Singapore’s music, one that bears decades of history, was celebrated in the Temasek Foundation x SSO National Day Concert, on 11 August 2024 at the Esplanade Concert Hall.
Since 2018, the annual occasion has helped nurture our Singaporean music identity by showcasing original compositions by homegrown composers. This year’s edition presented a stirring repertoire of legacy pieces from our forefathers as well as new works from composers of today.
With over 1,000 concertgoers in attendance, the National Day concert (NDC) set off with the enduring piece of Leong Yoon Pin’s Giocoso – Largamente, composed in 1979, before moving to newer works including Sing! by Lee Jinjin. The national orchestra was led by Dr Leonard Tan, who also helped shape the programming of this year’s showcase.
“Thanks to the legacy of our musical pioneers, the future of Singapore music shines bright in this year’s NDC edition,” enthused Dr Tan. “It is an electrifying experience conducting the national orchestra, alongside 170 school choristers and band musicians – a historic first for the annual series.”
In our continued efforts to support emerging artists, three winning pieces from SSO Open Call for Compositions received their orchestral awakening for the very first time. These emerging composers, Lim Han Quan, Felicia Teng, and Gu Wei, are a testament to the future of Singapore's music and its strong talent pipeline.
“The open call is an excellent platform for Singaporean composers to express their musicality while fostering a more vibrant classical music scene locally,” said Felicia, who composed Red Dot Dreaming. “Hearing my piece performed live was both nerve-racking and exciting, and I’m grateful for the recognition.”
The world premiere of Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow by Terrence Wong was the resounding conclusion of the concert. The showcase was joined by a Combined Choir and Band, made up of choristers and musicians from the Singapore Symphony Choruses, the Singapore National Youth Orchestra, and eight different schools, including students with special needs from Pathlight School.
“For most students from the chorus, this was the first time they performed on such a grand scale with the national orchestra,” SSO Assistant Choral Conductor Ellissa Sayampanathan shared with Bravissimo. “Having grown musically from rehearsals to finally the live concert, I hope the students are proud of their involvement in this massive production — one that will leave a lasting impression on them in the years to come.”
To reinforce our connection with the community, we partnered with various community venues, such as Our Tampines Hub and Singapore Sports Hub, for simulcasts and live screenings of the National Day concert. Furthermore, with the support of Temasek Foundation, we welcomed friends from Foundation of Rotary Clubs Singapore Active Aging Centre, Boon Lay Community, Rainbow Centre, and The Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf). Deaf Artist-Performer Lily Goh was on stage to convey the musical expressions of the pieces.
Thank you for joining us at this year’s National Day celebration. If you missed the concert, rewatch the recorded livestream on our YouTube channel here.