21 22
SEASON
V I C T O R I A
C O N C E R T
JULY TO SEPTEMBER 2021
H A L L
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair
Mr Goh Yew Lin
Deputy Chair
Ms Yong Ying-I
Directors Mr Ang Chek Meng Mr Chang Chee Pey Mr Chng Hak-Peng Mr Chng Kai Fong Mr Warren Fernandez Prof Arnoud De Meyer Mr Heinrich Grafe Ms Liew Wei Li Mr Sanjiv Misra Mr Paul Tan Dr Kelly Tang Mr Geoffrey Wong Mr Yee Chen Fah
2021 / 22 CONCERT SEASON JULY TO SEPTEMBER 2021
Victoria Concert Hall — 04 The Klais Organ — 06 At A Glance— 08 Concerts — 09 Ticketing — 13
The information in this publication is correct at press time but the Singapore Symphony Group reserves the right to change programmes or artistes without prior notice.
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Message from the Director of Artistic Planning
What a joy to be home, to be back on stage in the Victoria Concert Hall for this 21/22 season. We dearly missed this opportunity in 2020, when performing arts venues in Singapore went dark and all live performances were cancelled in March last year. We are thrilled to be able to open the doors of the concert hall to audiences once again, and as we reflect on the difficult year past, we also look to the future. I am delighted to have the opportunity to introduce you to collaborations with promising local talent, including Anne Maria Lim and More than Music, where we shine the spotlight on chamber music. The annual Singapore International Piano Festival returned in June 2021 with its first local-based edition over a fourday weekend, featuring a solo piano recital each night. The VCH Organ Series showcases the Klais organ and the rich diversity of sounds it produces. The Intimate Moments performances also make a return to the Victoria Concert Hall in this new season. As the power of music elevates the emotions of our human condition, we look to the shared experience of witnessing a concert performance together for the grace and healing which classical music can provide. Welcome back to our home.
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Hans Sørensen Director of Artistic Planning Singapore Symphony Group
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Victoria Co
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The historic Victoria Concert Hall is Home to the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.
oncert Hall Facing Empress Place on the banks of the Singapore River, the Victoria Concert Hall (VCH) is Singapore’s oldest concert hall and has been Home of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) since 1980. The VCH is host of the VCHpresents series, the annual Singapore International Piano Festival (SIPF) and the biennial National Piano and Violin Competition (NPVC) as well as regular outreach and community performances by the SSO. Within the hall’s intimate acoustics and beautifully restored interior, each of its 673 seats offers an immediate connection with the artistes on its stage, creating memorable experiences from outstanding classical music performances to young audiences’ first encounters with rhythm and sounds. Designed by architectural firm Swan & McLaren and built between 1902 and 1905 as a memorial hall in honour of Queen Victoria, the iconic hall was renovated from 1979 to 1980 to serve as a concert venue for the national orchestra. In 1987, the majestic Klais organ, Singapore’s only fully mechanical organ with its 2,012 pipes, was installed in VCH through the fundraising efforts of the then-newly formed Singapore Symphony Orchestra Ladies’ League.
In 2010, VCH underwent a four-year-long restoration by Singapore’s W Architects, with acoustics firm Arup as advisor, before reopening in 2014. During the process, 25 artisans from South India were flown in to restore the intricately carved pillars inside the Concert Hall. The hall’s renewed façade and improved facilities serve to accentuate the historic aura and heartfelt intimacy of the space. Our learning and access programmes at VCH have engaged and drawn diverse audiences. From light entertainment to experimental theatre, concerts for children to recitals for connoisseurs, the Victoria Concert Hall has something for everyone. Numerous performers have inspired audiences through repertoire ranging from brass chorales to full symphony choirs, from jazz trio to world music ensembles, from string quartets to piano and organ soloists. Activities include free concerts, and tickets start at $4 for schools. The VCH Rose Studio, an exclusive recording facility, captures the magic on stage, allowing us to share it with audiences outside the concert hall. Welcome to music, welcome to our home.
