Singapore, 17 September 2012 (Monday) – The Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA) has appointed 14 members as Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO)’s Board of Directors for a two-year term with effect from 15 September 2012 to 14 September 2014. Inaugurated in 1997, the SCO comprises of 78 full-time professional musicians under the music directorship of Maestro Tsung Yeh with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong as the orchestra’s Patron.
SCO Board Chairman Mr Patrick Lee Kwok Kie has been appointed for another two-year term with effect from 15 September 2012. Mr Lee took over as SCO Chairman from Mr Robin Hu in May 2012 after serving as a Board member since 15 September 2008. Mr Robin Hu, who served as Chairman of the SCO Board from September 2008 till May 2012 has stepped down from the Chairmanship to take on an overseas position.
The three new appointments of the Board include Mr Choo Thiam Siew, President of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts; Mr Lim Jim Koon, Editor-in-Chief (Chinese Newspapers Division) of the Singapore Press Holdings as well as Mr Ng Siew Quan, Partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers.
SCO Board of Directors 2012/2014:
Patron: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
Honorary Chairmen: Mr Chew Keng Juea and Mr Robin Hu Yee Cheng
Chairman: Mr Patrick Lee Kwok Kie
Members:
Mr Choo Thiam Siew (new member)
Mr Patrick Goh
Associate Professor Ho Chee Kong
Mr Kwee Liong Keng
Mr Lau Kam Yuen
Mr Lim Jim Koon (new member)
Ms Lim Sau Hoong
Mr Victor Lye
Mr Ng Siew Quan (new member)
Mr Seng Han Thong
Ms Tan Choo Leng
Ms Yvonne Tham
Mr Till Vestring
SCO would like to thank outgoing board members Ms Chew Lee Ching, Mr Ngiam Kwang Hwa and Associate Professor Tan Huay Cheem for their time and contributions to the Board.
All Board of Directors will also be serving in the nine sub-committees under the purview of SCO Board to bring the orchestra in realizing its vision as a world renowned Chinese orchestra with a distinctive Singaporean character.
For interviews, please contact:
Terence Ho
General Manager
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DID: 6557 4013 / 9382 2522
Koh Mui Leng
Assistant Manager (Marketing Communications)
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DID: 6557 4047 / 9833 0556
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Mr Patrick Lee Kwok Kie’s directorships in other organisations
President & Director – Bowen International Inc, President – Yeung Ching Foundation, Vice President & Trustee – Kong Chow Wui Koon, Singapore Textile & General Merchant Association, Chairman & Trustee – Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital & Nursing Home, Chairman – Bowen Enterprises (Pte) Ltd, FCA Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, Malaysia Dyeing & Printing Factory (Pte) Ltd, Sing Luen Trading Co. Ltd, Sing Lun Holdings Ltd, Sing Lun Investments Pte Ltd, Singworld Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, SL Global Pte Ltd, Star Fashion Co. Ltd, Starlight Sportswear Co. Ltd, Textile & Fashion Industry Training Centre Pte Ltd, Director – Bowen Distribution Pte Ltd, Hung Kie Industrial Ltd, Sing Lun (M) Sdn Bhd, SL Ponie Pte Ltd, Texwell Global Pte Ltd, Business China Singapore, Hoi Thin Amateur Dramatic Association, Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship Fund, Singapore Chinese Orchestra Co Ltd, Singapore Clan Foundation, Singapore Totalisator Board, Secretary-General – Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Association, Trustee – CDAC Board of Trust, Council Member – Chinese Language and Culture Fund, Enterprise 50 Club, Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, Committee Member – Yangzheng Primary School SAC.
About Singapore Chinese Orchestra
Inaugurated in 1997, the Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO), comprising of 78 musicians, is Singapore’s only professional Chinese orchestra as well as a flagship local arts group. Its patron is Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Taking on the twin role of preserving traditional arts and culture and establishing new frontiers through the incorporation of exotic Southeast Asian cultural artefacts, its home is the Singapore Conference Hall, a prime performance venue in the financial district.
Since its inception, SCO has impressed a broadening audience with its blockbuster presentations and is fast establishing itself among its counterparts around the world. In 2002, it staged a symphonic fantasy epic Marco Polo and Princess Blue as part of the opening festival of Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay. The following year, SCO produced a musical and visual conversation with Singapore’s most eminent multi-disciplinary artist Tan Swie Hian at the Singapore Arts Festival 2003. The Orchestra celebrated Singapore’s 39th National Day in 2004 with a spectacular concert – Our People, Our Music – featuring over 2,300 local music enthusiasts at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. In 2005, it produced a mega musical production, Admiral of the Seven Seas, as part of the Singapore Arts Festival 2005. In 2007, SCO was part of the 240-strong combined orchestra that performed at the Singapore National Day Parade. In the Singapore Arts Festival 2008, SCO joined hands with Theatreworks to present the ground-breaking production Awaking, which brought together Kunqu opera music and Elizabethan music. In 2009, SCO made history by becoming the first Chinese orchestra to perform in the opening week of the Edinburgh Festival, and in 2010, performed in Paris as part of the Singapour Festivarts.
Well-known for its high performance standards and versatility, the SCO has performed at numerous prestigious events such as the World Economic Forum and International Summit of Arts Council in 2003, and the 2006 International Monetary Fund (IMF) Annual Meeting.
The orchestra also toured Beijing, Shanghai and Xiamen in 1998 and Taiwan in 2000. In 2005, it performed at the Budapest Spring Festival, the Singapore Season in London and Gateshead. In 2007, SCO performed at the Beijing Music Festival, as well as in Shanghai as part of the Singapore Season in the China Shanghai International Arts Festival. SCO was also invited to perform at the Macau International Music Festival, as well as at major concert halls in Guangzhou, Zhongshan and Shenzhen. These international platforms provided SCO with the opportunities to showcase its talents, propelling it to the forefront of the international music arena.
In line with its vision to be a world-renowned people’s orchestra, SCO widens its outreach by performing regularly at various national parks, communities and schools. SCO also commissions its own compositions and in 2006 and 2011, organised the Singapore International Competitions for Chinese Orchestral Composition that incorporates Nanyang musical elements from Southeast Asia. In 2012, SCO organised Singapore’s first 23-day National Chinese Orchestra Marathon, a spectacular feat that drew the participation of 31 local Chinese orchestras participated with over 44 performances and an audience of 20,000. It is with this vision that SCO continues to inspire, influence, educate and communicate through its music.