27 MAY 17 SAT | 7.30PM VICTORIA CONCERT HALL
PROGRAMME Conductors Wong Lai Foon & Darius Lim Piano Gabriel Hoe & Evelyn Handrisanto
Percussion Chong Yew Khen
Oboe Elaine Yeo
Double Bass Wang Xu
Cello Wang Zihao
ZOLTÁN KODÁLY Esti Dal (“Evening Song”) J.S. BACH, arr MALCOM V. EDWARDS, Aria (from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major) DANIEL ELDER Lullaby (from Three Nocturnes) SERGEI RACHMANINOV, arr. WONG LAI FOON Vocalise KARL JENKINS Adiemus FELIX MENDELSSOHN Jauchzet dem Herrn, alle Welt (Psalm 100) MORTEN LAURIDSEN O Nata Lux (from Lux Aeterna) ANONYMOUS Alle Psallite DARIUS LIM Echoes of the Lost World
INTERMISSION
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART, arr. BRIAN TRANT Motet: Ave Verum ERIC WHITACRE Seal Lullaby FELIX MENDELSSOHN, trans. GEOFFREY M. MASON Die Nachtigall (“The Nightingale”) ENNIO MORRICONE, arr. CRAIG HELLA JOHNSON Gabriel’s Oboe J.S. BACH, trans. BENNETT WILLIAMS Bourrée for Bach (from second English Suite) FRANZ SCHUBERT, arr. D. JASON BISHOP Die Forelle TAIWANESE FOLKSONG, arr. CHIEN SHAN-HUA Diu Diu Dang A (丢丢铜仔) CHEN ZHANGYI Water VICTOR PARANJOTI, trans. DONALD PATRIQUIN Dravidian Dithyramb JAPANESE FOLKSONG, arr. DWIGHT OKAMURA Sakura Sakura SERGEI RACHMANINOV, arr. ELENA SHARKOVA Spring Waters
SINGAPORE SYMPHONY CHILDREN’S CHOIR
Formed in 2006, the Singapore Symphony Children’s Choir (SSCC) has established itself as the leading children’s choir in Singapore. It seeks to enrich the lives of young singers between the ages of 9 and 16, through a holistic choral training programme that nurtures artistic growth and personal development. Since its debut performance in 2007, the SSCC has given many successful concerts, including appearances with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) in Mahler’s Third Symphony, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Berlioz’s The Damnation of Faust, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Britten’s War Requiem, and Bizet’s Carmen. The SSCC is also a regular feature in the orchestra’s annual Christmas concerts. It has performed at the Philharmonie de Paris in a collaborative performance of Berlioz’s Te Deum with the Maîtrise de Radio France, as well as at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas, where it partnered the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra in concert. In commemoration of a wonderful decade of singing, the Singapore Symphony Children’s Choir has had a bustling line-up of activity, including recording their first CD, And I’ll Sing Once More, which is now available for purchase. “Simply outstanding.” – The Straits Times
PERFORMERS Ana Magdalena Banchs Bryan Alexander Carmichael Jaime Chew Chien Yee Arjun Chhabra Kelly Chin Kai Lee Cho Wei Jin David Alexandra Jessica Conklin Sophie Helena Du Toit Nia Edwards Fong Zhen Rong Drew Maria Erika Goh Nicole Gabrielle Gunawan Charissa Kavitha Gurvinder Ikabella Margaret Heaps Shunsho Ando Heng Erin Fidela Ho Hoo Amanda Hoo Ashley Sirintra Sydney Klungsupavipat Lam Hin Yi Sonja Arthur Lee Zheng Yang Elysse Lee Yong Eun Lee Xin Ning Loke Jin Cheng, Javier
Chloe Luai Shan Han Lilian Aiqi Morrison Rynoa Myasara Nahrin Ng Ching Wen Kellianne Oh Chin Aik Chloe Ong Shuen Yee Anya Fairuzanda Prabowo Michael Robinson Chloe Natasha See Lin Soh Hui Min, Kristen Soh Hui Xuan Megan Samyukta Sounderraman Tam Min Hui Tiffany Ashley Tan Qi Xuan Tan Carine Tan Changyu Lara Tan Rui-Qi Tan Liang Rong Tan Yuqing Justin Teng Tzen Xiang Jasmine Grace Towndrow Mao Yamaura Ashley Jill Yeo Terence Zhang Le Cheng Zhou Yixi
SINGAPORE SYMPHONY YOUTH CHOIR The Singapore Symphony Youth Choir is the newest choral ensemble to be singing under the belt of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, and makes their formal concert debut this evening. Formed in 2016 to enable mature members of the Singapore Symphony Children’s Choir (SSCC) to continue their development in classical choral singing, as well as for young adults to further their interest in choral singing, the SSYC is an extension of the SSCC and exists to artistically enrich young adults musically and vocally, and to primarily serve the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO). Singapore’s finest young choral singers aged between 14 and 28 revel in the best of all musical worlds and styles, ranging from orchestral to a cappella masterpieces covering the Renaissance period to contemporary music of the 21st century.
