Six orchestra groups will be heading to the heartlands to perform a series of free concerts from March to Dec.
The concerts, which are part of the 12th SPH Gift of Music concert series, will be performed at different locations across Singapore, such as parks, heartlands, shoppping malls, concert halls and the Esplanade.
Notable orchestra groups that will be putting up the performances are Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO), Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO), Singapore Lyric Opera (SLO), The Philharmonic Winds, Singapore Wind Symphony and Ding Yi Music Company.
Kicking off the series will be two SSO concerts this month, starting with the SSO Lunchtime Concert at Victoria Concert Hall on March 9 and SSO @ Gardens by the Bay on March 11.
The lunchtime concert on March 9 will feature classical favourites such as Rimsky-Korsakov’s Russian Easter Overture and Rossini’s La Cenerentola Overture, as well as music from the iconic Star Wars movies.
On March 11, SSO will return with more popular classics, including Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain and music from the movie Jurassic Park by legendary composer John Williams.
Both concerts will be conducted by SSO’s Associate Conductor Joshua Tan.
The first heartland community concert will be at Telok Blangah on April 29.
Another popular concert, Opera in the Park by SLO, will return on June 17 at Singapore Botanic Gardens. This year’s programme will feature the winners of the SLO-ASEAN Vocal Competition in 2016. They will perform a programme of operatic classics at the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
SPH Gift of Music will also bring back two well attended festivals, namely Pesta Raya – Malay Festival of Arts (July 20-23) and Kalaa Utsavam – Indian Festival of Arts (Nov 17-26) at the Esplanade, which will feature an exciting selection of classical to contemporary performances by Malay and Indian artistes in Singapore and the region.
Other highlights this year include The Straits Times Concert in the Park at Singapore Botanic Gardens by SSO (July 22), Singapore Wind Symphony Youth Winds @ Paragon (April 23) and community concerts by The Philharmonic Winds and Ding Yi Music Company later this year.
SPH Gift of Music was first launched on 1 May 2005 as a musical gift to the nation with a concert by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra at Singapore Botanic Gardens. Since then, it has gained popularity and helped many local musicians showcase their talent and expand their reach.
klim@sph.com.sg
