Music Diaries - Singapore Symphony Orchestra

Low Shao Suan &
Low Shao Ying @ VCH:
Music
Diaries
8 JAN 16
Fri, 7.30pm
Victoria Concert Hall
www.sso.org.sg
Programme
Low Shao Ying
A Breezy Morning 2’20
Dancing By The Stream 2’11
Low Shao Suan
Springtime In Munich 3’05
‘Til The End Of Time 3’55
Snowscapes 4’03
Low Shao Ying
Happy Birthday Variations 2’14
Intermezzo 2’55
The Ballet Dancer 3’04
A Jolly Good Time 2’20
Low Shao Suan
Midnight Reflections 4’00
By The Fireplace 2’56
Sweet Dreams 3’44
Low Shao Ying
On Vacation: At The Carnival,
By The Fireplace 4’40
Low Shao Suan
Antiques: Broken Record,
The Rocking Chair 4’16
Low Shao Ying
Do You Know 3’16
Reflections 3’02
Low Shao Suan
Precious Moments 4’10
After Midnight 3’55
arr. Low Shao Suan
& Low Shao Ying
A Singapore Medley 3’30
Low Shao Ying & Low Shao Suan piano
Low Shao Ying and Low Shao Suan are graduates of the famed
Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris in France. While studying
there, the sisters won competitions such as 2nd and 3rd Prize at the
International Competition of U.F.A.M., and First Prize at the Claude
Kahn Competition for piano duet. They have performed as soloists
numerous times with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO). Their
CD recording of Saint-Saens’ Carnival of the Animals with the SSO
and its Music Director, Maestro Lan Shui, was released in July 2012.
As avid composers, the sisters’ songs have been sung by various Asian
pop singers such as Jolin Tsai and Vivian Hsu, and a handful of their
instrumental compositions have won awards on independent music
websites. Their debut instrumental album featuring their original
compositions, Romance in the City, received the “Artistic Performance
Album of the Year” award at the 10th Hi-fi Album Awards 2014 in
Guangzhou, China. Shao Suan and Shao Ying are currently full-time
piano accompanists at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music,
as well as full members of the Composers and Authors Society of
Singapore (COMPASS).
Jin Ta flute
Jin Ta joined the Singapore Symphony Orchestra as Principal
Flautist in 1998. A graduate of the University of Michigan
and the New England Conservatory, his teachers included
Zhu Tong De, Keith Bryan, Leone Buyse, Fenwich Smith and
Paula Robison. Jin Ta was the First Prize winner in the Boston
Pappoutsakies Memorial Foundation Competition, the Memphis
Young Artist Competition, and the 2000 Haifa International Flute
Competition in Israel. He was also a prize winner at the Flute
Talk Competition and the National Flute Association Young Artist
Competition. Jin Ta has toured extensively all over the world.
His recordings of works by Fauré, Poulenc and Ibert, among
other composers, can be heard on the Taiwanese label, NewArt.
Audi Goh oboe
Audi Christian Goh is an active chamber musician, recitalist
and music educator in Singapore. He started the oboe with Joost
Flach and Alix Pengili before enrolling at the Conservatoire
National de Region de Boulogne-Billancourt where he won First
Prize in oboe performance under the tutelage of Yves Poucel
and later with Olivier Doise. Recently appointed as an artist for
Bulgheroni oboes, he freelances with diverse regional orchestras
and groups and also maintains an active oboe studio at the Flute
and Music Academy.
Vincent Goh clarinet
Vincent Goh received his music training in Ohio University,
where he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree with High
Honours. He began his music career as a clarinetist with the
Singapore Symphony Orchestra, having performed with them
in Singapore, Europe, America, and other parts of Asia. He has
worked with many world-renowned soloists and conductors,
and performed as a soloist with the SSO, SNYO and SAF
central band. He now performs with the Metropolitan Festival
Orchestra, Singapore Lyric Opera Orchestra and Orchestra of
the Music Makers as Principal Clarinetist.
Aw Yong Tian Daniel bassoon
Tian was the first graduate of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory
of Music, attaining First Class Honours under SSO Principal
Bassoon Zhang Jin Min before heading off to the Berne
University of the Arts for Konzertdiplom studies with Lyndon
Watts. As a soloist, Tian gave his debut solo performance at
the age of 18 with the Singapore National Youth Orchestra and
has held solo recitals in Europe and Asia. He also collaborated
with different professional ensembles such as the Munich
Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition, his group, the Munich
Wind Quintet, was awarded 5th Prize at the 7th “Henri Tomasi”
International Woodwind Quintet Competition.