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The Klais Organ The Victoria Concert Hall’s Klais organ is Singapore’s only fully mechanical organ, and has strong emotional links with generations of audiences. It was first installed in 1987 through fundraising efforts from the then-newly formed Singapore Symphony Orchestra Ladies’ League. The Klais organ, built by German organ-builder Orgelbau Klais, replaced the St. Clair organ that had been built in the Victoria Concert Hall (VCH) some 50 years earlier in 1931. The St. Clair organ was named after Major W. G. St. Clair, founder of the old Philharmonic Society and the first editor of the Singapore Free Press, and its façade was retained after the installation of the Klais organ. In 2010, with the redevelopment of the VCH and Victoria Theatre, the organ – consisting
Visit www.sso.org.sg/klaisorgan to find out more.
of a total of 2,012 pipes – was methodically removed piece by piece, repaired and stored in climate-controlled warehouses during the refurbishment period. Many donors and supporters of classical music, notably the Lee Foundation, stepped forward to provide financial support for the restoration. When the VCH reopened in the second half of 2014, the lovely Klais pipe organ once again took centrestage both visually and musically, providing awe-inspiring and delicate strains of music to old and new audiences. The Singapore Symphony Group started the VCH Organ Series in 2014 as a set of specially curated concerts to showcase the beauty and power of the Klais organ to the people of Singapore.
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At A Glance 20 & 21
CHAMBER
JULY
Tue & Wed | 7:30pm | Concert Hall MORE THAN MUSIC, MORE THAN LOVE Loh Jun Hong, violin Dandan Wang, viola Ng Pei-Sian (The HEAD Foundation Chair), cello Abigail Sin, piano Timothy Wan, narrator
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ORGAN
AUGUST
Sun | 2pm & 5pm | Concert Hall PIPE UP! PEDAL TO THE METAL Isaac Lee, organ Chloe Miranda, percussion Kevin Tan, percussion
3&4
CHAMBER
10 & 11 I N T I M AT E M O M E N T S
SEPTEMBER
Fri & Sat | 7:30pm | Concert Hall BY ROMANTIC HAND Musicians of the SSO
Fri & Sat | 7:30pm | Concert Hall ON THE AIR WITH JIN TA Jin Ta, flute Musicians of the SSO Zhang Heyang, presenter
© SHOKI LIN AND MORE THAN MUSIC
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More Than Music, More Than Love One beautiful April morning, on a narrow side street in Tokyo’s fashionable Harajuku neighbourhood, I walked past the 100% perfect girl. So begins a story of love, told from the sweet musings of Bach to the stormy passion of Brahms, framing the centrepiece: Jonathan Shin’s musical reflections on Murakami’s brief tale of perfect love so close, yet so far. Founders of the More Than Music chamber series, Loh Jun Hong and Abigail Sin, join SSO violist Dandan Wang and cellist Ng Pei-Sian in this musical momento of loneliness and longing. J.S. BACH Aria from Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (arranged for String Trio) JONATHAN SHIN After Haruki Murakami’s short story “On Seeing The 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning” (Concert Premiere)* BRAHMS Piano Quartet No. 3 in C minor, Op. 60
Tue, 20 Jul 2021 Wed, 21 Jul 2021 7:30pm Concert Hall LOH JUN HONG, VIOLIN DANDAN WANG, VIOLA NG PEI-SIAN, CELLO (THE HEAD FOUNDATION CHAIR)
ABIGAIL SIN, PIANO TIMOTHY WAN, NARRATOR*
© MICHELLE TNG YING
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Pipe Up! Pedal to the Metal Pipe Up! series organist Isaac Lee is drumming up a different beat this time as he’s joined by percussionists of the Singapore National Youth Orchestra in this eyeopening recital of contemporary pieces for solo organ, percussion or both together.
