Enliven your festive season with the glorious music of the SSO

Enliven your festive season with the glorious music of the SSO

Enliven your festive season with the glorious music of the SSO

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Mon, 28 Oct 2024

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A plethora of live concert experiences awaits, from a celebration of carols featuring the Singapore Symphony Youth and Children's Choirs in November, to the return of SSO's Christmas showcase in December, followed by organ and chamber performances in January.

Singapore, 28 October 2024 – In the upcoming months, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) presents a diverse selection of concerts suitable for not only classical music lovers, but also families and casual music fans. Highlights include the SSO Christmas Concert, SSO Concerts for Children, and performances by the Singapore Symphony Choruses and Singapore National Youth Orchestra (SNYO). Guest artists to look out for include violinists James Ehnes and Yu-Chien Benny Tseng, cellist Steven Isserlis, conductors Vasily Petrenko and Stephen Layton and more.

For the families

Parents looking for fun educational activities to start the school holidays can consider the well-loved SSO Concerts for Children series. On 16 and 17 November, Temasek Foundation × SSO A Magical Musical Meander will bring audiences on a journey through a musician’s life of ups and downs, accompanied by orchestral music conducted by Joshua Tan, and magic tricks performed by popular Hong Kong magician Harry Wong.

Gloria! on 29 and 30 November is a unique offering of choral music celebrating the yuletide season, featuring the Singapore Symphony Youth and Children’s Choirs with the SSO conducted by famed choral conductor Stephen Layton. The programme will take you from jubilant Baroque favourites to the ethereal beauty of Britten’s Ceremony of Carols and the Singapore premiere of Rautavaara’s Lapsimessu, a mass for children’s choir.

Be fully immersed in the festive spirit with the annual SSO Christmas Concert from 12 to 14 December, led by Associate Conductor Rodolfo Barráez. The SSO, Singapore Symphony Chorus and Children’s Choir will present Part 1 of Handel’s 1741 oratorio Messiah, a Christmas staple of the concert hall. The soloists include two Singaporean vocal stars: award-winning London-based soprano Victoria Songwei Li and mezzo-soprano Jade Tan who played the leading role in SSO’s recent production of Ravel’s The Spanish Hour. They will be joined by guest tenor Anders Kampmann and baritone Steffen Bruun from Denmark.

For the classical music lovers

Violin lovers should not miss the return of Canadian virtuoso James Ehnes on 8 and 9 November, where he will perform Beethoven’s lyrical Violin Concerto. This all-Beethoven programme directed by Dutch conductor Lawrence Renes also features the composer’s exuberant Fourth Symphony.

Mozart’s horn concertos are still among the best ever written for the instrument. Enthusiasts can look forward to 22 November, when SSO’s very own Principal Horn Austin Larson will take centre stage in the Horn Concerto No. 4. Associate Conductor Rodolfo Barráez will also conduct the orchestra in two well-known Mozart symphonies, the 29th and the “Great G Minor Symphony”, No. 40.

December begins with the return of outstanding British conductor Vasily Petrenko on the 5th and 6th. Two Romantic favourites, Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings and Beethoven’s 7th Symphony will frame Manuel de Falla’s Nights in the Gardens of Spain, a piano concerto in all but name, and appropriately performed by Spanish pianist Javier Perianes.

On 20 and 21 December, end the year on a high note with famed British cellist Steven Isserlis, as he brings to our stage the dark energy and raw frenzy of Kabalevsky’s Cello Concerto No. 2. The SSO also performs Schubert’s famously “Unfinished” Eighth Symphony, a popular work renowned for its poignant beauty. Except this time, returning Swiss maestro Mario Venzago will make the piece whole with his own completed version.

Popular Taiwanese violinist Yu-Chien Benny Tseng begins 2025 at the SSO on 24 and 25 January, with the crown jewel of violin concertos — Mendelssohn’s. The orchestra will also perform Beethoven’s mighty Third Symphony, the Eroica (“Heroic”), under the baton of Canadian maestro Julian Kuerti.

For those looking for something new

If your resolution for the new year is to discover new musical experiences, here are two recommendations.