PERFORMERS Arnie Amirah Binte Arfiee Cortez Alfonso Yuji Abeleda* Rachael Chan Wharton Chan O Yinn Meredith Cheong Chua Liang Wei Deborah Goh Jia Hui Titus Xianfeng Goh* Evelyn Handrisanto Shunsho Ando Heng* Joanne Biju Joseph Lee Jun Hong John Gerard Lim^ Ivan Lim Jun Hong Lim Enhui^ Lim Jia Hwei Janice Trixi Lim Rui Si Ling Zhen Liang
Marcus Loh Men Tong* Loh Shao Wei Loh Zhong Wen Jon* Shreya Jagdish Mallabadi Ethan James Murugasu* Harry Ng Ho Man Nindya Ratnaningrum Ellissa Sayampanathan^ Desiree Seng Boon Huang Soo Zi Hao Bjorn Kenneth Tay^ Tai Jien Nee Tan Li Thong Freda Luke Teo Zhong En Wee Wan Ying Susanna Maria Austina Widanti Alison Wong^ Stefanie Wong Zhang Zeyu
*Also members of the Boys’ Ensemble ^ Guest singers
As a founder-conductor of the Singapore Symphony Children’s Choir, Wong Lai Foon has dedicated the past decade towards building up the ensemble to become the leading children’s choir in the nation. Since her appointment as Choirmaster in 2015, the SSCC has garnered much praise for its impressive choral tone, and its musically precise and polished performances, earning it the commendation of “one of the best children’s choirs in Asia” in a recent review.
WONG LAI FOON Choirmaster
In the past two years, Ms. Wong has spearheaded the expansion of the SSCC, which now comprises a Concert Choir, Training Choir, three preparatory choirs, a Boys’ Ensemble, and a Youth Choir. During this time, she also led the Concert Choir on two tours, performing at the Philharmonie de Paris in 2015 with the MaÎtrise de Radio France as part of Singapour en France – le Festival, and at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas, Kuala Lumpur, during a joint concert tour with the Singapore National Youth Orchestra in December 2016.
Commemorating the SSCC’s 10th anniversary last year, Ms Wong directed the choir in a series of exciting performances and projects, which included Mahler’s Third Symphony and Bizet’s Carmen with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, as well as a collaborative concert with the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. Two new choral works by local composers were also commissioned to commemorate the SSCC’s tenth year; Water, by Chen Zhangyi, and A Child’s Voice, by Lee Chin Sin. Both pieces are part of the compilation of songs on the newly launched SSCC’s CD, And I’ll Sing Once More. Through her work with the SSCC, Ms. Wong aspires to inspire a generation of young choral singers to embrace the choral art and strive for musical and artistic excellence. In demand as a conductor with choirs across various segments of the community, Ms Wong is the resident conductor of the Methodist Festival Choir, and the assistant conductor of The Philharmonic Chamber Choir. She has also previously prepared works for the Singapore Symphony Chorus and Singapore Lyric Opera. She received her master’s degree in choral conducting from Westminster Choir College, under the tutelage of Joseph Flummerfelt.
DARIUS LIM Associate Choirmaster Singaporean Choral Conductor-Composer Darius Lim has risen to prominence in the national and international music scene with more than 40 national and international awards that include Gold medals, 1st and 2nd Prizes, Category Champions, and other special prizes in both local and international choral and composition competitions. Upon returning to Singapore after graduating from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama with a Masters in Choral Conducting (with Distinction), Darius Lim was appointed Assistant-Choirmaster of the Singapore Symphony Children’s Choir. Under Lim’s baton, choirs have performed in numerous national events such as the Singapore Youth Festival Opening & Closing concerts, Aseanapol in Harmony Celebrations and Singapore Youth Festival International Night. He has been chorusmaster for many productions that include Fences- An Opera in Two Acts, Phua Chu Kang The Musical, Unity in Diversity and Aseanapol in Harmony. As a composer, Lim’s choral works have been performed widely around the world by choirs in China, America, Hong Kong, Australia, Spain, South Korea, Finland, Malaysia, Taiwan, Russia, Singapore and the Philippines. He is one of the newest international composers to be published by world leading music publisher, Edition Peters. Currently Music Director of VOCO Singapore Ladies Choir and VOCE Singapore Men’s Choir, Artistic Director of Voices of Asia International Choir Festival, President of the Choral Directors’ Association of Singapore and Associate Choirmaster of the Singapore Symphony Children’s Choir, Darius Lim continues to push the boundaries of Singaporean choral music.
