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S'porean composers of Chinese music make their mark at home and overseas
Young Chinese music practitioners are the new force that will promote and pass on the torch of Singaporean Chinese music
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Maestro Yeh Tsung conducting the Singapore Chinese Orchestra as its associate principal Zhou Ruoyu performs a solo erhu performance.
PHOTO: SINGAPORE CHINESE ORCHESTRA
Terence Ho Wee San
The Chinese orchestra scene in Singapore has undergone many stages of development over the past five decades. We now have an internationally recognised national Chinese orchestra, buttressed by a large corps of budding musicians and over 200 school and community Chinese orchestras. Despite the pandemic, the local Chinese music scene, like elsewhere in the world, remains vibrant, with a number of groups formed last year, including the Ruanxian Association of Singapore, the Percussion Association of Singapore, Suona and Guan Society (Singapore) and the Singapore Chinese Music Federation Youth Chapter.
Chinese orchestras and ensembles, conductors, composers and musicians from Singapore, Malaysia, mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other parts of the world are a close-knit community. Chinese music organisations and musicians here frequently receive invitations to perform at international music festivals. Singaporean composers often receive commissions from abroad.
