• SCO will be releasing a digital instrumental album on 8 May that showcases Liang Wern Fook’s compositions created across his musical career.
• Digital album 《遇·见》Encounter, based on SCO’s sold-out 2024 concert with Liang, will be available on all major digital streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, KKBOX, QQ Music, NetEase Music, and more.

Singapore, 30 April 2026 — Cultural Medallion recipient and xinyao Icon Dr Liang Wern Fook will release his first digital album《遇·见》Encounter with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) on 8 May 2026.

The instrumental album takes a retrospective look at Liang’s musical journey through 25 songs across six medleys which explore the themes of life, youth, uncertainty, home, reconciliation, and self. Listeners can look forward to fan favourites such as《细水长流》(Friends Forever),《新加坡派》(Singapore Pie), and《你的倒影》(Your Reflection).

Xinyao is a home-grown music movement that emerged in the 1970s and 1980s, characterised by distinct local Chinese vocal music. It explores themes of identity, youth and romance, and what life was like for ordinary Singaporeans, especially the youth. Widely regarded as reflecting the spirit of an era in Singapore’s development, these songs continue to resonate and evoke nostalgia with a generation of Singaporeans today.

With Singapore Chinese orchestral music similarly playing an important role in shaping a unique Singaporean sound, this collaboration between Liang and SCO is especially meaningful by allowing for a reinterpretation of these distinctly Singaporean melodies.

“Xinyao and Singapore Chinese orchestral music both represent a uniquely Singaporean sound and play an important role in keeping our heritage alive. I am honoured to record this album with the orchestra to present my works to old and new audiences through the rich and expressive lens of Chinese orchestral music,” says Liang.

The launch of 《遇·见》Encounter reflects SCO’s exploration of the “Singaporean sound”. From staging “An evening of Xinyao” concert in 2017, to the 2024 collaboration with Liang, and again in May this year, the orchestra continues to expand how local music is expressed and shared in diverse ways.

This album was recorded following the success of SCO’s sold-out 2024 concert Encounter: Liang Wern Fook’s Composition Showcase conductedby SCO Principal Conductor Quek Ling Kiong. 

“We were touched by the overwhelming response to ‘Encounter: Liang Wern Fook’s Composition Showcase’ and decided to record a digital album to make Liang Wern Fook’s beloved xinyao songs more accessible to Singaporeans through the beauty of Chinese orchestral music,” says SCO Principal Conductor Quek Ling Kiong.

“Xinyao is an important part of Singapore’s Chinese culture. We hope the album keeps this heritage alive for those who grew up in the 80s and 90s and reaches the next generation.”

Reinterpreting beloved songs

The album — Liang’s first with the SCO — will follow 2024’s programme lineup, and feature his iconic xinyao pieces arranged for Chinese orchestra by Wang Chenwei, SCO’s composer-in-residence. Wang is also the winner of the Singapore Composer Award at the 2006 Singapore International Competition for Chinese Orchestral Composition.

To capture the spirit of each song, Wang carefully made matches that brought out the character of both the instrument and the melody in synergy. This is reflected, for example, in the use of the kouqinzi — a tiny jaw instrument placed at the back of the throat often employed to caricature Chinese speech.  In《(太多太多》 (So Much, Too Much!),  the kouqinzi imitates the Malay phrase “cukup banyak banyak!”.

“Dr Liang’s songs embody a generation’s collective memory. I sought to bring those memories to life with renewed clarity, like a black-and-white film reimagined in colour and high resolution. While honouring the aesthetic of the original albums, I introduced new harmonies and countermelodies to create reinterpretations that explore the Chinese orchestra’s full spectrum of possibilities,” Wang says.

Recognising that the Singaporean Chinese dialect groups’ musical cultures and instruments remain underrepresented in the Chinese orchestra repertoire, Wang integrated six such instruments into the album. Just as the dialect lyrics of 《麻雀衔竹枝》(Sparrow Carrying A Twig) reflect the diversity of Singaporean Chinese culture, Wang’s arrangements showcase the five main dialect groups’ instruments, including the Hokkien Nanyin pipa, Teochew tihu, Cantonese gaohu, Cantonese yehu, Hakka touxian and Hainanese diaoxian.

The melody of Prelude begins on the Cantonese yehu, which transmits sound through a clamshell and coconut husk, evoking Singapore’s tropical coast.

“I wish to raise awareness of Singaporean Chinese culture, convey nostalgia for our forebears’ era, and present a wider palette of sonic colours. I hope that listening to these arrangements can deepen appreciation for the Chinese orchestra and its instruments,” Wang adds.

The full album will be available worldwide on all major digital streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, KKBOX, QQ Music, NetEase Music, and more.

Mother’s Day Concert 2026: Encounter II – Liang Wern Fook’s Composition Showcase

The digital album launch will be launched alongside the highly anticipated sell-out Mother’s Day Concert 2026: Encounter II – Liang Wern Fook’s Composition Showcase 母亲节音乐会. Three shows will be staged at the SCO Concert Hall from 8 to 9 May 2026. Conducted by Principal Conductor Quek as part of SCO’s “Metamorphosis” Season 25/26, tickets to the shows were snapped up within two hours after they went on sale in May 2025.

The concerts will go beyond restaging of SCO’s 2024 Liang Wern Fook concert programme to feature the world premiere of Liang’s newest work, “Encounter Again”, which was commissioned by SCO and arranged by renowned local composer Tan Kah Yong. 

Loyal fans can also look forward to concert-exclusive postcards featuring his signature and iconic verses that will be distributed during the concert.

For album details, see Annexe A.

Images are available here.