Music Newsletter

FROMTHE DIRECTOROFMUSIC

With the end of another term, and indeed another academic year rapidly approaching, it’s once again time to reflect on the significant achievements of our musicians here at Tanglin. Despite the pressures of academic exams and assessments, trips, and a whole host of other ‘distractions’, our students have once again been committed to a vast array of events across the term, ranging from informal and lunchtime concerts through to the larger scale ensemble concerts, the middle school production of Moana, and of course the wonderful Choral Concert which took place in April in the beautiful surroundings of the Victoria Concert Hall. This Newsletter will hopefully highlight the breadth of amazing opportunities that are on offer to Tanglin musicians.

We are working hard behind the scenes on building relationships with individuals and organisations both in Singapore and further afield and we’ve been very fortunate to welcome a number of visitors to Tanglin over the course of the term Chris Cobb, the CEO of ABRSM visited with a delegation from the organisation, with discussions focusing on their instrumental exams, as well as possible future collaborations. I explained how I perceive the online face-to-face exams to be much more beneficial for young musicians, and was pleased to hear that this view is consistent with Directors of Music across the region and beyond. Whilst there is certainly a place for online performance exams, the face-to-face exams undoubtedly provide a greater sense of performance consistent with performing as a soloist in recitals.

Similar conversations about collaborative opportunities have also been had in recent weeks with a representative from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, as we seek to inspire our young musicians and give them the best possible opportunities. What has been made clear is that people from across the globe have heard of Tanglin and have heard of the fabulous music facilities and provision here It is exciting that such well established and important institutions are interested in collaborating with us

We have been busy selecting our first cohort of Centenary Music Scholars and we are delighted to have offered 12 scholarships across the Senior School These young musicians will really be the ambassadors of Music at Tanglin and beyond, and their influence in the coming months and years will be vital in providing a sense of aspiration for our younger students. There will be a celebratory Scholars Concert to launch the programme early in Term One next academic year, so make sure you come along for what will undoubtedly be an outstanding evening of music.

Final preparations are also underway for another exciting venture which takes place early next academic year - our Music Performance Tour to Spain We are delighted to be taking 48 students, accompanied by 5 staff to Salamanca and Madrid in the first week of the October half term, performing 4 concerts in a range of venues. It promises to be an exciting week of music-making, creating lifelong memories and again, giving outstanding opportunities to our students.

These opportunities would not be possible without the expertise, dedication and phenomenal energy of our teachers, which is evident throughout the year. Their willingness to go above and beyond really is exemplary and fulfils our agreed department philosophy which states:

Music at Tanglin is inclusive, enjoyable and both aspirational as well as inspirational. Through offering a broad range of opportunities and by sharing our passion for music, we enable our students to be creative and to thrive whatever their individual interests

Introducing our new Music Scholars

ewsletter and reflecting on a significant year of Music at Tanglin ward to next year, particularly with the school centenary aunch of the Scholars Programme, the tour to Spain, the Senior Dolls and the Gala Concert in the Esplanade are just some of the

Our video review of the year, featuring photos of some of the main events that have taken place, can be viewed here

I wish you a very enjoyable summer.

Rob Hall Director of Music

REVIEWOFTHETERM

Paul Phoenix visit

We were delighted to welcome double-Grammy Award Winner and former King's Singer, Paul Phoenix back to Tanglin in April to work with, and inspire our young musicians. As well as coaching some of our more advanced singers, he also visited Chorals and Choir rehearsals, and performed an intimate recital, reflecting on his illustrious career. Paul then joined us for the Choral Concert, singing alongside some of the choirs and performing a couple of solos too. Thank you Paul, we hope to see you again soon!

Finals of Musician of the Year

130 of Tanglin’s finest young musicians entered this year’s competition to be crowned the Musician of the Year 2024. The first round took place online with performers submitting a video recording of their performance for the judges’ consideration, and approximately 60-70% of entries from each category were selected to go through to Round Two.

Paul commented ‘What struck me about this exceptional event was the sheer depth of talent and musicianship across multiple disciplines, from the Intermediate Class through to the Advanced Class. I feel that it’s important to express and articulate careful practice and preparation in performance - not something that comes naturally to all musicians, especially young people and I was deeply impressed by so many of the performances. None of this happens by accident and it is testimony not only to the pupils but also to their teachers, who are clearly working hard to encourage students to be the best versions of themselves, even in what could be a stressful performance situation. Congratulations to all!’

Many congratulations to everyone who performed, but particularly to the winners:

Round Two took place in early March and required our instrumentalists and singers to perform live in front of a small panel of judges who debated each performance before making the tough decisions of who to put through to the Finalists’ Concerts. So many factors go into such decisions; technical proficiency; musicality; accuracy; engagement, but often it simply comes down to which performances we would like to see and hear again.

