By Fontane Liang
I looked back fondly on our previous concert tour to Shanghai in November 2023. It was a special one as we performed our unique Young Children’s Concert (YCC) DiSCOvering Treasures of Chinese Music – In Search of the Magical Musical Bows, the brainchild of our Principal Conductor Mr. Quek Ling Kiong, to the Chinese audience for the very first time; and we reunited with our retired Music Director, Maestro Tsung Yeh for an evening at Shangyin Opera House. Here are 8 things that I remember and perhaps relive in our next tour!
- Instruments need a passport to travel too
Did you know that each and every instrument shipped requires an ATA Carnet to travel? Fondly referred to as “instrument passports” by our crew, ATA Carnet is an international customs document that allows for temporary entry of goods on a duty-free and tax-free basis, whether shipped or hand-carried. Although most of our string instruments were made in China, it is tricky to bring it back to its country of origin as there are restrictions on the import of snakeskin products. If you didn’t know, the skin of Huqin are made from snakes!
Prior to flying, we received news that some of our instruments were stuck at the customs, so our bowed strings musicians flew with their Huqin as hand carry baggage for backup. Thankfully for me, the harp is too big, heavy and costly to be shipped. So, alongside some percussion instruments and the double bass, these instruments were either rented or borrowed in Shanghai. Discussions on choosing the right instrument for rental started months before arrival and it’s always nerve-wrecking for me when I perform overseas as one never knows the true state of the instrument until you meet it for a first time! Much like a first date.
- The production crew has the toughest job
If you thought that conveying a whole orchestra of more than 80 people was difficult, spare a thought for our production crew who had to take care of the instruments and gear for the entire orchestra. It is also because of the nature of the 2 YCC performances, we had A LOT of gear including costume changes, props and some of our own audio equipment. In total, SCO travelled with over 50 cargo boxes, of which our concert attire and music scores alone took up more than 5 boxes. We also had the extra obstacle of not performing on home ground. As part of the battle with the weather for the outdoor YCC concerts, our crew had to use small towels to mop up the stage and wrung the water into small plastic bags! Kudos to them for their professionalism and dedication.
- Bring a warmer for outdoor performances in late autumn
We knew that Shanghai will be cold and rainy, but we still weren’t prepared for the extent of it. Thankfully, our administration crew had the foresight to bring some electric warmers and heat packs for us to use during outdoor performances. This was especially important for the soloists who had to wait around for quite a long time, before going on stage. I additionally used fingerless gloves to keep warm as I needed to play the accompaniment for The Swan, which was quite tricky to play with icy cold hands!
- We perform indoors-outdoors, rain or shine, hot or cold!
SCO is no stranger to playing outdoors and in the heat whenever we do community outreach concerts in Singapore. In Shanghai, the orchestra proved that we will indeed play rain or shine, indoors or outdoors! Both concerts at Shanghai City Lawn Plaza and Xiangyang Park were outdoors. The first one was memorable because the audience sat uncovered in the open, only the stage was covered. We thought that no one would show up when it began to drizzle and temperature dipped sharply at night, but the crowds thronged, filled all the seats and gave us such a warm support! They were so enthusiastic that our crew had to step forward as bodyguards while the musicians on the ground performed the Flight of the Bumblebee or gave away exclusive SCO merchandise to the audience. The park performance was equally unforgettable as we were surrounded by the locals doing the Square Dance (广场舞)! It was so tempting to join in and the locals hammed it up for the camera when we whipped out our phones.
- It’s not a good idea to have a big party before going overseas
Prior to the tour departure, we had our annual company Dinner and Dance event. It was a great way to celebrate our hard work together, until we realised that a few of our colleagues were down with COVID! As the reports of sickness came rolling in, we realised that the transmission rate was high due to the close proximity and sharing a meal together at the party. Thankfully I was spared, but my colleagues seated on either side of me weren’t so lucky. Sickness during and before going on tour is tricky - we aren’t on home ground and finding a replacement is difficult. Which brings me to my next point…
- Knowing your fellow section mate’s part can come in handy
Alas, two of our musicians couldn’t make it for the tour because they were still unwell by the morning that we flew. Therefore, this meant that one of our Erhu musicians, who was expecting during the tour, kindly offered to reprise her role as a Bumblebee soloist and our Principal Dizi stepped in to play the significant solo for Eric Watson’s The Ceilidh.
- China is home for many of our musicians
When I was on tour, I got to meet quite a few of my colleagues’ family members who either resided in Shanghai or took the opportunity to fly over to meet their loved ones. It was heart-warming to see families and friends reconnect and hear stories exchanged. For some of our musicians who studied in Shanghai, it was a chance for them to visit their alma mater and reconnect with old classmates. Our Principal Conductor Mr. Quek was one of them, and he affectionately addressed the Chinese audience in Shanghainese during our YCC concert.
- PC Quek used to take lessons on how to be a clown
It was a poignant moment when we finished our second YCC concert performance as it could possibly be the last time that we perform Quek Quek’s Adventures Series under Mr. Quek’s baton. I have fond memories of Mr. Quek’s productions like Ah De and Quek Quek, because my very first concert with SCO (since I joined the orchestra officially), was Ah De Goes to Nanyang (and that was my first and last time to play the harp in baju kurung). Any SCO musician will tell you that in our YCC concerts, playing the music is the easiest thing to do; what is difficult is everything else around it – the timing, the audience interaction, remembering lines etc. But the hardest role belongs to the conductor who not only has to lead the orchestra, but narrate the story and work the crowd at the same time. I invited Mr. Quek to share about how he created these interactive concert productions, which have since become iconic crowd favourites amongst our audiences. He was filled with gratitude on the production of these 2 concerts and shared about how he took inspiration from Leonard Bernstein. His idea was to incorporate theatrical elements coupled with a small budget, which led to Mr. Quek’s enrolment in clown-acting classes so that he could be a one-man show on stage!
Going on concert tours is always a joy and privilege for me as an orchestral musician as we are able to bring our music to others in an exchange of cultures. Travelling and performing together is an intense social microcosm that allows us to discover more about ourselves and one another. Looking back on these 8 things that I have learnt, I’m curious to experience and reflect on what is to come in our next tour!