SINGAPORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
16 Mar 2024, Sat 11am & 2pm
Esplanade Concert Hall
PROGRAMME
Holiday from Day in the Lion City
by Kelly Tang
Sleepover at the Museum
by Karen LeFrak
SINGAPORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
We’re the Singapore Symphony Orchestra – you can call us the SSO! An orchestra is made up of many musicians playing different instruments like violins, cellos, flutes, trumpets, horns and percussion - all together. Did you know that the word “symphony” means “sounding together”? That’s what the SSO does, playing music by great composers such as Mozart and Beethoven. We usually play in a concert hall, like the beautiful Victoria Concert Hall, our home. Our big concerts are held at the Esplanade Concert Hall which can seat 1,800 people. We want to show everyone how enjoyable classical music is, so sometimes we have concerts near your home, or at the Singapore Botanic Gardens - you can enjoy fresh air and nature while listening to beautiful music!
BARRÁEZ
Welcome to our concert! I come from Venezuela in South America – it's on the opposite side of the Earth from Singapore. When I was about your age, I was taught music by the famous El Sistema music education programme in my country. I can play the violin but nowadays I conduct orchestras all over the world, from the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Walt Disney Concert Hall to the Paris Opera to the Hong Kong Sinfonietta. In 2022, I joined the Singapore Symphony Orchestra family as Associate Conductor. You can watch me conduct the SSO at the Victoria and Esplanade Concert Halls, and also at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Let me bring you into the marvelous world of classical music!
Hello! I am Tan Rui Shan, an actress and choreographer. Some of my theatre credits include playing the role of Mrs Lee Kuan Yew in Kwa Geok Choo by Toy Factory, and also choreographing for A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Singapore Repertory Theatre. As the co-founder of Bitesize Theatre Productions, my team and I have also created original works such as The Monster in the Mirror Musical. This July, you can catch me playing the iconic title role in Toy Factory’s Titoudao and choreographing Wild Rice’s year-end pantomime The Wizard of Oz! As you can probably tell, I love telling stories in many different ways and today’s performance is extra special and exciting for me because it will be my first time telling a story together with a whole orchestra live!
RODOLFO
Associate Conductor
TAN RUI SHAN narrator
Can you s o lv e t h e se clues?
Draw lines to match the clues to the right answers and correct room
Clue Answer Room
Of all the planets around the sun, thousands of rings surround this one.
He comes from an egg. His size gives him fame. This king of the reptiles has quite a long name.
This mammal that uses his nose as a hose can wash his huge body and all twenty toes.
The hardest gems you’ll find on Earth will dazzle you for all they’re worth.
These birds had feathers but could not soar.
They’re now extinct. There are no more.
These fragile insects - queens or kingsare always noticed for their wings.
Dodo Birds
Elephant
Tyrannosaurus Rex
Monarch Butterflies
Saturn Diamonds
Clue 1: Saturn – Earth and Space Room Clue 2: Tyrannosaurus Rex – Hall of Dinosaurs Clue 3: Elephant – Hall of African Mammals Clue 4: Diamonds – Hall of Minerals Clue 5: Dodo Birds – Hall of Biodiversity Clue 6: Monarch Butterflies – The Butterfly Pavillion
Earth and Space Room
Hall of Dinosaurs
Hall of African Mammals
Hall of Minerals
Hall of Biodiversity
The Butterfly Pavillion
Create yo u r o w n s leepover!
What is your name?
When is your birthday?
Where Will your sleepover take place?
Who Will you invite?
hoW Will your sleepover look like? draW it beloW!
Enjoy the s e o t h er activities
Biodiversity Outreach Booth
Main foyer, level 1
Families are invited to learn more about selected biodiversity specimens such as the pangolin, plantain squirrel, leatherback sea turtle and more, from staff and volunteers of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, National University of Singapore.
Instrument Petting Zoo
Circle 2 foyer, level 3
Get up close and personal with instruments like the violin, flute, trumpet, and various percussion instruments. Musicians will be on hand to provide an introduction and answer any questions you may have. Learn about how they’re played and get a chance to try them yourself!
Photo Booth
Main foyer, level 1
Strike a pose at our booth and receive a complimentary photo souvenir to bring home!
