Singapore, 12 Mar 2024 – The Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) is embarking on China Concert Tour from 29 March 2024 to 6 April 2024. After three successful performances in the China Shanghai International Arts Festival last November, SCO is gearing up for the “Confluence China Concert Tour 2024”, to cover the cities of Suzhou, Tianjin and Beijing.
Principal Conductor Mr Quek Ling Kiong shared, “Each programme for every stop is specially curated to bring out the unique sounds of Singapore Chinese Orchestra. Through a variety of repertoire, such as works with Nanyang flavour, new classics with local flavour, we hope to touch the hearts of Chinese audience with our unique sounds and repertoire specially curated for each stop.”
Commemorating 30 years of Suzhou Industrial Park project
2024 marks the 30th anniversary of the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) project. Launched in 1994, the SIP project aims to develop a model industrial township within the city of Suzhou. The SIP is significant as the first flagship joint project between the two governments, with the key feature of transferring Singapore’s “software” – industrial development model and public-administration experience – to China.
SCO has been invited by the Suzhou Cultural and Arts Centre, aptly situated in the heart of the Suzhou Industrial Park, to be part of commemoration programme. On 30 March 2024 (Saturday), SCO will take centre-stage at the Suzhou Arts and Culture Centre Concert Hall once again to present “Confluence – Suzhou” concert. The last time SCO performed on the same stage was 10 years ago, to commemorate SIP’s 20th anniversary.
Executive Director Mr Terence Ho shared, “SCO is very honoured to be part of commemoration programme of the Suzhou Industrial Park 30th anniversary. And we are delighted to make our debut appearances in the city of Tianjin, and at National Centre for Performing Arts in Beijing. For the first time, SCO performs in Tianjin, at the world-class Tianjin Grand Theatre, and for an outreach concert at The National Maritime Museum of China. We hope our music will inspire the audience with new encounters of the East and Nanyang, of traditional and classical, and virtuosic performance by the soloists and the SCO.”
SCO’s debut performance in Tianjin
On 2 April 2024, SCO makes our debut in Tianjin with an outreach concert titled “Eco-Harmony”, at the National Maritime Museum of China, under the baton of Principal Conductor Quek Ling Kiong. This museum is China’s only integrated national-level maritime museum in China, it is also the biggest maritime museum in the world, showcasing China’s rich past and present marine heritage. SCO is honoured to stage an outreach concert to the audience visiting this maritime museum in a public area, sharing repertoire relating to themes of nature and marine life. SCO will also be performing exciting pieces such as Xu Jingqing’s Flowers Blooming Everywhere, Singaporean composer Wang Chenwei’s Songs of the Sisters’ Islands, and the majestic Dragon Leaps to the East, a percussion-lead energetic piece composed by Liu Changyuan, who graduated from Tianjin Music Conservatory.
The next day, on 3 April 2024, SCO will stage the “Confluence – Tianjin” concert at the Tianjin Grand Theatre, also conducted by Principal Conductor Quek Ling Kiong, bringing Nanyang style repertoire and two heavyweight concertos to the audience. Featuring percussion principal Benjamin Boo and percussionist Derek Koh respectively, SCO presents The New Millennium of the Dragon Year by composer Kuan Nai-Chung, and featuring guan musician Zhang Shuo as soloist for the guanzi concerto Silk Road Fantasia, an enchanting piece with diverse music influences from west and middle east.
SCO concludes the 2024 concert tour at the prestigious National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA), part of “Spring of Traditional Chinese Music” Festival
On 5 April 2024, the SCO will conclude our concert tour with a concert at the National Centre for Performing Arts in Beijing, also affectionately known as “The Giant Egg”. It is a great honour for SCO to debut at the Asia’s biggest theatre complex for performing arts with the “Confluence – Beijing” programme, under the baton of Emeritus Conductor Mr Tsung Yeh.
This concert is part of the annual “Spring of Traditional Chinese Music” Festival（国乐之春）presented by National Centre for Performing Arts. This is the second edition of this festival that features exclusively Chinese orchestral concerts from renowned orchestras in the region. SCO is one of the heavyweight orchestras that are being invited to be part of the festival, alongside other renowned orchestras such as Wuxi Chinese Orchestra, China Broadcasting Chinese Orchestra etc.
For more details about the concert synopsis and exciting repertoire curated for each concert tour stop, please refer to Annex A – SCO Concert Tour 2024 media factsheet, Annex B – Concert Programme synopsis and ticketing, Annex C – Programme List, and Annex D – Biographies of Conductor and Soloist.
Please access this link for all photos of conductors and soloists: SCO China Concert Tour 2024 MEDIA KIT
Special thanks
The SCO “Confluence” China concert tour 2024 is made possible with the support from Cultural Matching Fund, and the national carrier Singapore Airlines. Established by MCCY, the Cultural Matching Fund (CMF) provides dollar-for-dollar matching grants for private cash donations to registered charities in the arts and heritage sector.
SCO would also like to express our appreciation to Embassy of the Republic of Singapore in Beijing, Consulate-General of the Republic of Singapore in Shanghai, and Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Singapore, for their ardent support and assistance in “Confluence China Concert Tour”.
SCO is honoured to have the Ambassador of Singapore to People's Republic of China, Mr Peter Tan, for gracing the concert in Beijing on 5 April 2024, and Consul-General of the Republic of Singapore in Shanghai, Mr Chua Teng Hoe, for gracing the Suzhou concert on 30 March 2024.
For more information, photographs, and interviews, please contact:
Media Contacts
June Teo
Head (Marketing Communications)
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Tel: 6557 4047 / 9616 7750
Chin Woon Ying
Assistant Executive Director (Programmes and Production)
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Tel: 6557 4012 / 9155 7059