Sun, 1 Aug 2021 2pm, 5pm Concert Hall ISAAC LEE, ORGAN CHLOE MIRANDA, PERCUSSION
GÁRDONYI Mozart Changes WAMMES Miroir AYRES Toccata on “All You Need Is Love” SEJOURNE Losa TREVINO 2+1 COPLAND Fanfare for the Common Man ROGG Incantations for Organ and Percussion
KEVIN TAN, PERCUSSION
Sponsored by
© SINGAPORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
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By Romantic Hand By passion, by artistry, by lyric genius - Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Brahms are the epitome of the Romantic musical soul. Let the musicians of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra take you, by figurative hand and heart, into their musical world via three pieces each in a different chamber combination. BEETHOVEN Variations on “Là ci darem la mano” from Mozart’s Don Giovanni MENDELSSOHN String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13 BRAHMS Piano Trio No. 3 in C minor, Op. 101
Fri, 3 Sep 2021 Sat, 4 Sep 2021 7:30pm Concert Hall MUSICIANS OF THE SSO
© SINGAPORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
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IN T IM AT E M O M E N T S 乐享 时光
On the Air with Jin Ta CO N V E R S AT I O N S I N M A N DARI N ON L Y
Jin Ta, veteran Principal Flute of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and an impressive composer/ arranger in his own right, is our next artist in the limelight. Come and meet him in this next instalment of our Intimate Moments series, where he will perform as well as talk about his life and music. TELEMANN Fantasia No. 1 in A major, for Solo Flute DUBOIS Petite Suite for Flute and Bassoon BOEHM Grand Polonaise Op. 16 for Flute and Piano BEETHOVEN Trio, Op. 87 for Flute, Clarinet and Bassoon JIN TA Rice - Tone Poem for Flute and Piano Supported by
Fri, 10 Sep 2021 Sat, 11 Sep 2021 7:30pm Concert Hall JIN TA, FLUTE MUSICIANS OF THE SSO ZHANG HEYANG, PRESENTER
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Book Your Tickets SISTIC Online at www.sso.org.sg
Call +65 6348 5555
Visit any SISTIC authorised agent near you
Admission Guidelines
All events in the VCHpresents season are for patrons aged 7 and above.
SSO Friends Season Pass, SSO Donors Discount 10% OFF all VCHpresents series concerts.
Concessions
Students, senior citizens (55 years and above), NSFs and persons with disabilities (PWD) enjoy concession discounts. Venue ushers may request to view a valid concession pass. Concession tickets are strictly non-transferable.
Affordable Tickets for Schools
Students can enjoy world-class performances at the Victoria Concert Hall at subsidised ticket prices as low as $10. Schools are able to use the Tote Board Arts Grant to subsidise up to 50% (excluding GST) of the final ticket price. Prices before booking fee. For school or corporate bookings, please contact our Customer Experience team at +65 6602 4245 or ticketing@sso.org.sg.
* Information valid at time of print
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VCHpresents on social media New season launches, rehearsal footage, a peek behind-the-scenes with guest artists and more – our social media channels are the best way to keep up-to-date with the latest news from VCHpresents.
@vchpresents
@vchhomeofthesso
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Ticket Prices
DATE
CAT 1
CAT 2
CAT 3
CONCESSION PRICES
MORE THAN MUSIC, MORE THAN LOVE
20 & 21 Jul 2021
$45
$30
$20
30% off (Cat 3)
BY ROMANTIC HAND
3 & 4 Sep 2021
$45
$30
$20
30% off (Cat 3)
1 Aug 2021
$5
20% off (Cat 1)
10 & 11 Sep 2021
$18
30% off (Cat 1)
C HAM B E R
O RGAN PIPE UP! PEDAL TO THE METAL
I NTI MATE M O M E NTS ON THE AIR WITH JIN TA
S U P P O R T TH E SSO
Music is Essential Music is Life
Please help Singapore Symphony Orchestra and our affiliated performing groups play on; bringing hope and joy to Singapore through many more memorable shared musical experiences!
service. I believe in the power of music.”