Yap Pei Ying bassoon
Yap Pei Ying received her training at Yong Siew Toh Conservatory
of Music, National University of Singapore. Since then, she
has performed in many parts of Asia and Europe with groups
such as the ASEAN Japan Festival Orchestra, ASEAN Symphony
Orchestra, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Festival
Orchestra, Metropolitan Festival Orchestra, Singapore Lyric
Opera Orchestra, The Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonic
Winds and in varying chamber music configurations, as well
as her reed trio with Audi Goh (oboe) and Desmond Chow
(clarinet). By day, she manages orchestras and ensembles.
Marcus Ng horn
Marcus Ng Zhong Qing has been with the Singapore National
Youth Orchestra since the age of 17, advancing to Principal
Horn within three years, under the tutelage of Han Chang Chou,
Principal Horn of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. He is
highly involved in the local music community in Singapore
and has had the opportunity to work with international
composers such as James Barnes and Philip Sparke, as well as
international soloists such as Steven Mead and Evelyn Glennie.
He currently serves as Principal Horn with the Singapore Armed
Forces Central Band and The Singapore Lyric Opera Orchestra
(seasonal), and is pursuing his Bachelor of Music at RCM NAFA under the tutelage of Marc-Antoine Robillard.
David Wong trombone
David studied at the New England Conservatory of Music in
Boston under Scott Hartman and the late John Swallow, and he
was with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra for a decade. He
currently teaches trombone at all three universities in Singapore,
SAF Bands, and adjunct faculty at BSRU University in Bangkok.
He has also given workshops at various music festivals and
universities around Asia, with concerto performances in China,
Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia.
David is the current President of the Singapore Trombone
Society, a Michael Rath artist, and performs exclusively on
Michael Rath trombones.
Yew Shan violin
Yew Shan began violin lessons at the age of four. Joining the
Singapore Youth Orchestra in 1984, Shan went on to win First
Prize, Violin (Open) Division, and the Best Performer Award
at the 1989 National Music Competition. The following year,
he was appointed Concertmaster of the Asian Youth Orchestra
by Yehudi Menuhin. Shan was a member of the Singapore
Symphony Orchestra from 1996 to 2000, where he was Fourth
Chair of the First Violin section from 1998. Shan holds degrees
from the University of Sydney and Yale University, where he
studied with the late Erick Friedman.
Yong Kailin violin
Violinist/composer Yong Kailin trained at the Vienna Academy
Of Music, and spent 20 years living and travelling in the US
and Europe, exploring music from around the world. Known
to his friends as the “fiddler for peace”, Kailin was the recipient
of the Daniel Pearl Memorial Violin in 2004 for his efforts in
building cultural bridges and promoting peace through music.
His bands include Kailin Yong Peace Project, NuMundo, Y String
Quartet, Qilin Group and the PLUS Trio. He is also the Music
Director for Maya Dance Theatre, Flamenco Sin Fronteras and
In Source Theatre.
Jonathan Lee viola
Having had performances described by the Straits Times as
“emphatic” and “nicely shaded”, concert violist Jonathan Lee
has established himself as one of Singapore’s leading violists of
his generation both as a performer and pedagogue. On stage
he has performed the solo viola in Morton Feldman’s Rothko
Chapel as part of the Esplanade Spectrum series and plays
regularly as a chamber and orchestral musician. As an educator,
he was appointed a viola mentor as part of the Metropolitan
Festival Orchestra’s (MFO) involvement in Singapore’s Sing50
project and now teaches at Forte Musicademy. Previously
contracted with the Owensboro Symphony, Columbus Indiana
Philharmonic and Terre Haute Symphony, the recipient of the
NUSS Medal for Outstanding Achievement currently plays
with the MFO and Singapore Lyric Opera in both principal and
section viola roles. His principal teachers include Atar Arad,
Zhang Manchin, Jiri Heger and Lionel Tan.
