Singapore, 24 November 2016 (Thursday) – Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) is proud to announce its new concert season from January to June 2017 with an exciting line-up of concerts and events that will take audiences on a journey around Singapore.
The Singapore Conference Hall (SCH), home of SCO, will be closed for refurbishment in 2017. SCH will be improved aesthetically and acoustically for a better concert-going experience and enjoyment for our patrons and supporters. In 2017, SCO’s new season will be held at four performing venues, namely, The Star Vista, Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, Victoria Concert Hall and the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC). With the launch of its new season’s performances, SCO plans to serenade the Singapore community’s ears with the best of Chinese music.
SCO Music Director Tsung Yeh says, “2017 marks the first time SCO is bringing our concerts outside of our home. This gives us the opportunity to work towards our aims of bringing Chinese Orchestral music all over Singapore and serenading Singaporeans so that they’ll better appreciate Chinese Orchestral music. This time, we believe that we’re able to achieve our aims as SCO will be performing at different parts of Singapore through 2017. In line with our misison of inspiring Singapore and the world with Chinese Orchestral music, we hope to see more people being touched by our music.”
Resounding Melodies Island wide
To mark the opening of SCO’s new concert season ‘A Voyage Around Singapore’, SCO conductors Tsung Yeh, Quek Ling Kiong and Moses Gay will be conducting and performing Eric Watson’s ‘Journey Around Singapore’ in relay format, together with violinist Alexander Souptel and erhu musician Lu Yi Wen on 13 and 14 January at Victoria Concert Hall. The performance comprises of five parts which are inspired by the North, South, East, West and Central regions of Singapore.
On 2 and 3 June, huqin maestro George Gao and pipa virtuoso Zhao Cong, will dazzle with SCO in ‘Dazzling Musicality’ at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre Auditorium.
Martial Arts Movies and Festive Folksongs
During the 1970s and 1980s, Hong Kong martial arts movies, television series and Cantonese dramas dominated the television screens and stole the hearts of people. At 2017’s Huayi Festival, SCO will be performing popular songs from marital arts classics like The Heavenly Sword and the Dragon Sabre, Legend of the Condor Heroes Triology, Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, The Legendary Hero Folk, Legendary Beggar Su and Dynasty on 11 February. Acclaimed Cantopop superstar Johnny Yip will be singing with SCO at the Esplanade Concert Hall.
To usher in the Lunar New Year, SCO will also present its signature Chinese New Year Concert ‘Rhapsodies of Spring 2017’ on 21 January at The Star Theatre – The Star Performing Arts Centre, featuring Chinese cinema icons Ling Bo and Hu Chin singing to the tunes of Huangmei. Both movie actresses will perform songs from popular movies like The Kingdom and The Beauty, The Seventh Fairy and The Butterfly Lovers.
Masterpiece and Virtuosi
In ‘Flavours of Chinese Music – A Night with Liu Xi Jin’s works,’ renowned Chinese composer Liu Xi Jin – the composer behind many touching pieces of Chinese Orchestral music will be sharing the stage with his award-winning conductor wife, Hong Xia and many renowned erhu musician Yu Hongmei, SCO musician Wu Lin, Li Baoshun and SCO dizi musician Yin Zhiyang, on 4 March.
Once again, internationally acclaimed Chinese dizi master Zhang Weiliang will collaborate with SCO to debut his recent works on 21 May, featuring pieces including ‘Thoughts of Homeland’, ‘Tears of Flowers’, ‘The Spring Orchid’ and ‘Southern Wind’, with his student, SCO dizi musician Zeng Zhi in a concert that showcases his thoughts of his homeland in Suzhou.
Continuity and Colourful Innovations
SCO’s signature Mother’s Day concert will be held on 12 and 13 May, and will feature getai stars Lee Peifen and Hao Hao singing popular and heartwarming tunes under the baton of Resident Conductor Quek Ling Kiong.
Under the baton of Quek Ling Kiong, Moses Gay and Tsung Yeh, the Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra’s (SNYCO) talented musicians will perform with SCO musicians to present vibrant and energetic pieces by young composers Xu Chang Jun, Jiang Ying, Wang Dan Hong and Law Wai Lun in a performance at the Esplanade Concert Hall. Witness the combined mega orchestra SNYCO and SCO in action on 18 March.