How can you help? The SSO is an arts charity and depends on your donations. If you are in a position to do so, please consider making a donation to support your orchestra – Build the future by giving in the present.
unforeseeable. Please keep safe and healthy and play on to spread the love for music.”
As a valued patron of the SSO, you will receive many benefits. Prelude
$1,000 - $2,499
Rhapsody
$2,500 - $4,999
Serenade
Overture
Concerto
Symphony
$5,000 - $9,999 $10,000 - $24,999 $25,000 - $49,999 $50,000 & above
COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS* Subscription /VCHpresents/ Family / SIPF /SISTIC Live
6 tickets
10 tickets
12 tickets
16 tickets
20 tickets
40 tickets
Gala /Christmas/Pops
–
–
2 tickets
4 tickets
6 tickets
20 tickets
SSO Special Gala Concerts
–
–
–
–
2 tickets
4 tickets
DONOR RECOGNITION & PUBLIC ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Concert booklets and website
Patron of the Arts Nomination
–
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Donors’ Wall at VCH
–
–
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Invitation to social events
Invitation to exclusive events
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OTHER BENEFITS
For tax residents of Singapore, all donations may be entitled to a tax deduction of 2.5 times the value of your donation. *Complimentary ticket benefits do not apply to supporters who give through a fundraising event.
Through the SSO and its affiliated performing groups, we spread the love for music, nurture talent and enrich our diverse communities. The Singapore Symphony Orchestra is a charity and not-for-profit organisation.
To find out more, please visit www.sso.org.sg/support-us, or write to Nikki Chuang at nikki@sso.org.sg.
F RIE N D S SE A S O N PA S S
Be a Friend! Save up to 25% on ticket prices for subscription concerts
CON TA CT US
Exclusive Meet-the-Artist opportunities
Call our friendly Customer Experience team (65) 6602 4245 (Monday to Friday, 9am – 6.30pm) Email ticketing@sso.org.sg
No more queues. Enjoy the convenience of online ticket redemption, wherever you are. 10% savings on all other events, including Christmas & Gala Concerts, Concerts for Children, VCHpresents and Singapore International Piano Festival 2022. Save on SISTIC booking fees. Pay only a $4 booking fee for every season pass.
By popular demand, we bring you the twin season pass for 2, allowing you to easily redeem two tickets per event in one transaction.
3-Concert Friends Season Pass
6-Concert Gold Friends Season Pass
Cat 1
$264 $224.40
$528 $396
Cat 2
$204 $173.40
$408 $306
Cat 3
$144 $122.40
$288 $216
Cat 4
$114 $96.90
$228 $171
Prices excludes a $4 SISTIC booking fee for each pass.
