The concert opens with SCO Composer-in-Residence Wang Chenwei’s Lion City Rhapsody, a vibrant piece that celebrates Singapore’s five Chinese dialect groups through traditional instruments that present authentic sounds from each dialect group. It alternates between electrifying tutti sections and intimate dialect showcases: Hokkien Nanyin quartet, Cantonese Wujiatou quintet, Hakka Guangdong Hanyue, Hainanese opera, and Teochew percussion. Pre-recorded greetings for the 60th anniversaries of both SCH and Singapore from cultural figures representative of each of the five dialect groups will be played during the piece, adding a personal touch for this special occasion. A dynamic fusion of the rich diversity among Singaporean Chinese, the piece embodies Singapore’s living cultural tapestry.

Following the grandiose concert opener, the next two pieces — The Grand Canal and Soul of Damaru — present different musical visions united by their deep cultural roots. Chen Si’ang’s The Grand Canal flows with lyrical grandeur, with expressive orchestral colours that evoke the ancient Chinese waterway’s 2500-year historical journey. In stark contrast, Nawaz Mirajkar’s Soul of Damaru erupts with rhythmic intensity, channelling the primal energy of Hindu cosmology through the tabla’s rhythmic dialogue with the orchestra. The damaru, as a traditional Indian drum with ancient origins and rich symbolisms, is interpreted here by the tabla, performed by the composer himself. This is also the first of the few intercultural collaborations in this concert, exemplifying the versatility of the Chinese orchestra when engaging with other ethnic musicians in Singapore.

The first half concludes by bringing the audience back to the local context through Law Wai Lun’s The Stories of Singapore. This work was originally inspired by the development of Singapore’s press industry. In celebration of Singapore’s 60th year of independence, this performance retains the original music while featuring a newly curated series of archival photographs provided by SPH Media, highlighting significant milestones and societal changes over the past six decades. Accompanied by these visual elements, the music unfolds into a powerful and evocative audiovisual narrative.

The second half continues with two more intercultural pieces—Chang Yungchin’s Within and Beyond and Felix Phang’s Pasat Merdu—that embody music’s power to transcend cultural boundaries. Within and Beyond invites the audience on a trip across the world by featuring frame drums of different traditions, such as the Irish bodhrán, Turkish bendir, Arabic riq, and Malay rebana. Pasat Merdu, which means ‘melodious marketplace’, blends features from Chinese, Malay and Indian music, and explores themes of multiculturalism and community in Singapore. Originally written for the Straits Ensemble, Pasat Merdu is arranged here for Chinese Orchestra and will be performed in collaboration with musicians from the Straits Ensemble. Both pieces celebrate Singapore’s position as a cultural crossroad, where diverse musical traditions don’t just coexist, but create something entirely new and exciting.

To conclude the evening’s programme, SCO will perform the world premiere of Wang Chenwei’s Converging Resonances, a celebration of Singapore Conference Hall’s 60th anniversary and profound musical metaphor for unity and heritage. Structured as a passacaglia, it begins with a bass theme that is gradually joined by the orchestra through a set of variations. The variations journey through time: the Western-style counterpoint in the first few variations nods to post-colonial years, lively middle sections evoke early Chinese orchestra pieces, while later variations reflect the contemporary vibrancy of today, and eventually ends in a grand finale. Archival images of the Singapore Conference Hall’s 60-year history will be projected. More than a tribute to a venue, this piece celebrates how spaces transform into vessels of shared resonance, where the past and present continuously converge.

As this concert journey through Metamorphosis demonstrates, the SCO remains firmly rooted in tradition while embracing bold transformation. From the dialect-rich tapestry of Lion City Rhapsody and exploration of deep cultural roots in The Grand Canal and Soul of Damaru, to the intercultural dialogues of Within and Beyond and Pasat Merdu, culminating in the architectural and musical resonances of Converging Resonances, we witness how heritage becomes a living, evolving force. This season’s vision — “Rooted in tradition, shaped by transformation” — is  expressed in the programme where traditional instruments speak with contemporary urgency, where cultural boundaries dissolve into new soundscapes, and where Singapore’s past and future resonate as one. The metamorphosis continues.