and The Sisters’ Island by Wang Chenwei.
Also previously released on Spotify, Charms of Nanyang II is a 2-CD collection of the seven winning compositions from the Singapore International Competition for Chinese Orchestral Composition 2011. This album consists of Chinese Orchestral composition brimming with our unique Nanyang flavours. The 7 winning compositions featured in this album are Xie Xiang Ming’s A Stroll in the Lion City, Stephen Yip’s Nine Actors, Zhu Yi Qing’s The Silence of Borobudur, Raymond Mok’s Cycles of Destiny, Wang Dong Xu’s The Capriccio of the Mountain Folk Song, Lee Ji Heng’s Dark Light.
Charms of Nanyang I CD and Charms of Nanyang II CD. Photo Credits: SCO
In addition, SCO has also published a scorebook titled Charms of Nanyang, documenting available scores of winning works. This publication of Nanyang music scores contains six award-winning works, each of them with its unique subject matter and language of expression. They include those of Mr Law Wai Lun, SCO’s first and present Resident Composer and a Singapore Cultural Medallion recipient, Mr Simon Kong Su Leong and Mr Yii Kah Hoe, both Malaysians and important composers in Southeast Asia who have been working very closely with SCO. The others are Miss Tang Lok Yin, a composer from Hong Kong, a Chinese Special Administrative Region which has a strong historical link to Southeast Asia and Mr Eric Watson, a British-born composer and Cultural Medallion recipient who moved to Singapore earlier and is very well-versed in Nanyang flavour music today. Mr Watson was also SCO’s third Resident Composer. The youngest among them is Wang Chenwei, SCO’s current Composer-in-Residence.
With the release of the CDs and album, the scorebook and presentation of this concert, these are opportunities for SCO to share our efforts in promoting and preserving Chinese orchestral music to ensure its continuity and growth in Singapore.
Other upcoming concerts include:
The Darrell Ang & SCO concert will be happening on 28 April 2023, 7.30pm at the SCO Concert Hall.
Internationally acclaimed Singaporean conductor Darrell Ang collaborates with the SCO for his debut concert with a Chinese orchestra. Darrell Ang, winner of the Gold Award and Best Conductor Award in the 50th Besançon International Young Conductor’s Competition, will join hands with SCO to serenade you with a spirited repertoire with profound emotional depth. Zhao Jiping's Qiao's Grand Courtyard Suite and Wang Danhong's Ode to the Sun paint vivid pictures of northwestern and southwestern China respectively, while Wang Chenwei's Thaipusam and Chow Jun Yi's Kampung exude strong local flavours and capture the cultures of local ethnic groups. The highlight of the concert will be the world premiere of Chinese orchestral version of Kungfu Koncerto, composed by none other than Darrell Ang himself. The concert is set to be beyond exciting!
The Mother’s Day Concert will be happening on 13 May 2023, 7.30pm at the SCO Concert Hall.
Reward the queen of your life with a special Mother’s Day concert by the SCO! Under the baton of Principal Conductor Quek Ling Kiong, join SCO and Xinyao veteran artist Alex Su at SCO’s annual flagship Mother's Day Concert, as we bring you heart-warming favourites that promise to delight.
The Young Children’s concert 2023 DiSCOvering Treasures of Chinese Music - In Search of the Magical Musical Bows will be happening on 19 May 2023, 10.30am and 20 May 2023, 11am at the SCO Concert Hall.
Listen to the sounds of birds chirping and horses neighing! Where do those sounds come from? Where are the swans and honeybees? Who is reciting Tang poetry? Haha! Guess no more! All of these come from magical musical bows! Calling out to all our young friends, hesitate no more, and follow the magic of Quek Quek's baton into vast prairies, uninhabited mountains, and mysterious woods. Join us on a quest for musical bows in all shapes and sizes, and all colours of the rainbow! See how they fly, see how they dance! All friends who are young at heart are also most welcome to join us!
For Our Dreams concert will be happening on 10 June 2023, 7.30pm at the SCO Concert Hall.
Dreams reflect our psyche, while music uplifts our spirits. Titled For Our Dreams, this entire concert features Singapore local premieres of SCO’s Composer-in-Residence Wang Chenwei, under the baton of Conductor Emeritus Maestro Tsung Yeh. The opening orchestral piece, For Our Dreams, inspires us to pursue our ambitions. In the virtuosic Diyin-Sheng concerto Taoyuan Wonderland – the first of its kind – the soloist Lim Kiong Pin will portray picturesque scenes of Taoyuan, Taiwan. Based on three Macao landmarks, Postcards from Macao presents the city’s unique history and culture infused with Cantonese, Hokkien and European influences. Finally, Percussion Principal Benjamin Boo will lead the concerto Bronze Age of Shang, evoking the elaborate rites and glorious culture of the Shang Dynasty over three millennia ago. Together, let us relive the past, aspire towards the future and strive for our dreams!
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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 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.
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