SCO Young Children’s Concert ‘The Little Adventurer of SCO’ will also return on 27 May to introduce ‘Listen to the Musical Weather Forecast!’ Conducted by Quek Ling Kiong, this concert will teach children how to predict the weather through the different music rhythms!
Melodies from Homeland and Stirring Heartstrings
The Cantonese make up the third largest Chinese dialect group in Singapore, and their contributions towards nation-building is immense. SCO will pay homage to the Cantonese people and their homeland, Guangdong. The Cantonese Classics concert will feature two young musicians from Guangdong – Yu Le Fu, the son of maestro Yu Qiwei, and Ricky Yeung, China’s first Bamboo Flute Doctorate Holder – performing repertoires that are rich in regional flavour on 31 March.
Shanghai is both the epicentre of music in China and the place where the late Professor Hu Dengtiao from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music established the famous Silk String Quintet, a folk chamber music performance that is unique to both China and Asia. In 5trings, five outstanding SCO musicians will perform Hu Deng Tiao’s acclaimed works, including ‘A Joyful Night’, ‘Martial Arts in the Farmland’, ‘Three Variations of the Parting at Yangguan’ and ‘The Rhododendron simsii Flower’ at the Esplanade Recital Studio on 5 April.
People’s Orchestra and Giving back to Society
SCO firmly believes in putting the people at the heart of everything we do. We strive to let our music echo throughout Singapore and let people from all walks of life experience the vibrancy of Chinese Orchestral music, through initiatives like the SCO Caring Series, SCO Community Concerts, SCO Music Oasis Concerts and SCO Lunchtime Concerts.
A Fresh New Look for SCO
SCO plans to give audiences a more comfortable and pleasant environment to enjoy concerts, equipped with enhanced acoustics and design to let concert-goers feel right at home. SCO’s home, SCH, will be undergoing a top-to-bottom renovation that is scheduled for completion in 2018. The renovation works encompasses the entire SCH building, from the escalators and lifts to the accoustics of the concert hall and outdoor plaza. As a key venue for major Chinese Orchestral concerts and events, the SCH building will feature escalators that take concert-goers and guests from the ground floor up to the Concert Hall on the third floor. With respect to sound quality, the accoustics of the concert hall will be updated to provide concert-goers with a better concert-going experience.
To further enhance the feeling of “being at home,” SCO’s new home will feature a café in its current Outdoor Plaza space. Concert-goers can expect to fill their stomachs and or quench their thirst before and or after a concert or event.
Priority ticket sales starts now!
[50%] Priority sales for Friends of SCO till 31 December 2016 (Applicable for March – June 2017’s concerts, except Huayi Festival – Wuxia and Chinese Chamber Music (CCM) 5trings)
[20%] Early Bird sales from 24 Nov till 20 Jan 2017 (Applicable for March – June 2017’s concerts , except Huayi Festival – Wuxia and Chinese Chamber Music (CCM) 5trings)
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, LOVE 97.2FM, Symphony 92.4FM
Official Newspaper: Lianhe Zaobao
Official Digital News Partner: Zaobao.com
Official Lifestyle Magazine: 品Prestige
Hotel Partners: Amara Hotel, Grand Park City Hall, Hotel Royal @ Queens, Oasia Hotel
Official Credit Card: OCBC Credit Card
Official Airline: Singapore Airline
Official Community Partner: PAssion Card
Official Lifestyle Partner: SAFRA Card
Please download artistes’ images from this link
Please download SCO Season Brochure Jan-Jun 2017 from this link
Please download SCH Post-Renovation Artist Impressions from this link
For more information on performances and SCO, please contact:
Joyce Tan
Content Development Manager
Flame Communications
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DID: 62593193 / 97960706
Toh Wei Lin
Executive (Marketing Communications)
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
DID: 6557 4037 / 8121 6966
Koh Mui Leng
Assistant Manager (Marketing Communications)
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
DID: 6557 4047 / 9833 0556