On 9 January, the SSO Chamber Series: Novelettes features a programme of fascinating lesser-known composers. The concert opens with the Suite for Two Violins by Grazyna Bacewicz, one of the first Polish female composers to achieve widespread recognition. Following that is Alexander Glazunov’s Five Novelettes. A famed composer, conductor and teacher, Glazunov’s most well-known student is none other than the highly influential Dmitri Shostakovich. Lastly, the programme concludes with Grand Sextet in E-flat major by Mikhail Glinka, who is often regarded as the font of Russian classical music.

Alternatively, get acquainted with the king of instruments – the pipe organ – in the stately Victoria Concert Hall. SSO Organ Series: Organ Music in a Different Light! (26 January) features young organists Isaac Koh, Holly Yang and Max Zuo. Experience the full potential of the Klais organ, Singapore’s only fully mechanical organ, live in concert.

For the champions of young talents

On 8 December, the Singapore National Youth Orchestra presents a colourful and daring programme in SNYO plays Sibelius, Rautavaara and Stravinsky. Led by its Principal Guest Conductor Peter Stark, go from Sibelius’s stirring Finlandia to Rautavaara’s Cantus Arcticus, a “Concerto for Birds” using taped birdsong from Finland’s landscape. You’ll also witness Stravinsky’s groundbreaking ballet music for Petrushka brought to life.

Beethoven with James Ehnes and Lawrence Renes
Season 2024/25 • Subscription Concert

Beethoven with James Ehnes and Lawrence Renes

Singapore Symphony Orchestra / Lawrence Renes, conductor / James Ehnes, violin

Fri / 08 Nov 24 / 7.30pm

Sat / 09 Nov 24 / 7.30pm

Victoria Concert Hall

Dutch conductor Lawrence Renes and Canadian violin virtuoso James Ehnes both make welcome returns to Singapore in this all-Beethoven programme of concert hall favourites. From the militant resolve of the Coriolan Overture to the lyrical serenity of his Violin Concerto, to the exuberant finesse of the Fourth Symphony, this promises to be a delight from start to finish.

Featuring

Singapore Symphony Orchestra / Lawrence Renes, conductor / James Ehnes, violin

Programme

Coriolan Overture, Op. 62

Ludwig van Beethoven (Beethoven)

Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61*

Ludwig van Beethoven (Beethoven)

Symphony No. 4 in B-flat major, Op. 60

Ludwig van Beethoven (Beethoven)
Price

$100, $75, $55, $40, $30, $15

A Magical Musical Meander
Season 2024/25

A Magical Musical Meander

Singapore Symphony Orchestra / Joshua Tan, conductor / Harry Wong, magician

Sat / 16 Nov 24 / 11.00am

Sat / 16 Nov 24 / 2.00pm

Sun / 17 Nov 24 / 11.00am

Sun / 17 Nov 24 / 2.00pm

Victoria Concert Hall

Lights, music, MAGIC! Hop on a magical musical meander through a musician’s life of ups and downs, accompanied by orchestral music of fantasy and whimsy. Bring your kids to help popular Hong Kong magician Harry Wong save our weary young maestro from despair and reignite his deep love of music.

Features magician performing magic tricks with classical music performed by the orchestra. Uncle Harry will invite some children on stage to be part of a magic act. Recommended for ages 4 and above. No admission for infants-in-arms. No admission without a ticket.

A pre-event visual guide has been created to help prepare you and your family for this concert experience. Download it here.

Featuring

Singapore Symphony Orchestra / Joshua Tan, conductor / Harry Wong, magician

Programme

Finale from Symphony No. 39

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Mozart)

Serenade for the Doll and Golligwogg’s Cake-Walk

Claude Debussy (Debussy)

Valses nobles et sentimentales

Maurice Ravel (Ravel)

Ritual Fire Dance

Manuel Falla (Falla)

The Death of Tybalt

Sergei Prokofiev (Prokofiev)

Two movements from Recorder Concerto, RV 443

Antonio Vivaldi (Vivaldi)

Infernal Dance of King Kastchei and Finale from The Firebird Suite

Igor Stravinsky (Stravinsky)

The Black Swan

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Tchaikovsky)
Price

$35, $25 (Family package available)

Mozart with Rodolfo Barráez and Austin Larson
Season 2024/25 • Subscription Concert

