Singapore, 19 February 2016 (Friday) – Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2016 with internationally-established artistes and specially-planned concerts and events to look forward to. SCO hopes to connect and pay tribute to everyone who has contributed to the success of SCO in this concert season through our exciting line-up of celebrative concerts. SCO will continue to contribute to the progress of the Chinese music industry in Singapore by grooming young talents through workshops and masterclasses. SCO will also partner with different organisations and artistes to create new frontiers in music collaborations and opportunities for SCO to bring our music to a bigger audience.
In the second-half of 2016, there will be a retrospective exhibition and a commemorative publication where milestones and significant moments of SCO will be showcased and commemorated. A mega Chinese Music Instrument Exhibition will complement the retrospective exhibition to create interest to visitors and to allow visitors to know more about Chinese instruments.
Conductors of Excellence
Renowned Chinese conductor Tang Muhai will share the stage with his 12-year-old daughter, violinist Susan Tang who will perform the evergreen classic Butterfly Loversviolin concerto in 5 March’s Dazzling Strings concert. SCO erhu II Principal Zhu Lin will also perform a rendition of Qi Hao Di’s erhu concerto Dazzle of Fantasy. Four talented young conductors including Singapore’s Wong Kah Chun, SCO’s Assistant Conductor Moses Gay, Hong Kong’s Rupert Woo and Malaysia’s Pung Aik Khai will take the stage to helm a selection of Chinese orchestra masterpieces over 2 nights of concerts in Youthful Strokes of Exuberance I & II concert on 19 & 20 August 2016. SCO will pay tribute to the three maestros whose contributions were instrumental to the development of Chinese and Western orchestral music in Singapore in 1 July’s Maestro’s Extravaganza concert. This is the only concert in the season where three conducting maestros, Tsung Yeh, Hu Bing Xu and Choo Hoey will share the stage to conduct SCO.
East-meets-West
International violin superstar Joshua Bell will debut his first-ever performance with a Chinese orchestra with SCO in SCO 20th Anniversary Gala Concert – Joshua Bell with SCO on 9 April at Esplanade Concert Hall. Renowned local pianist Melvyn Tan and string ensemble T’ang Quartet will return to Singapore to perform with SCO in 4 June’s Homecoming II. On 25 & 26 November, internationally-renowned violinist Lu Si Qing will perform with acclaimed cellist Qin Li-Wei, who heads the cello studies at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music in Strings Fantasy concert. In this concert, audience can also experience the symphonic poem The Celestial Web by Singapore artist Tan Swie Hian and local composer Law Wai Lun.
Cultural Extravaganza
Acclaimed flutist Dai Ya and huqin musician Jiang Ke Mei will enchant the audience in the performance of chinese orchestral classic pieces. Moving with times, SCO collaborates with Korean musicians to preset a cultural fusion concert, Korea, New Waves on 2 & 3 September 2016. Beside classic Korean pieces such as Arirang and Madam Suro, Peking Opera doyenne Huang Ping will also perform with Korean vocalist In-Hye Park and Min-wang Hwang in the song, Chaman. Fans of Korean drama will also enjoy a medley of Korean drama theme songs. Local singer-songwriter Dick Lee will also create an oratorio based on his great-grandfather’s story – The Journey of Lee Kan, which will world premiere at The Nyonya Journey concert on 4 & 5 November.
Talents Emergence
SCO’s resident conductor Quek Ling Kiong was appointed the Music Director of the Singapore Youth Chinese Orchestra (SYCO) from January 2016.. Under the baton of Quek Ling Kiong, advisor Tsung Yeh and Moses Gay, talented SYCO members will perform with SCO musicians to present local composer and SCO composer-in-residence Phoon Yew Tien’s compositions. Selected SYCO dizi player Sherman Lee Le Xuan and pipa player Yu Man will perform dizi concerto Xin Tian You and pipa concerto The Five Heroes of Lang Ya Mountain respectively. SYCO & SCO Annual Concert – Dauntless Spirit 2016 is the only concert in the season where the three conductors will share the stage to conduct SYCO and SCO. In addition, SYCO will have their annual concert, Exuberance of Youth, on 16 July, under the baton of Quek Ling Kiong. SYCO will perform renowned composer Kuan Nai-chung’s Percussion Concerto: The Sun and Wang I-Yu’s Bei Guan Ying Xiang.
Families Jamboree
SCO’s family branded concerts are among the favourite concert choices of our audience, from the young to the seniors. On 29 & 30 April, “Momo” will bring young children on a musical journey to find his missing pet dog in Concert for Little Tots – Where’s my Doggie? concert. This concert is choreographed for children age 2 to 5 years old. This year, Professor Quek will bring children to explore the mystery of music score and learn how music notations can be turned into various math formulae in Young Children’s Concert – The Little Adventurer of SCO: Mathematics Equation in Music! on 27 & 28 May, which is suitable for children from 5 years old. On 11 & 12 November, conductor Quek Ling Kiong will bring children on another music adventure in Young People’s Concert – A Day Lost in Pulau Ubin, which is targeted at children from 9 years old. In collaboration with the Young People’s Performing Arts Ensemble, “Ah Boy” will bring audience on an island exploration journey to Pulau Ubin to discover the diverse range of plants and animals living there. SCO’s popular Mother’s Day concert – A Gift to Mum, returns this year on 7 May, featuring pieces including Rhapsody on Dinuhua and Jiang Nan Feng Yuan. Hong Kong-based Singaporean vocalist Tan Hanjin will also perform heartfelt rendition of several self-composed pieces during the concert.
SCO is also running an ongoing online contest on the 20th anniversary concert season. Participants can join in the contest by answering questions after viewing the 5 videos, of which they get a chance to win attractive prizes including a hotel staycation at Grand Park City Hall and SCO concert tickets. Contest runs on www.sco.com.sg/contest until 29 February 2016.
Priority ticket sales starts now!
[50%] Priority sales for Friends of SCO till 29 Feb 2016
[20%] Public sales till 29 Feb 2016
SCO concert tickets are now available from SISTIC.
SCO expresses our heartfelt thanks to the following partners for their support:
Official Radio Station: Capital 95.8FM
Official Newspaper: Lianhe Zaobao
Official Lifestyle Magazine: 品Prestige
Hotel Partner for Music Director: Amara Hotel
Official Concert Hotel: Grand Park City Hall
Official Credit Card: OCBC Credit Card
Official Airline: Singapore Airline
Official Community Partner: PAssion Card
Official Lifestyle Partner: SAFRA Card
Media Photos for 2016 Concert Season:
Music Director Tsung Yeh and Executive Director Terence Ho shared about the new season during media launch.
Conductor: Hu Bing Xu Conductor: Choo Hoey Violin: Joshua Bell
Conductor: Tang Muhai Violin: Lu Si Qing Erhu: Jiang Ke Mei
Piano: Melvyn Tan Ensemble: T’ang Quartet
Please contact Media Officers for more information, photographs and interviews.
Media Contacts
Toh Wei Lin
Executive (Marketing Communications)
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DID: 6557 4037 / 8121 6966
Koh Mui Leng
Assistant Manager (Marketing Communications)
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DID: 6557 4047 / 9833 0556