2023 marks the 20th anniversary of the Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra (SNYCO), and the orchestra celebrated with four key concerts titled “Friendship” (谊), “Reunion” （聚）, Legacy” （承） and “Ascend” （腾） from this March to December.
Since its inaugural in 2003, SNYCO had been the point of convergence for more than 600 talented young Chinese instrumental musicians in Singapore between the age of 10 – 26 years old, a testament to its status as Ministry of Education’s National Project of Excellence.
SNYCO Music Director Quek Ling Kiong penned in his message for the Friendship concert programme that “the SNYCO has blossomed beautifully and continues to cultivate future generations of Chinese orchestra ambassadors, musicians and music-lovers.” Indeed, the orchestra is proud to have nine musician alumni and three arts administrator alumni in Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO), and many more making significant contributions in Singapore’s arts scene and other various fields.
SNYCO alumnus Deborah Siok, who joined SCO in 2022 as an erhu musician, recounted that she has “benefitted greatly not only from the many performance opportunities that have allowed her to accumulate much-needed orchestral experience, but also from the wealth of knowledge that SNYCO conductors and Teacher Artists, have shared with the members.”
Chen Xinyu, our SNYCO pipa alumnus, joined SNYCO at the age of 9. Although she left the orchestra this year at the age of 19 to further her studies, SNYCO holds a special place in her heart. “I feel that each of our performances is not just fed by our collective passion for music, but also by our mutual love and respect for one another; music for us is a manifestation of sorts to honour our relationships and shared memories, and that is what makes our concerts so heart-warming,” she recounted.
The members’ passion was especially reflected in the three key concerts and one outreach concert held thus far this year. Friends, families, and SNYCO alumni made each of the endeavor special by supporting SNYCO in one way or another, every event was a well-received success. Partners and artists have also made this year’s celebrations exceptional, through collaborative efforts with Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre, Esplanade, and Lee Jun Le, a 16-year-old youth artist with autism spectrum disorder who was commissioned to calligraph the four Chinese characters of the four key concerts.
Sharing similar thoughts with Xinyu, SNYCO harp alumnus Christabelle Sheum was the president of SNYCO Members’ Committee from 2021 to 2023. She was first given the opportunity to be part of the Members’ Committee in 2018 as the vice-president. The committee is formed to organise activities for the members and assist in concert arrangements alongside the management. “It was heartwarming to see current members and new members get to know each other better and everyone coming together to bond with one another and have fun during the bonding day that the committee organised earlier this year. I hope to see SNYCO continue to give talented young musicians a platform to showcase and hone their skills and to share Chinese orchestra music to even more people.”
One of such notable platforms is the overseas exposure programme, which brings members on culturally immersive trips. SNYCO will be touring to East Malaysia this December, with the “Ascend” concert on 2 December 2023 as a prelude. This is a first for SNYCO members to tour and experience cultural exchanges in East Malaysia, and a perfect finale milestone to the 20th anniversary celebrations.
As we approach the final quarter of 2023, it is not the end, but a beginning to a new chapter for SNYCO. As what SNYCO Music Director Quek Ling Kiong says,
“SNYCO20 – the best is still yet to come. May SNYCO grow from strength to strength, continue to strive for excellence, and inspire the world with their music!”
By Joanna Lim and Clement Lee, SNYCO Office
2023年是新加坡国家青年华乐团成立的20周年。为纪念此标志性的一年，青年华乐团特此于今年3月至12月举办了四场主要音乐会，分别以“谊”、“聚”、“承”、“腾”为主题。
自2003年成立以来，新加坡国家青年华乐团汇聚了我国600多位年龄介于10至26岁，才华出众的青年演奏家，确实证明了青年团作为新加坡教育部支持的国家卓越计划的一个耀眼项目。
新加坡国家青年华乐团音乐总监郭勇德在“谊”音乐会的节目致辞中写道：“新加坡国家青年华乐团茁壮成长，开出了许多绚丽多彩的花卉，并持续滋养着华乐新生代，培育未来的华乐推广大使、音乐家、音乐同好。”目前，新加坡国家青年华乐团音乐家当中，就有九位曾是青年团成员，而支持乐团的行政团队里，也有三位青年团前团员。除此之外，还有多位青年团团员在新加坡艺术界和各个领域当中积极贡献，大放异彩。
青年华乐团前团员石礼晶于2022年正式加入新加坡华乐团，成为全职二胡音乐家。回想起在青年团的日子时，石礼晶说到：“青年团提供的多个表演机会让我累积了不少乐团演奏经验，这是十分重要的。但让我获益更多的是，青年团的各位指挥和教学艺术家所分享的丰富知识。”
同样是青年华乐团前团员的陈欣宇在年仅9岁的时候就以琵琶演奏者的身份加入了青年团。今年19岁的她，为了深造而离开了青年华乐团。虽然如此，青年团在她心中仍保有特殊地位。欣宇认为：“我觉得青年团的每一场演出，不仅表现出成员对于音乐的共同热爱，更是成员间互相关爱与尊重的体现。对我们而言，音乐是一个载体，记录了我们的友谊与共同回忆。这也是青年团的演出场场都令人倍感温馨的原因。”
今年的三场主要音乐会和一场教育与拓展音乐更是成员热情体现的绝佳表现。青年华乐团的朋友、家人、前团员都以各种方式支持青年团，让每一场演出别具意义，也广受好评。除此之外，各合作伙伴与艺术家都让今年的20周年庆祝活动更加别出心裁。今年，青年团的合作伙伴包括新加坡华族文化中心、滨海艺术中心，还有患有自闭症的16岁青年李俊乐。李俊乐受乐团委托，以书法再现4场主要音乐会主题。
曾是新加坡国家青年华乐团竖琴演奏家的孙婉喻于2021年至2023年担任青年华乐团执委会主席，她与欣宇的想法雷同。2018年，她首次被选入乐团执委会，担任副主席。执委会的成立，是为了组织青年团活动，并与乐团管理层一起安排音乐会。“执委会在今年早些时候安排了联谊日。看到乐团新旧成员在联谊日当天互相认识，深化友谊，同欢共乐，我觉得十分暖心。我希望新加坡国家青年华乐团能够继续为富有才华的青年音乐家提供平台，让他们展现才华，并且精进自己，同时与更多人分享华乐之美。”
其中一个重要平台，就是海外交流计划。此计划下，乐团成员有机会到访他国，参与文化浸濡活动。今年12月，青年华乐团将会到东马进行演出。2023年12月2日的“腾”音乐会，将会是海外演出的前奏。这是新加坡国家青年华乐团首次到访东马演出，并于当地进行文化交流，让成员体验东马文化。因此，这场演出也为青年团20周年庆祝活动画下完美句点。
2023年最后一个季度已来临，但对于青年华乐团来说，这不是终点，而是全新乐章的开始。正如青年华乐团音乐总监郭勇德所言：
“ 'SNYCO20’代表的是‘好戏在后头’！愿青年团势力不断壮大，继续追求卓越，用音乐带给全世界更多力量！”
文：李保辉, 林思敏, 新加坡国家青年华乐团行政部门