9TH SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL CHORAL FESTIVAL OPENING NIGHT + 4TH ASIA CHORAL GRAND PRIX / Review

 

9TH SINGAPORE 

INTERNATIONAL CHORAL FESTIVAL

OPENING CONCERT

Victoria Concert Hall

Wednesday (23 July 2025)

4TH ASIA CHORAL GRAND PRIX

Victoria Concert Hall

Thursday (24 July 2025), 7 pm

This review was published in The Straits Times on 26 July 2025 with the title "Stellar singing at the Singapore International Choral festival".

The Singapore International Choral Festival (SICF), now in its ninth edition, opened with an hour-long concert presented by the 40 singers of ONE Chamber Choir led by director Lim Ai Hooi and five-member yIN Harmony, an ensemble of Asian traditional instruments helmed by bansuri virtuoso and Cultural Medallion recipient Ghanavenothan Retnam. Hundreds of foreign singers and delegates in attendance were treated to an all-Singapore musical experience.

Photo: Yeo Kaiwen

Photo: Tan Zexun

Popular National Day Parade staples like Singapura, Sunny Island and Singapore Town were aired, as were songs in the four official national languages – Malay (Dayong Sampan), Tamil (Munnaeru Valibaa), Chinese (Rose, Rose, I Love You) and English. In addition, there were solos and dances by singers dressed in saris, cheongsums and kopi-tiam attire. The strong and abiding message is diversity and cultural appreciation being encouraged here.

Photo: Tan Zexun

The Asia Choral Grand Prix that took place the following evening pitted five choirs, winners of five international choral competitions held in Philippines, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore last year in search for the creme de la creme. Each choir was to showcase its vocal prowess and range within a span of 20 minutes.

Concentrating on music from the homeland, such as the University of Mindanao Chorale (Philippines, led by Timothy Paul Atencio) in songs by Eudenice Palaruan (Gapas) and Ian Gabriel Corpuz (Di Man Mawari, Mawari) played to its strengths. Shining with clarity of consonants and warmth of sound, it also hit plangent climaxes in works by Hungarians Magor Bucz and Gyongyosi Levente.

The cuteness of little ones in the Cheorwon Boys and Girls Choir (South Korea, Chang Hae Won) dressed in traditional hanbok was matched by its singing, which came naturally and with unspoilt purity. Sticking mostly with songs by Korean composers, their mimicry of birdsong in Bird Taryeong and choreography with fans in Kook Hyun’s Yalli Yalli Yalla Syeong was simply charming.

Range was the strong suit of the Vocalista Harmonic Choir ISI Yogyakarta (Indonesia, Athiya Monica). It sang in Haya (a language invented by Swedish composer Karin Rehnqvist), Italian (Giaches de Wert), German (Hugo Wolf) and Latin (Joszef Karai), before closing with Indonesian composer Nicholas Rio’s Hanacaraka, which had drones, drum-beats and nifty dance movements.

The 16 young women in the Korea Choir (South Korea, Hyun Hangwon) are probably all professional singers, judging by their poise and demeanour. The brevity of its programme was made up by quality, singing in Latin for Josu Elberdin’s Salve Regina and Lee Hyun Chul’s Cantate Domino, the latter featuring an excellent soprano solo. Upping the tempo considerably, Jim Papoulis’ Panta Rhei and Kirby Shaw’s Something Latin were rhythmically exciting.

The last choir to appear was Sola Gratia Chorale (Philippines, Cyril Punay), already familiar with local audiences having been last year’s Grand Prix winner at Singapore International Choral Festival. If anything, this choir has actually progressed.

Francisco Feliciano’s Pamugun – highly impressive with its rapid polysyllables – was reprised, unsurprisingly. Its addition of Sinn Sisamouth’s sentimental Champa Battambang sung in Cambodian, Giovanni Gabrielli’s Jubilate Deo with antiphonal effects, Stephen Chatman’s Warm Summer Sun with clarinet solo, and the sheer warmth of the Afro-American spiritual He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands all provided goosebump-raising moments.