Mozart with Rodolfo Barráez and Austin Larson

Singapore Symphony Orchestra / Rodolfo Barráez, Associate Conductor / Austin Larson, horn

Fri / 22 Nov 24 / 7.30pm

Victoria Concert Hall

What did music sound like 250 years ago? Just like Mozart’s enchanting Symphony No. 29 – written in 1774 when he was already a master of his art at the age of 18. Mozart’s horn concertos are still hailed as the best in their genre today – let the Singapore Symphony’s Principal Horn Austin Larson show you why, with his take on the most famous of the four. SSO Associate Conductor Rodolfo Barráez leads this eloquent survey of Mozart’s melodic gifts and charming humour, complemented with the resplendent gravity of his Great G minor Symphony.

Featuring

Singapore Symphony Orchestra / Rodolfo Barráez, Associate Conductor / Austin Larson, horn

Programme

Symphony No. 29 in A major, K. 201

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Mozart)

Horn Concerto No. 4 in E-flat major, K. 495*

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Mozart)

Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Mozart)
Price

$100, $75, $55, $40, $30, $15

Gloria!
Season 2024/25 • Subscription Concert

Gloria!

Singapore Symphony Youth Choir / Singapore Symphony Children’s Choir / Singapore Symphony Orchestra / Stephen Layton, conductor / Wong Lai Foon, Choirmaster

Fri / 29 Nov 24 / 7.30pm

Sat / 30 Nov 24 / 7.30pm

Victoria Concert Hall

The distinguished Stephen Layton, one of the finest choral conductors of our time, returns to direct the Singapore Symphony in this jubilant offering of choral artistry. The celebratory beauty of Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols for voices and harp shares the stage with the otherworldly choral aurora of Rautavaara, before turning to the classics of radiant Mozart, heavenly Bach and the titular piece, Vivaldi’s sparkling Gloria.

Featuring

Singapore Symphony Youth Choir / Singapore Symphony Children’s Choir / Singapore Symphony Orchestra / Stephen Layton, conductor / Wong Lai Foon, Choirmaster

Programme

A Ceremony of Carols

Benjamin Britten (Britten)

Adagio for Organ and Strings

Tomaso Albinoni (Albinoni)

Lapsimessu

Einojuhani Rautavaara (Rautavaara)

Laudate dominum from Vesperae solennes de confessore, K. 339

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Mozart)

Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring

Johann Sebastian Bach (J.S. Bach)

Gloria in D major, RV. 589

Antonio Vivaldi (Vivaldi)
Price

$100, $75, $55, $40, $30, $15

Nights in the Gardens of Spain
Season 2024/25 • Subscription Concert

Nights in the Gardens of Spain

Singapore Symphony Orchestra / Vasily Petrenko, conductor / Javier Perianes, piano

Thu / 05 Dec 24 / 7.30pm

Fri / 06 Dec 24 / 7.30pm

Victoria Concert Hall

Manuel de Falla’s Nights in the Gardens of Spain is a haunting depiction of nocturnal scenes and sultry moods of Andalusia. Spanish pianist Javier Perianes stars in this twilit work where piano melds with orchestra to evoke moonlight, flamenco and guitar amidst the perfume of night. The outstanding British conductor Vasily Petrenko leads the SSO in this attractive programme framed by Tchaikovsky’s luxurious Serenade for Strings and Beethoven’s vigorous Seventh Symphony, the “apotheosis of the dance”.

Featuring

Singapore Symphony Orchestra / Vasily Petrenko, conductor / Javier Perianes, piano

Programme

Serenade for Strings in C major, Op. 48

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Tchaikovsky)

Nights in the Gardens of Spain*

Manuel Falla (Falla)

Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92

Ludwig van Beethoven (Beethoven)
Price

$100, $75, $55, $40, $30, $15

SNYO plays Sibelius, Rautavaara and Stravinsky
Season 2024/25

SNYO plays Sibelius, Rautavaara and Stravinsky

Singapore National Youth Orchestra / Peter Stark, Principal Guest Conductor

Sun / 08 Dec 24 / 7.30pm

Victoria Concert Hall

Finland awakes! With his mighty Finlandia, Sibelius lit afire the Finns' spirit of independence, paving the way for generations of musicians to advance Finnish music. Among them was Einojuhani Rautavaara, who melded nature and orchestra through technology to create his otherworldly concerto for birds and orchestra, Cantus Arcticus.