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Committees NOMINATING AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Mr Goh Yew Lin (Chair) Prof Arnoud De Meyer (Treasurer) Mr Paul Tan Ms Yong Ying-I Mr Geoffrey Wong HUMAN RESOURCES COMMITTEE Ms Yong Ying-I (Chair) Prof Arnoud De Meyer Mr Yee Chen Fah Dr Kelly Tang INVESTMENT COMMITTEE Mr Geoffrey Wong (Chair) Mr David Goh Mr Sanjiv Misra Mr Alex Lee AUDIT COMMITTEE Mr Yee Chen Fah (Chair) Mr Heinrich Grafe Ms Lim Mei SNYO COMMITTEE Ms Liew Wei Li (Chair) Mr Ang Chek Meng Mr Benjamin Goh Ms Vivien Goh Dr Kee Kirk Chin Mrs Clara Lim-Tan
SSO COUNCIL Prof Cham Tao Soon (Honorary Chair) Mr Alan Chan (Chair) Mrs Odile Benjamin Prof Chan Heng Chee Mr Choo Chiau Beng Dr Geh Min Mr Goh Geok Khim Mr Khoo Boon Hui Prof Tommy Koh Ms Lim Mei Mr JY Pillay Dr Stephen Riady Ms Priscylla Shaw Prof Gralf Sieghold Mr Andreas Sohmen-Pao Prof Bernard Tan Dr Tan Chin Nam Ms Tan Choo Leng Mr Tan Soo Nan Mr Wee Ee Cheong SSO MUSICIANS’ COMMITTEE Mr Mario Choo Mr Guo Hao Mr David Smith Mr Wang Xu Mr Christoph Wichert Ms Elaine Yeo Mr Zhao Tian
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Management CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Mr Chng Hak-Peng ARTISTIC PLANNING Mr Hans Sørensen (Head)
CEO OFFICE Ms Shirin Foo
CORPORATE SERVICES Ms Lillian Yin (Head)
PROGRAMMES (SSO)
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
FINANCE, IT & FACILITIES
Ms Kua Li Leng Ms Teo Chew Yen Ms Jodie Chiang
Mr Randy Teo Ms Dacia Cheang Ms Nur Shafiqah bte Othman
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
DEVELOPMENT Ms Chelsea Zhao Ms Nikki Chuang Ms Anderlin Yeo Ms Charmaine Fong Ms Fang Xiao Min
Mr Rick Ong Mr Alan Ong Ms Goh Hoey Fen Mr Loh Chin Huat Mr Md Zailani bin Md Said
Ms Vanessa Lee Ms Samantha Lim CHORAL PROGRAMMES
Ms Regina Lee Ms Whitney Tan PROGRAMMES (VCH)
Ms Erin Tan Ms Lynnette Chng ORCHESTRA MANAGEMENT Mr Ernest Khoo (Head) ORCHESTRA
Mr Chia Jit Min Ms Karis Ong CONCERT OPERATIONS
Ms Siti Raudha Tehan Ms Chin Rosherna Ms Fenella Ng Ms Nurul Ainnie bte Md Sidek Mr Ramayah Elango Mr Mazlan bin Ali LIBRARY
Mr Lim Lip Hua Ms Wong Yi Wen Mr Avik Chari
MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS Ms Cindy Lim (Head) Mr Chia Han-Leon Ms Myrtle Lee Ms Jana Loh Ms Hong Shu Hui Ms Sherilyn Lim DIGITAL SSO Ms Cindy Lim (Lead) Mr Chia Jit Min (Asst Lead) Mr Jason Siriwardene (Digital Producer) Mr Chia Han-Leon Mr Hans Sørensen
HUMAN RESOURCES & ADMINISTRATION
Mr Desmen Low Ms Melissa Lee Ms Evelyn Siew LEGAL
Mr Edward Loh SINGAPORE NATIONAL YOUTH ORCHESTRA Ms Pang Siu Yuin (Head) Mr Lai Jun Wei Ms Yani Saaban Ms Tang Ya Yun Ms Tan Sing Yee ABRSM Ms Patricia Yee Ms Lai Li-Yng Mr Joong Siow Chong COVID-19 RESPONSE COORDINATION Ms Lillian Yin (Lead) Mr Rick Ong (Asst Lead)
SUPPORTED BY
PATRON SPONSOR
MATCHED BY
MAJOR DONORS
Mr & Mrs Goh Yew Lin
SEASON PARTNERS Official Radio Station
Official Community Partner
Official Outdoor Media Partner
SEASON PATRONS
Official Airline
The mission of the Singapore Symphony Group is to create memorable shared experiences with music. Through the SSO and its affiliated performing groups, we spread the love for music, nurture talent and enrich our diverse communities. The Singapore Symphony Orchestra is a charity and not-for-profit organisation. You can support us by donating at www.sso.org.sg/donate.
VCHpresents
VCHhomeofthesso
SSO.ORG.SG/VCHPRESENTS