Photo: Chen Chen

Photo: Chan Chen

It did not take long for the nine-member international jury to name Sola Gratia Chorale as the winner of the 4th Asia Choral Grand Prix, deservedly so for its overall excellence and heart-warming range. Do not miss the festival finale on Sunday where the new Grand Prix winner of the 9th SICF will be crowned.

The moment you know
you have won!

Photo: Tan Zexun

Proud winner of the
4th Asia Choral Grand Prix:
Sola Gratia Chorale & Cyril Punay.
Photo: Tan Zexun

Watch Sola Gratia Chorale's 

Asian Choral Grand Prix Concert here:

IN FULL BLOOM / THE ONE THING / The ROS Singers / One Chamber Choir / Review

 

IN FULL BLOOM 

The ROS Singers 

Esplanade Recital Studio 

Friday (16 May 2025)

THE ONE THING 

One Chamber Choir 

Victoria Concert Hall 

Saturday (17 May 2025)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 19 May 2025 with the title "ROS Singers and The Chamber Choir flex vocals in accessible concerts".

It is hard to believe that Resonance of Singapore (ROS) is just celebrating its third anniversary, considering its prominence as the nation’s first charitable organisation helmed by a professional choral ensemble. All its eight singers (two each of sopranos, altos, tenors and basses), led by Young Artist Award recipient Toh Ban Sheng, are mature professional singers and vocal teachers. 

For this fund-raising concert, the ROS Singers performed a light and accessible programme comprising popular songs from musicals and operas. Its singers trooped in with The Impossible Dream from Man of La Mancha (1965), with each voice standing out before coalescing into a pleasing whole. To demonstrate versatility, the next number was something more contemporary, For Good from Wicked (2003). 

The ability of this vocal octet to master wide-ranging repertoire with highly idiomatic and authentic performances was a major strength. More proof was provided in John Rutter’s I Will Sing with the Spirit (1994), Leonard Bernstein’s Make Our Garden Grow from the operetta Candide (1956) and Elton John’s Can You Feel The Love Tonight from The Lion King (1994). 

In between, its individual singers shined in solo items, soprano Charmaine Tan in Part of Your World from The Little Mermaid (1989), soprano Suzanna Pua in O mio babbino caro from Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi (1918), tenor Tseng Wen-Yu in George Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm (1930) and bass Wong Yang Kai in Out There from The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996). All the songs were accompanied by pianist Matthew Mak. 

Guest performers including violinist Lynnette Seah, jazz singer Reggie Pryor with his team (Fabian Lim (saxophone) and Mei Sheum (piano)) and British operatic soprano Kezia Robson added to the variety and allure of the occasion. Over twenty-one thousand dollars was raised by silent auction for charitable and educational causes. 

One Chamber Choir led by Lim Ai Hooi was established in 2009, but its 38 singers are wholly young working adults. The diverse programming showed how comfortable they were singing in multiple different languages. First was Latin in Jacobus Gallus’s Musica Musarum Germana (Music, Sister of the Muses), a six-part madrigal where polyphony was negotiated with clarity and tonal beauty. 

The many consonants sung in Chinese of Xia Yanbin’s Xuan Huang (Black and Yellow) and Tian Jing Sha: Qiu Si (Autumn Thoughts) were matched by skillful portamenti (bending of pitches). The repetitive notes in Japanese composer Ko Matsushita’s Hashiru (Running) were quickfire, breathless but exciting. 

Local colour and nostalgia were injected in the calypso beat of Singapore Town (1967) by The Sidaislers and the Xinyao of Eric Moo’s Kopi-O (1985), conducted respectively by their arrangers Cherie Chai and Ang Yi Feng. 

All facets of choral excellence came together for a few crowning minutes in South African composer Franco Prinsloo’s Salve Regina (Hail, Holy Mother). Here, tenderness, gentility and cinematic colour found their equals, closing with the final word “salve” left hanging in the air. 

Two school choirs led by conductor Lim, from Eunoia Junior College and Hwa Chong Institution, showed exactly where choral discipline begins - in the classroom. One will not find more polished performances respectively of Antonio Lotti’s Crucifixus or Felix Mendelssohn’s fugal Tag fur Tag sei Gott gepriesen (Day By Day, Praise Be To God), later topped with two more Matsushita songs. 

