Arts Picks: Cellists Kian Soltani and Pablo Ferrandez, pianist Zee Zee, singer Katherine Jenkins
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Austrian-Iranian cellist Kian Soltani will perform at the Esplanade Concert Hall on March 11.
PHOTO: ESPLANADE – THEATRES ON THE BAY
Kian Soltani and Amsterdam Sinfonietta
The Esplanade Concert Hall is back in action after about half a year of upgrading works. Classical music lovers will rejoice at the return of home-grown and international performers to the beloved stage.
Among the first musicians to play in the upgraded hall are Austrian-Iranian cellist Kian Soltani and the 23 members of the Amsterdam Sinfonietta. The concert – part of the Esplanade’s Classics series, which features the best of Western classical music – marks the Singapore debut of both Soltani and the orchestra, which is led by violinist Candida Thompson.
Soltani has won several awards, including one at the Opus Klassik Awards – Germany’s most prestigious classical music prize. Together with the Amsterdam Sinfonietta, he will be playing Joseph Haydn’s iconic Cello Concerto No. 1 In C Major, a staple among cellists.
The programme also features the works of composers Franz Schubert, Felix Mendelssohn, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Thomas Ades and William Walton.
Where: Esplanade Concert Hall, 1 Esplanade Drive
MRT: City Hall/Esplanade
When: March 11, 7.30pm
Admission: $40 to $105
Info: str.sg/DT2r
Pablo Ferrandez & Zee Zee
Spanish cellist Pablo Ferrandez will perform at the Victoria Concert Hall on March 18.
Spanish cellist Pablo Ferrandez, who has been introduced by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra as “the next Yo-Yo Ma”, will play with Chinese-American pianist Zee Zee – who won first prize at China’s 1st International Piano Concerto Competition in 2006.
Ferrandez’s debut album, Reflections, released in 2021, was highly acclaimed and won an Opus Klassik Award.
The duo’s repertoire will include Max Bruch’s Kol Nidrei, Sergei Rachmaninov’s Vocalise and Johannes Brahms’ Cello Sonata No. 1 In E Minor.
Where: Victoria Concert Hall, 11 Empress Place
MRT: City Hall
When: March 18, 7.30pm
Admission: $38 to $168
Info: str.sg/isx6
Great in the Gardens
Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins will sing at the Singapore Botanic Gardens on March 8.
Pull out your picnic mats, grab a buddy and enjoy a diverse selection of music from Britain at the Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage at the Singapore Botanic Gardens.
The Tanglin Symphony Orchestra will be performing with renowned Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins on March 8. The concert, which celebrates 60 years of diplomatic relations between Britain and Singapore in 2025, will feature quintessentially British pieces from the likes of Edward Elgar and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
“I am thrilled to be back in Singapore to perform this truly special concert,” said Jenkins of the concert, which is co-presented by the British High Commission Singapore. She was last in Singapore in February for a private performance.
Tipples will be available at the concert, including gin from Cygnet Gin – founded by Jenkins herself.
Where: Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage, Singapore Botanic Gardens, 1 Cluny Road
MRT: Botanic Gardens
When: March 8, 5.30 to 7pm
Admission: Free
Info: str.sg/CySe