PROGRAMME NOTES The choral repertoire is remarkably rich and diverse; seemingly anything can spark a composer’s imagination. Plus the genre is ever expanding, with new works as popular as the folk songs, sacred pieces and classical works from the past. “What need is there of words, when you will be able to convey everything better and more expressively… by your voice and interpretation?” Sergei Rachmaninov proved his point with Vocalise, heard here in an arrangement by Wong Lai Foon. Victor Paranjoti, described as being “passionately involved with Western Classical music in India” uses nonsense syllables in Dravidian Dithyramb, which resembles a tarana - a form of Hindustani classical music that employs Persian and Arabic phonemes. Instrumental music can also be adapted for voice, as in the two works by Johann Sebastian Bach on the programme. Songs with words, however, are able to express profound emotion or simple joy and delight. Daniel Elder’s Lullaby can be interpreted either as a mother soothing a child afraid of the dark, or as tribute to fallen soldiers at eventide. The lullaby Esti Dal is just one of the many folk songs collected by the Hungarian composer Zoltán Kodály. The sound of rain falling on a moving train inspired the popular Taiwanese folk song Diu Diu Dang A, performed in an arrangement by Chien Shan-Hua. Sakura Sakura waxes lyric about Japan’s cherry blossoms and is also heard as a signal at crosswalks throughout the country. Intertwined throughout is nature. In Franz Schubert’s, Die Forelle, a trout swims in a babbling brook. The nightingale’s song inspired many poets and in turn composers, including Mendelssohn.
Spring in all its glory, did the same. The Seal Lullaby by Eric Whitacre evokes images of dark sea waters and moonlight to assure a baby seal that neither storms nor sharks will harm it. Chen Zhangyi composed Water in memory of Timothy, a trombonist with the Singapore National Youth Orchestra on commission by the SSCC to celebrate its 10th anniversary. It ends hauntingly: “Water, I believed that you could only wash my dirt till you seeped as tears to cleanse my soul”. Christianity’s ancient Latin texts have inspired composers for centuries. Alle Psallite, an anonymous three-part motet from the Middle Ages based on the acclamation Alleluia, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s motet, Ave Verum, were both intended for use in the rites of the Catholic church. Morton Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna was inspired by light. The third movement, O Nata Lux is the centerpiece from which all other references to light in the work radiate. Mendelssohn, who lived in Protestant Germany, however, set Psalm 100 from the Old Testament of the Bible in the vernacular. But why be constrained by reality? Karl Jenkins, the world’s most performed living composer, invented a new language, which he combined with tribal and ethnic drumming in Adiemus. Darius Lim composed Echoes of the Lost World to help children and youth explore the possibilities of self-discovery as well as limitless imagination and expression. The work explores the entire range of a child’s voice and incorporates choreography that is meant to enhance the dance motifs in the music. For as Lauridsen has written, the human voice truly “is the most wonderful and personal of all musical instruments”. And, there are such wonderful sounds to enjoy.
Programme notes by Rick Perdian
COMING UP NEXT THE SSCC EXPERIENCE 4 & 5 September 2017, Monday & Tuesday, 9am – 6pm For kids who love to sing! Join us for an unforgettable day of music-making. This day-long choral experience will help your child discover his or her own voice with workshops conducted by our SSCC conductors. Participants will get a chance to experience a day in the life of an SSCC performer, and have the opportunity to sing on stage at the iconic Victoria Concert Hall.
FEE $88 for all participants ages 8 (born 2009) to 15
Registration opens 5 June 2017 Closing date: 28 August 2017
Visit www.sso.org.sg/sscc to register!
SSYC AUDITIONS If you’re aged between 18 and 28 and would like to join the SSO choral family to start singing choral masterpieces at the highest level, why not join our youth wing, the SSYC, to see what it is all about. Rehearsals are held every Monday evening at 7.30pm.
Registration opens 5 June 2017 Closing date: 17 September 2017
SSCC AUDITIONS 24 September 2017, Sunday, 10am onwards The SSCC offers training and performance opportunities to children between the ages of 9 and 16. With instruction to develop vocal technique, music literacy and musicianship, the choir is committed to nurturing young talents and helping them achieve their musical potential. The experience of choral singing at a high level with the SSCC requires discipline and teamwork, which in turn fosters the building of confidence, self-esteem, and the development of important life skills. As part of the choral arm of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO), the SSCC offers the unique experience of performing with the SSO in orchestral works that require children’s voices.
FEE $25 for children ages 8 (born 2009) to 15 For more information about the SSO Choirs and auditions, email choral@sso.org.sg
PATRON SPONSOR
PRINCIPAL CHAMPION
Mr Christopher Ho & Mrs Rosy Ho
A PRODUCTION OF
SSChildrensChoir www.sso.org.sg/sscc singaporesymphonyyouthchoir www.sso.org.sg/ssyc