Intermediate class

Woodwind and Brass Llio Owain

Piano Pok Rui Quan

Strings Jayden Louie

Singing Isabella Fairhall

Open Guitar

Rock & Pop

Senan Donnelly

Aarna Shah

Intermediate Musician of the Year: Pok Rui Quan

Advanced class

Woodwind and Brass Trevor Wong

Piano Anne Yu

Strings Charlotte Tseng

Singing Olivia Morement

Rock & Pop Isha Sagoo

Advanced Musician of the Year: Charlotte Tseng

A huge thank you also to our judges Paul Phoenix, Hannah Baldwin (Head of Performing Arts at NLCS Singapore) and Lei Ramos (Director of Music at Dulwich College Singapore)

Choral Concert

Victoria Concert Hall was alive with the Sound of Tanglin Music earlier in the term, as over 200 students from across the Junior and Senior Schools took to the stage for this year's Choral Concert. The Yr 2 Choir had already serenaded the audience as they arrived with a magical performance in the foyer, before the concert got underway in the Concert Hall with the stunningly beautiful Mo Li Hua, performed by our Yr 3 & 4 Choir, followed by a fun song inspired by the story of Humpty Dumpty. The Yr 5 & 6 choir sang a lyrical Riversong before an energetic Spanish piece Oye, accompanied by congas and shakers. The Senior Chamber Choir, featuring students from Yrs 7-9 followed with a setting of the poem The lark ascending before a lively arrangement of Jolene led into Paul Phoenix singing Bob Chilcott's masterful setting of Be thou my vision. Closing the first half was the Close Harmony Choir who performed two pieces arranged by former King's Singer Bill Ives; Amazing Grace and the Beatles Classic, I'll follow the Sun with Paul Phoenix soloing.

The second half began with the Yr 11-13 Choir giving a wonderfully crafted performance of Cantique de Jean Racine by the French composer Faure, followed by another arrangement by Bob Chilcott (himself a former King's Singer) of Yesterday - again written originally by Lennon and McCartney. The Junior Choir continued the magic with Double Trouble which featured in the Harry Potter films, followed by John Rutter's Magical Kingdom featuring beautiful harmonies. The large Senior Choir then gave a powerful and emotionally energetic performance of a spiritual, Didn't my Lord deliver Daniel before a foot-tapping ABBA medley had the audience humming along. Paul Phoenix sang his second solo of the evening, a modern arrangement of Leonard Cohen's classic, Hallelujah, before all the Senior Choirs and Junior Chamber Choir joined together to perform Karl Jenkins' rousing and evocative Adiemus.

The Concert was a stunning celebration of choral music which will long in the memory of the singers and audience alike. Bravo to everyone who took part.

National Gallery – Interpretations

Many of the musicians who performed so admirably in the Musician of the Year finalists’ concerts were invited to perform once again at the National Gallery, Singapore as part of an Arts Collaborative project entitled ‘Interpretations’. In the gorgeous setting of the Padang Atrium, our instrumentalists and singers wowed the enormous audiences during two memorable concerts. As the musicians performed, appropriate artwork from the gallery was displayed on a big screen for the listeners to admire. Congratulations to everyone who took part – artists, poets and musicians!

In a new venture with the Drama Department, students from Middle School (Years 7-9) put on an energetic and entertaining production of Moana in May, in front of two sold-out audiences. Weeks of rehearsals involving singing, acting and dancing came to fruition with two superb shows featuring two casts of lead actors. Preparations were enhanced and boosted further by a visit from the touring cast of hit Broadway musical ‘Hamilton’ who led workshops and hosted a Q&A session just days before the Moana opening night. The show is full of catchy songs and funny gags, and the cast of Moana has shown that the future of Musical Theatre at Tanglin is in very safe hands!

Whilst not on the same scale as last year’s Summer Festival, the Friends of Tanglin Summer Fete gave another opportunity for our musicians to showcase their talents. Featuring a large number of ensembles from across all three schools, from choirs to chamber orchestra, recorders to rock bands (and everything in between), we managed to pull together almost 6 hours of high quality music which was enjoyed immensely by the appreciative and supportive audiences throughout the day. Bravo to everyone who took to the stage!

We were honoured to host the New Zealand Male Choir, who stopped off in Singapore en route to their three-week European tour. The audience was treated to traditional Maori ‘waiata’ (songs), spirituals, songs from musicals and choral favourites, some of which were accompanied by dancing and traditional Maori instruments. Our Junior and Senior Chamber Choirs sang their own pieces and there was a very special performance by Eva Whiu of a Maori medley that she had composed. The highlight of the evening was when the choirs from Tanglin and New Zealand joined forces to perform together.

New Zealand Male Choir

Summer Fete

Eden Hall

We were delighted to be invited to perform as part of the British High Commission’s Open House at Eden Hall on the final weekend of term. Despite several year groups being away from school (albeit a couple of older students kindly made themselves available), we were able to provide an hour’s worth of music to a very grateful audience. It will be sad to say farewell to High Commissioner Kara Owen, but we thank her for giving our students such wonderful opportunities to perform at Eden Hall over the past few years.