Post-Show
Meet and Greet
Main foyer, level 1
Audiences will get their chance to interact with SSO musicians, and ask questions to better understand what goes behind the hard work of a musician.
The fringe activities mentioned above (apart from meet and greet) will begin an hour before the concert, close 15 minutes before the concert, and will re-open again after the concert ends.
THE ORCHESTRA
FIRST VIOLIN
(Position vacant) Concertmaster, GK Goh Chair
Kong Zhao Hui1 Associate Concertmaster
Chan Yoong-Han2 Fixed Chair
Cao Can*
Chen Da Wei
Duan Yu Ling
Foo Say Ming
Jin Li
Kong Xianlong
Cindy Lee
Karen Tan
William Tan
Wei Zhe
Ye Lin*
Zhang Si Jing
SECOND VIOLIN
Michael Loh Associate Principal
Nikolai Koval*
Sayuri Kuru
Hai-Won Kwok
Chikako Sasaki*
Margit Saur
Shao Tao Tao
Tseng Chieh-An
Wu Man Yun*
Xu Jueyi*
Yeo Teow Meng
Yin Shu Zhan*
Zhao Tian
VIOLA
Manchin Zhang Principal
Guan Qi Associate Principal
Gu Bing Jie* Fixed Chair
Marietta Ku
Luo Biao
Julia Park
Shui Bing
Janice Tsai
Dandan Wang
Yang Shi Li
Yeo Jan Wea3
CELLO
Ng Pei-Sian Principal, The HEAD Foundation Chair
Yu Jing Associate Principal
Guo Hao Fixed Chair
Chan Wei Shing
Christopher Mui
Jamshid Saydikarimov
Song Woon Teng
Wang Yan
Wang Zihao 3
Wu Dai Dai
Zhao Yu Er
DOUBLE BASS
Yang Zheng Yi Associate Principal
Karen Yeo Fixed Chair
Olga Alexandrova
Chia Ying Yin3
Jacek Mirucki
Guennadi Mouzyka
Wang Xu
FLUTE
Jin Ta Principal, Stephen Riady Chair
Evgueni Brokmiller Associate Principal
Roberto Alvarez
Miao Shanshan
PICCOLO
Roberto Alvarez Assistant Principal
OBOE
Rachel Walker Principal
Pan Yun Associate Principal
Carolyn Hollier
Elaine Yeo
COR ANGLAIS
Elaine Yeo Associate Principal
CLARINET
Ma Yue Principal
Li Xin Associate Principal
Liu Yoko
Tang Xiao Ping
BASS CLARINET
Tang Xiao Ping Assistant Principal
BASSOON
Marcelo Padilla^ Principal
Liu Chang Associate Principal
Christoph Wichert
Zhao Ying Xue
CONTRABASSOON
Zhao Ying Xue Assistant Principal
HORN
Austin Larson Principal
Gao Jian Associate Principal
Jamie Hersch Associate Principal
Marc-Antoine Robillard Associate Principal
Bryan Chong ^
Hoang Van Hoc
Christopher Shen3
TRUMPET
Jon Paul Dante Principal
David Smith Associate Principal
Lau Wen Rong
Nuttakamon Supattranont
TROMBONE
Allen Meek Principal
Damian Patti Associate Principal
Samuel Armstrong
BASS TROMBONE
Wang Wei Assistant Principal
TUBA
Tomoki Natsume Principal
TIMPANI
Christian Schiøler Principal
Mario Choo
PERCUSSION
Jonathan Fox Principal
Mark Suter Associate Principal
Mario Choo
Lee Yu Ru3
Lim Meng Keh
HARP
Gulnara Mashurova Principal
PIANO/CELESTA
Beatrice Lin3
* With deep appreciation to the Rin Collection for their generous loan of string instruments.
^ Musician on temporary contract
1 Kong Zhao Hui performs on a J.B. Guadagnini of Milan, c. 1750, donated by the National Arts Council, Singapore, with the support of Far East Organization and Lee Foundation.
2 Chan Yoong-Han performs on a David Tecchler, Fecit Roma An. D. 1700, courtesy of Mr G K Goh. Musicians listed alphabetically by family name rotate their seats on a per programme basis.
3 Guest Musician
