Coronavirus: Singapore Symphony Orchestra cancels one concert, puts ticket sales to all concerts on hold for now

The Singapore Symphony Orchestra's Subscription Concert was originally scheduled to play next Friday (March 27) and Saturday. PHOTO: THE SINGAPORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

SINGAPORE - Travel curbs put in place as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak have led to changes in the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO)'s Subscription Concert, which was originally scheduled to play next Friday (March 27) and Saturday.

Next Friday's concert has been cancelled, while there would be changes to the programme and conductor for next Saturday's concert. These changes come as a result of travel restrictions affecting conductor Stephen Layton, the SSO said in a media release on Thursday.

Fauré's Cantique de Jean Racine and Requiem will not be performed at the concert. Additionally, guest singers Jassy Husk and Laurence Williams, the Singapore Symphony Children's Choir as well as the treble voices of the Singapore Symphony Youth Choir will no longer be performing for the concert.

For Australian soprano Husk, who is based here, the event would have been her debut performance in Singapore.

Darrell Ang, artistic director and chief conductor of The Sichuan Orchestra of China, will be stepping in to conduct the orchestra for the Saturday concert, which is now titled The Spirit of Serenity.

The SSO will continue to perform Benjamin Britten's Simple Symphony and Arvo Pärt's Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten, and will close the concert with Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings. The pre-concert talk at 6.30pm will proceed but there will be no intermission during the show.

In line with the government advisory on keeping audiences small and spaced out, seating in the concert hall will be re-configured to fit fewer than 250 persons in staggered seating. All ticket holders will receive a full refund for the concert and can re-purchase tickets in the new seating arrangement on the SSO website, from 10am next Tuesday (March 24).

For payment via credit card, ticket holders will receive an automatic refund issued by Sistic within one to two months' credit card billing cycle. For payment via cash or Nets, Sistic will be in touch with ticket holders on the various ways to obtain the refund.

Ticket sales to all other concerts have been temporarily halted while the orchestra makes adjustments to meet the new social distancing measures and affected patrons will be contacted over the coming days.

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