Celebrating our nation’s 57th birthday this year was special experience — the first time the national affair was observed in relative normalcy since the pandemic.
Likewise, the SSO’s annual celebration was also returned to a full orchestra and maximum audience capacity format. In 2020 and 2021, the performances were presented online. This year, the Temasek Foundation SSO National Day Concert 2022 enthusiastically welcomed our audiences back to the hall.
Held on 13 August 2022, the SSO curated a programme that showcased Singaporean compositions and performers. Of the eight pieces performed at the concert, six were world premieres. Every year, the night concludes with a different orchestration of Majulah Singapura, with this year’s being the 1980s arrangement by the late Leong Yoon Pin.
This year, five Singaporean companies contributed generously to the concert, while the people of Singapore supported a medley of National Day songs via a crowdfunding campaign.
The night’s centrepiece, David Loke’s 3 Sketches of Singapore performed by the soloists Lorong Boys with the SSO, was proudly supported by PropertyGuru Group. Three different moods unfolded in the piece, starting with the first movement that depicted persevering through tough times (The Sea Storm), followed by a heartwarming tribute to past generations (In Loving Memory) in the second movement, before the third concluding movement that represented unconditional joy (Raindance).
NYSE-listed PropertyGuru Group is Asia’s leading online property marketplace, and a first-time corporate supporter of the SSO.
PropertyGuru Group is a homegrown company, helping Singaporeans find their dream home since 2007. We are proud to have sponsored the SSO’s National Day Concert and hope our contribution to 3 Sketches of Singapore — a celebration of homegrown talent and a beautiful reminder that through all challenges, we will overcome and joy shines through — inspires people to persevere in pursuing their dreams and ambitions.
Next, we make our acquaintance with Stasis. The piece has its origins in the ethnic music of Thailand and Bali. Premiered in 1988, the arrangement was specially commissioned for the then-Singapore Youth Orchestra. Stasis was supported by Sembcorp Industries Ltd. This holds a special meaning for the energy and urban development company as composer Tsao Chieh had worked there in the 1990s.
Up by Lee Chin Sin (orch. Jaffar Sidek) coaxes Singaporeans to look back on how they overcame challenges to spark hope for the future. With this piece, members of the Singapore Symphony Choruses made their first return on stage since the pandemic.
Inspiring Singaporeans with hope through this piece of music, United Overseas Bank (UOB) proudly sponsored this heart-stirring work.
We are pleased to play a part in promoting a vibrant arts and cultural scene in Singapore. The newly commissioned piece, Up, encompasses the unwavering spirit of our country. We hope this piece will encourage Singaporeans to rise above challenges with determination, resilience and strength.
We were honoured to welcome Marina Bay Sands’ (MBS) return as a donor, this time supporting a new arrangement for chorus and orchestra of Home by Dick Lee (arr. Wong Lai Foon/orch. Dax Wilson Liang). Since 2010, MBS has not only become an iconic landmark in Singapore, it also continues to be a strong promoter of arts and culture in the city. The audiences spoke of goosebumps after hearing the voices of the Singapore Symphony Choruses carried the lyrics of this favourite National Day Song through the Esplanade Concert Hall.
Marina Bay Sands is proud to support the new arrangement of the beloved classic, Home, at the Singapore Symphony Orchestra’s National Day Concert 2022. As a supporter of the arts, Marina Bay Sands is pleased that SSO continues to use the power of music to uplift and touch the lives of the community.
We were also grateful to DBS Singapore and the people of Singapore for their support towards the concert. Our sincere thanks to the individual donors who gave generously to the Giving.sg campaign in support of Little Big Things by Benjamin Lim.
DBS is delighted to be part of SSO’s musical celebration that meaningfully unites local talent, works and most of all, the people of Singapore. Our support of the arts serves as an avenue to uplift the community, and reflects our commitment to create joyful experiences for our customers to partake in.
We look forward to another year of creating shared experiences with music.