All three choirs got together for a final sing-along in The Clouds Give Way, Indonesian folksong Soleram, Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Rest and Filipino Ryan Cayabyab’s hip and hilarious Da Coconut Nut. Both these varied but very satisfying concerts showed that one cannot be too young or not-so-young to make good music together.

COMPOSITIONS EXCHANGE 2025: SOLO & CHORAL / Association of Composers (Singapore) / Review

 

COMPOSITIONS EXCHANGE 2025: 

SOLO & CHORAL 

Association of Composers (Singapore) 

Esplanade Recital Studio 

Wednesday (23 April 2025)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 25 April 2025 with the title "Home-grown composers in the spotlight at Association of Composers concert" (online edition) and "Good music from home-grown composers bringing people together" (print edition).

There are probably more musical composers in Singapore than one suspects. Many do not get commissions from major national arts organisations or get performed by high profile musicians, but they persevere nonetheless. 

Association of Composers (Singapore) is one of several composer collectives that exist here, and regularly showcases its members’ works in annual concerts. This evening’s concert was a showcase of music for choir and solo keyboard, with twelve works being heard. 

The first segment saw 17 singers of EVOKX Choir conducted by Keane Ong in a variety of choral music. Xiao Chunyuan’s Shiva, based on the mantra Om Nama Shivaya with words by local poet Edwin Thumboo, had an a cappella refrain on a D minor bass imbued with a spirit of contemplation. 

Soh Kay Cheng and Mary Soh’s Welcoming Autumn accompanied by pianist Dale Huang offered recitatives in Chinese, and evoked serenity with New Age harmonies. 

Quite different was Daniel Kom’s Burning Flames, a salute to the heroism following the September 11 catastrophe. Part inspired by the drama of Mozart’s Requiem, the narrative of saving lives turned tragedy into something positive. Wang Xin’s I Sing For You, Singapore was an ode to the nation turning 60, and had the feel-good vibes of National Day Parade songs. 

The keyboard solo segment was helmed by organist Emma Jiang Wan and pianist Clarence Lee, exhibiting no little virtuosity. Refreshingly left of field was Jiang playing her original composition Fast Track on a Yamaha Electone. This was a most exuberant and entertaining work with jazzy riffs and ostinatos riding over pre-programmed beats. 

Lee’s first two piano solos relived the violence in contemporary idioms. Cao Ying’s Conspiracy was built up to Sergei Prokofiev levels of dissonance and percussiveness. Zhao Lingyan’s The Loulan City in the Wind, while more descriptive in nature, was an excellent tone poem more aligned with the aggressiveness of Dmitri Shostakovich despite its Debussyan Impressionist title. 

By contrast, Ng Eng Thong’s Awake was lyrical and dreamlike. Calmness was maintained on high registers, its gradual crescendo concluding abruptly with repeated high Cs. 

The 90-minute concert closed with the 25-member One Chamber Choir conducted by Dawn Yin performing four works. Compared with the earlier choral segment, this one had an overall more cheerful feel. 

Quek Yong Siu’s Dandelion and the Tree was clothed with beautiful harmonies, reflecting the love between mother and child. Chiew Keng Hoon’s Moon had wider dynamics while exhibiting the same degree of a cappella warmth. 

Accompanied by Huang’s piano, Liu Bin’s Tao was sung by eleven men, a surprisingly light-hearted look at Laozi’s Tao Te Ching with an emphasis on the words “dao” (the way) and “ming” (clarity and brightness). 

Finally Lee Yuk Chuan’s Star, Friends for mixed choir was both congenial and affable in spirit, a loving tribute directed at the 92-year-old composer-conductor who was seated behind the audience. Good music brings people together, and this concert was a testimony to that indefatigable credo.

Lee Yuk Chuan acknowledges
One Chamber Choir's splendid work.

Pioneering composer and choral conductor
Lee Yuk Chuan, a star meets with his friends.