Shanghai Symphony Orchestra plays Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky and a suite inspired by Chinese cuisine

Shanghai Symphony Orchestra In Concert

On March 23, the SSO playing at the Esplanade Concert Hall will not be the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, but the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. The oldest orchestra in Asia will make its Singapore debut under the baton of music director Long Yu.

The concert features the Singapore premiere of Hong Kong-born composer Elliot Leung’s Chinese Kitchen, and audiences can hear selections from the 10-movement work inspired by Chinese delicacies.

Yu, who is looking forward to tasting Singapore dishes such as bak kut teh, tells The Straits Times in an e-mail: “By interpreting China’s rich culinary culture through music, the work showcases the vitality and wisdom embedded in the Chinese way of life. My favourite movement is Buddha Jumps Over The Wall, as Elliot Leung composed it with rich imagination and sensibility.”

The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra will also play works by two giants of Russian romanticism. They are Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, performed with pianist Serena Wang as soloist, and Sergei Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony.

The highly anticipated concert is almost sold out, but there is still a chance to purchase seats in the gallery section behind the stage.

The concert comes after the Singapore and Shanghai orchestras signed an agreement for artistic partnership in October 2025. The Singapore Symphony Orchestra, in its first return to Shanghai since 2007, will perform with Singaporean violin sensation Chloe Chua at the Jaguar Shanghai Symphony Hall on Oct 13 under the baton of incoming music director Hannu Lintu.

Where: Esplanade Concert Hall, 1 Esplanade Drive
MRT: Esplanade
When: March 23, 7.30pm
Admission: $30 to $150
Info: str.sg/3oVA4

Steidl Book Culture – Magic On Paper

German printer and publisher Gerhard Steidl is widely considered the world’s best photobook publisher. He is bringing a bit of his book magic to Singapore with an exhibition he curated at photography arts organisation Deck’s interim space in two adjoining Geylang shophouses.

The showcase – done in collaboration with Goethe-Institut Singapore – features works by three distinguished artists who frequently work with Steidl. They are installations by Singaporean book artist and graphic designer Theseus Chan, Indian photographer Dayanita Singh and American visual artist Jim Dine.

The sheer range of printed matter on display will awaken one to the infinite possibilities of print – from Singh’s accordion-fold books to Dine’s handwritten poem-scrolls to Chan’s unconventional, hand-crafted experiments in his cult magazine Werk.

There are also documentary films and materials that demonstrate Steidl’s methods for making quality books, and a playful section where Steidl considers the different typefaces of his favourite letter, Q.

Visitors can also buy books from the Steidl Bookshop pop-up.

Where: Shop-House by Deck, 4 Lorong 24 Geylang
MRT: Aljunied
When: Till May 30; 1 to 7pm (Wednesdays and Thursday), 1 to 9pm (Fridays), 11am to 7pm (Saturdays)
Admission: Via donation, with a recommendation of $8
Info: str.sg/voX9

Songs For The Crossing

Songs For The Crossing, a new immersive sound-led theatre experience, is invoking a nine-part ritual to address the pressures of contemporary masculine life.

Whereas the virtues of traditional masculinity are usually couched in the language of endurance and self-reliance, intercultural arts organisation SAtheCollective hopes the piece will reframe masculinity as something relational rather than solitary.

Guiding the audience throughout the hour-long journey is the Kalavinka – the name references an immortal creature in Buddhism with a human head and a bird’s body – a poetic figure that helps one cross thresholds. Through voice, breath, movement, vibration, silence and sonic environments, the performance invites audiences to pay attention to the body.

Where: Play Den @ The Arts House, 1 Old Parliament Lane
MRT: City Hall
When: March 20 and 21, 7.30pm
Admission: $35
Info: str.sg/3XSxy