Noella Yan cello
Based in Melbourne, Noella was a scholarship recipient of
both the Lee and Shaw Foundations and the NAC Gifted Young
Musician’s Award. Her teachers include Yan Yin Wing, Herminia
Ilano, Pal Banda, Joyce Rathbone, Alexander Boyarsky and
Erling Blöndal Bengtsson. A fellow and resident cellist at the
University of Michigan, Noella received a Double Masters
in Performance and Chamber. She has also appeared with
orchestras in Australasia and given many concerts across
Australasia, Europe and the United States. An avid musician of
artistic collaborations, Noella has premiered works of various
composers during her time in Michigan and the UK. Noella
joined Bridges Collective in 2014 as Artistic Co-Director and
begins the 2016 season as part of Trio Anima Mundi.
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Programme
Low Shao Ying
A Breezy Morning
When I was composing this piece, I had an image of a family of four
having breakfast in their little white cottage while looking out into the
garden. It is a beautiful, breezy and sunny morning, and the flowers
are gently swaying in the breeze.
Dancing By The Stream
This is a lively and jovial piece about a couple in love having fun and
dancing by the stream, as the title suggests. It was originally composed
for voice in a songwriting class but was deemed too instrumental. It
was later revised and rearranged for flute, oboe and piano.
Low Shao Suan
Springtime In Munich
This piece was written during my two-week stay in Munich in 2009.
It was during summer then, but the lovely cool weather and sunny
blue sky felt more like spring, hence giving me the inspiration to write
this piece.
‘Til The End Of Time
This is a slow and relaxing piece written in 1996. It depicts a couple
enjoying quality time together, whispering sweet nothings to each
other, and vowing to love and cherish each other until the end of time.
Snowscapes
I love winter. I love the cold, the snow, and the feel of the icy wind
blowing across my near-frozen cheeks. This two-piano piece describes
different wintry scenes: a lone, bare tree standing in the middle of
an empty snow-covered field, fairy tale-like cottages scattered on the
slopes of snowcapped mountains, and children building snowmen and
having fun snowballing one another.
Low Shao Ying
Happy Birthday Variations
The idea for writing this little set of variations came from my good
friend, violinist Chan Chee Mee some years back. We were planning
our own recital and since the recital date fell on her birthday, she
suggested that I write a set of variations based on this famous tune.
Intermezzo
It was written in the style of my favourite composer, Johann Sebastian
Bach, with a New Age/pop twist especially in the middle section. It
reminds one of “Allegro” from his Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in
G major, BWV 1048.
The Ballet Dancer
This was composed when I was a pianist for classical ballet classes.
The teacher got tired of syllabus music one day and she asked me
to improvise something in three counts on the spot. The girls were
doing bar exercises at that time. After randomly playing a four-bar
introduction, the melody flowed out naturally and that was how
the title came about. The teacher liked it and I decided to extend its
original length of 16 bars to its current form.
A Jolly Good Time
A few years ago when I was playing the first movement of Beethoven’s
Fifth Symphony in a conducting class, the idea of using its opening
motif to create a new piece came to my mind immediately. Thus, I
played around with it, changed it to a major key, sort of jazzed it up
a little, and made the two bassoons play it a second apart to create a
clash in tonality. The motif is used only in the introduction. After that,
a new melody takes over and it is played in a fun and jovial interaction
between the three instruments right up till the end, thus the title.
Low Shao Suan
Midnight Reflections
This solo piano piece depicts a person lying in bed with insomnia in
the middle of the night, thinking about many things and reflecting on
life’s happenings.
Low Shao Suan
By The Fireplace
This piece was originally written for solo piano, but I felt that it would
sound better if written for the flute and piano. The mood I want to
evoke is that of a person relaxing and nestling comfortably by the
fireplace during winter, while listening to soothing music.
Sweet Dreams
Sweet Dreams depicts a person lying on the grass, daydreaming of his
ideal life, with the wind blowing gently across the pasture, and the
grass and daffodils swaying gently in the breeze.
Low Shao Ying
On Vacation: At The Carnival, By The Fireplace
I love film music and it has always been my dream to write for films.
On Vacation, a set of four short pieces for string quartet was inspired
by the soundtracks of Cinema Paradiso, and each contains a little
story of their own. Tonight will feature two of the four pieces. At The
Carnival depicts two mischievous boys having fun at a carnival, and
By The Fireplace describes a couple spending a romantic evening
together in front of a fireplace in winter during Christmas.