Behind the Scenes

A small number of singers and instrumentalists have recently been involved in an exciting project to perform the backing track for the centenary video which will be launched early in the new academic year. We're not allowed to spoil the surprise, but some of our string players and the vocal soloist were filmed by a professional film production company in the final week of term. It was an incredible experience for all concerned!

INFANTMUSIC

This term we have been really busy outside with a lovely Teddy Bears Picnic for the Nursery children and their families. A variety of performers shared their talents including Senior musicians and Infant and Junior teachers on the ukuleles.

The Year 2 Choir performed at the newly opened Bird Park on Mothering Sunday. This was another outside event so a warm one, but the children enjoyed singing for their families and visiting the bird park afterwards. Year 2 all showcased their talents during the Ensembles Concert with every class performing on a different instrument from around the world. As well as this, all the children sang and several soloists and smaller ensembles performed, including the Ukulele Ensemble, Smiley Singers and the Infant Strings ensembles. It was a fantastic way to end the children’s musical journey in the Infant School.

Delphine Hastwell Head of Infant Music

JUNIORMUSIC

Term 3 has been a busy and rewarding one for our Junior students. A large number of children performed in our lunchtime recitals, to supportive and enthusiastic audiences of peers and parents. Many more had solo performance videos shared with their classes. The Year 4 Concert “Under the Sea” was a highlight, with all 192 children singing, dancing and performing as a member of a class ensemble, on a wide range of classroom, string and percussion instruments, showcasing the breadth and depth of our music curriculum.

20 of our talented musicians excelled at the FOBISIA Primary Music Festival where they represented Tanglin at Garden International School, KL. They enjoyed 4 days of rehearsals and workshops, in addition to a trip to KLCC and the Petrosains Discovery Centre. The event culminated in two outstanding celebration concerts involving 230 children in the choir and orchestra. Congratulations to all the children involved!

Our ensembles each had an opportunity to perform throughout the term, with the final Junior Ensembles Concert featuring 170 of our budding musicians in an uplifting celebration of the year. Congratulations to all our Junior students. We look forward to more musicmaking next year!

Fiona Knight Lucas Head of Junior Music

SENIORMUSIC

Music on the Piazza

Despite a rather wet start, the Music on the Piazza concert turned out to be a lovely event, showcasing some of our Senior and Cross-Phase Ensembles performing a diverse range of music, while the audience enjoyed their picnics in a cafe-style setting surrounded by twinkling fairy lights. The event was interspersed with announcements of the winners of this year’s Outstanding Contribution to the Arts Awards.

A number of our talented Senior Musicians provided music for this intimate event in the Senior Art Department with outstanding piano solos and duets, a beautiful trumpet solo, singers, and a trio performing some classic golden oldies.

Two of our more established Senior Bands, ‘Tomorrow’s New Oddity’ and ‘Glorious Purpose’ put on a mini rock concert as a treat for the Junior School winners of the TTS Rockstars Maths Competition.

The second edition of the Showcase Cafe gave six of our Senior bands the opportunity to perform to a very appreciative audience alongside drama performances and skits. Well done to all the performers for volunteering to perform and maintaining their enthusiasm until the very end of term.

Helen Owain Head of Senior Music

Latitude - Summer Art Exhibition

Rock Concert Showcase Cafe

41 students from the Piano Group CCAs spanning across the Infant, Junior and Senior Schools featured in 2 concerts this school year. The first one in November 2023, Term 1 had quite a few firsts: (1) Our Infant pianists performing as a piano duet independently in a formal setting; (2) Showcasing almost every facet of the piano ensemble genre in one concert – duets, duos, 6-hands and 8-hands; (3) Live drum accompaniment for a few numbers which definitely livened up the evening. Our pianists presented a programme with works by Dave Brubeck, Christopher Norton, Sergei Rachmaninoff and SaintSaens.

Keeping in line with the theme of ‘Music written for film, stage and TV’ which was featured by our other ensembles in Term 2, our second piano concert held in mid-June comprised popular hits such as The Greatest Showman, Cinema Paradiso and themes from Disney films. Although we missed our Years 11-13 who were away for their exams, we had the Year 2-10 pianists coming out in full force, performing an enjoyable and entertaining evening of piano duet music.

External Concert - Jonathan Tay (Head of Voice)

We are always proud of our students who excel at external competitions and win awards and accolades. This term we had one of our new Music Scholars, Olivia Morement, win in not one but two external competitions. She won 1st prize at the Evolution Dance Competition in the Song and Dance Category, as well as 1st prize in the Musical Theatre Category in the Get the Beat Competition. Many congratulations to Olivia, and we encourage more of our talented musicians to take part in competitions in and out of school, and share your successes with us!

Alumni Update - Will Hyland

We're thrilled to introduce our TTS 'Wonderwall', featuring TTS Alumni who've ventured into careers in Music and the Arts worldwide. From captivating audiences in the West End to crafting music for Spotify and Netflix, our former TTS Musicians are thriving, building upon the foundations laid in the Music Department at Tanglin. We eagerly anticipate the addition of more names to the 'Wonderwall' in the years ahead.

Wed 4 Sept

Music Tutors’ Concert