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Singapore, 29 July 2025 — The Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) unveils its upcoming “Masters Series” concerts, set to take place this August and November. Featuring two of the most prominent maestros in the Chinese orchestral world — Cultural Medallion recipient and SCO’s Conductor Emeritus Tsung Yeh, and Cultural Medallion recipient and Artistic Director and Principal conductor of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, Yan Huichang.
Tsung Yeh and SCO: Li Bochan Music Composition Showcase
On 16 August, Maestro Tsung Yeh curates a full concert dedicated to the works of Li Bochan, one of the most sought-after young composers in today’s Chinese music scene.
This concert will feature five concertos in one night — making it the most soloist-packed programme of the season. Highlights include Ode to Hou Yi, a stirring and powerful banhu concerto led by Chinese master Shen Cheng, and the Singapore premiere of Centennial Nirvana, performed by suona virtuoso Shi Haibin, whose commanding tone brings the work’s sweeping narrative to life. A highlight of the evening is the double dizi concerto The Encounter of Passion and Indifference, performed by SCO’s Wind & Percussion Section Leader/Dizi Principal Yin Zhiyang and dizi musician Zeng Zhi, a double concerto exploring the push and pull of emotional extremes.
Audiences can also look forward to Late Autumn, a pipa concerto performed by SCO’s Pipa Principal Yu Jia, a poetic reflection on time and transience; and This duet for dizi and percussion explores two contrasting moods — moments of warmth and energy give way to calm and coldness, creating a continuous back-and-forth between emotion and stillness. lastly, Ode to Hero · Ode to Love, a double erhu concerto performed by SCO’s Erhu Musician Qin Zijing and Tan Manman, filled with lyrical interplay and rhythmic intricacy.
Yan Huichang and SCO 2025
Returning to the podium following a highly acclaimed performance last season, Maestro Yan Huichang leads a bold and expansive programme that blends contemporary voices with cultural memory.
A key highlight of the evening is the Singapore premiere of Tang Resonating by Hong Kong composer Ng Cheuk-yin — an electrifying large-scale ensemble piece that channels the grandeur and artistic energy of the Tang Dynasty through modern orchestration and rhythmic sophistication.
The programme also features the emotionally rich and technically demanding Pipa Concerto No. 2 by Zhao Jiping, performed by SCO Pipa Principal Yu Jia. This work, revered in contemporary pipa repertoire, calls for profound emotional nuance and razor-sharp musical cohesion between soloist and orchestra—a challenge Maestro Yan embraces with characteristic precision and artistry.
“Masters Series” concert is our tribute to the visionary talents who continue to push the boundaries of Chinese orchestral music. Audiences are warmly invited to experience these two unmissable musical encounters.
You may access the artist bios and photos here.