Low Shao Suan
Antiques: Broken Record, The Rocking Chair
Antiques is a set of four short pieces for string quartet, based on four
different types of antiques: Broken Record, Grandfather Clock, The
Rocking Chair and The Porcelain Vase. The first movement, Broken
Record, is a rhythmic piece based on the opening motif played by the
cello. The recurrence of this motif throughout the piece gives one the
impression of a broken record, hence the title. The third movement,
The Rocking Chair, depicts Grandma knitting in her favourite rocking
chair. The cello provides the “rocking” rhythm almost throughout the
entire piece.
Low Shao Ying
Do You Know
Do you know that life is meant to be fun? Do you know that everyday
is a lesson in its own way? Do you know that nothing is impossible?
Do you know that everything happens for a reason? When life throws
something at you, be it good or bad, how will you handle it? These are
some of the questions I often ask myself to serve as a reminder to stay
positive and hopeful no matter what happens.
Reflections
A few years ago, I performed American composer, Eric Ewazen’s
Trio for Flute, Horn and Piano. The very pastoral feel of its second
movement inspired me to compose Reflections, which reminds me of
the beautiful national parks in the United States.
Low Shao Suan
Precious Moments
This piece depicts precious moments of a person’s life. Precious
moments can mean many things, such as spending time with your
family, friends or even pets, taking a stroll in the woods smelling the
flowers, doing your favourite activity, winning an award, or simply
spending time alone.
After Midnight
I was inspired to write this piece after playing Italian trombonistcomposer, Nicola Ferro’s trombone and piano pieces, Daybreak and
Sunset. This is a slow and jazzy number, set in a smoky lounge where
everyone is feeling drunk and sleepy.
ARR.
Low Shao Suan & Low Shao Ying
A Singapore Medley
This piece consists of three of Singapore’s most well-known songs:
Chan Mali Chan, Di Tanjong Katong and Home. This is a belated SG50
present for Singapore.
Programme notes by Low Shao Suan and Low Shao Ying
DISCOVERING MUSIC!
ALL ABOUT
SUITES
31 JAN 16
Sun, 4pm | Victoria Concert Hall
The Discovering Music! series continues with Associate Conductor Joshua
Tan and the SSO turning the spotlight on three famous orchestral suites
sharing a common thread of literary references. From Korngold’s delightful
Much Ado About Nothing Suite, to the serenity of Debussy’s Petite Suite
based on French poems, to the haunting Pelleas and Melisande Suite by
Fauré, explore the fascinating world of orchestral suites and discover what
makes them stand out from other musical forms such as overtures and
symphonies!
TICKETS:
Joshua Tan
conductor
$20 from SISTIC
Concessions: $15 | Family of 4 packages: $60
School groups (min. 4 tickets): $10
6348 5555 / www.sistic.com.sg | Booking fees apply
This concert lasts one hour and is suitable for ages 5 and above. No admission for infants-in-arms.
For school & group bookings, please call 6602 4226 or email [email protected]
PATRON
SPONSORS
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Jas
a on’s
as
Short Guide to
Music History
18 & 19 MAR 16
Fri, 2pm & 4pm; Sat, 2pm | Victoria Concert Hall
From Bach to Beethoven and beyond, join Associate
Conductor Jason Lai as he takes you on a thrilling tour of
music history! Come and discover more about Baroque,
Classical and Romantic music, and meet some of the
composers who have helped to shape the course of history.
TICKETS:
$25,$30
from SISTIC ( 63485555/www.s istic.com.sg )
Concessions:Familyof4packages availableat$90&
Schoolgroupbooking(15tickets ormore):$20,$24
$108
Jason Lai conductor
Supported by Lim and Tan
Securities Ð A Musical Discovery,
which enables children from
underprivileged families to attend
SSO concerts for free, discovering
the joy of music.
Booking fees apply
Each concert lasts one hour and is suitable for ages 4 and above. No admission for
infants-in-arms. For school bookings, please call 6602 4225 or email [email protected].
PATRON
SPONSORS
OFFICIAL
HOTEL
OFFICIAL
TRAININGP ARTNER
OFFICIAL
RADIOST ATION
OFFICIAL
POSTAGESPONSO R
www.sso.org.sg
OFFICIALOUTDOOR
MEDIAP ARTNER
OFFICIAL
AIRLINE
PATRON SPONSORS
www.sso.org.sg