A series of free community concerts, sponsored by Singapore Press Holdings(SPH), will kick off on Saturday at the Meadow, Gardens by the Bay, at 6.30pm.

In line with SPH's 35th anniversary celebrations, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) conducted by Joshua Tan will play a line-up of celebratory classical pieces, including the Capriccio Espagnol by Rimsky-Korsakov, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 by Liszt and Overture from Music for the Royal Fireworks by Handel.

It is the first of 13 concerts to be held this year under the SPH Gift of Music series launched in 2005.

The other concerts include Opera in the Park by the Singapore Lyric Opera at the Singapore Botanic Gardens on June 15 and a performance by the Orchestra of the Music Makers at the Paragon mall on July 6 where a highlight will be a performance of the Raiders March from the movie Indiana Jones And The Temple of Doom, which was released in 1984 - the same year SPH was incorporated.

Three concerts will take place in August, the month in which SPH was formed. Aug 4 - the day SPH was formed - will see local Chinese ensemble Ding Yi Music Company perform a string of popular local hits from the past 35 years.

On Aug 10, the Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) will entertain at the Singapore Botanic Gardens with a selection of pop music and national songs written in the last 35 years.

On Aug 22, SPH's 35th Anniversary Charity Concert will be held at the Capitol Theatre. The charity concert, the annual charity cheque presentation to the Community Chest, will feature local groups Samba Masala, MICappella, Ding Yi and K-Aos from Académie of Stars.

Other performances include The Straits Times Concert in the Gardens by the SSO, SCO community concerts, Malay arts festival Pesta Raya in June and Indian arts festival Kalaa Utsavam in November.

Visit http://sph.com.sg/sph-gift-of-music for a full list of concerts.