From Petrushka, Stravinsky also expanded the possibilities of 20th century music, taking ballet into a new world of sound and rhythm.

Featuring

Singapore National Youth Orchestra / Peter Stark, Principal Guest Conductor

Programme

Finlandia

Jean Sibelius (Sibelius)

Cantus Arcticus (Concerto for Birds and Orchestra)

Einojuhani Rautavaara (Rautavaara)

Petrushka

Igor Stravinsky (Stravinsky)

Valse triste

Jean Sibelius (Sibelius)
Price

$25, $20

SSO Christmas Concert 2024
Season 2024/25

SSO Christmas Concert 2024

Singapore Symphony Orchestra / Singapore Symphony Chorus / Singapore Symphony Children’s Choir / Rodolfo Barráez, Associate Conductor / Eudenice Palaruan, Choral Director / Wong Lai Foon, Choirmaster / Victoria Songwei Li, soprano / Jade Tan, mezzo-soprano / Anders Kampmann, tenor / Steffen Bruun, bass

Thu / 12 Dec 24 / 7.30pm

Fri / 13 Dec 24 / 7.30pm

Sat / 14 Dec 24 / 7.30pm

Victoria Concert Hall

The SSO Christmas Concert returns to the Victoria Concert Hall this December – and so does Handel’s popular oratorio Messiah, the Baroque staple of the yuletide season. Join the Singapore Symphony Chorus, Children's Choir, Orchestra and Associate Conductor Rodolfo Barráez for this joyous offering of majestic choruses and festive carols to mark the year’s end with the best of notes!

Featuring

Singapore Symphony Orchestra / Singapore Symphony Chorus / Singapore Symphony Children’s Choir / Rodolfo Barráez, Associate Conductor / Eudenice Palaruan, Choral Director / Wong Lai Foon, Choirmaster / Victoria Songwei Li, soprano / Jade Tan, mezzo-soprano / Anders Kampmann, tenor / Steffen Bruun, bass

Programme

Messiah, Part 1

Georg Frideric Handel (Handel)

Celtic Carol

Lindsey Sterling

African Noel

Anonymous

Natus est in Bethleem

Xabier Sarasola

The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)

Mel Tormé

It’s Christmastime

Various
Price

$188, $128, $98, $78, $58, $48

Steven Isserlis and Mario Venzago – Kabalevsky and Schubert
Season 2024/25 • Subscription Concert

Steven Isserlis and Mario Venzago – Kabalevsky and Schubert

Singapore Symphony Orchestra / Mario Venzago, conductor / Steven Isserlis, cello

Fri / 20 Dec 24 / 7.30pm

Sat / 21 Dec 24 / 7.30pm

Victoria Concert Hall

End the year with famed British cello virtuoso Steven Isserlis as he brings to our stage the dark energy and raw frenzy of Kabalevsky’s Cello Concerto No. 2, written just 60 years ago. Swiss maestro Mario Venzago returns to lead the Singapore Symphony Orchestra in his own completed version of the most famous “Unfinished Symphony” in all music history – Schubert’s Eighth, a sublime statement of reverence and nobility that was never played during his life.

Featuring

Singapore Symphony Orchestra / Mario Venzago, conductor / Steven Isserlis, cello

Programme

Overture to Der Freischütz

Carl Maria von Weber (Weber)

Cello Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 77*

Dmitry Kabalevsky (Kabalevsky)

Symphony No. 8 in B minor, D. 759 “Unfinished”

Franz Schubert (Schubert)
Price

$100, $75, $55, $40, $30, $15

Novelettes
Season 2024/25

Novelettes

Zhao Tian, violin / Zhang Si Jing, violin / Chan Yoong-Han, violin / Jin Li, violin / Nikolai Koval, violin / Marietta Ku, viola / Luo Biao, viola / Yu Jing, cello / Karen Yeo, double bass / Low Shao Ying, piano

Thu / 09 Jan 25 / 7.30pm

Victoria Concert Hall

Opening with the Suite for Two Violins by Grazyna Bacewicz, this lively piece is a vibrant beacon of light with which she kept up the spirits of her people during the days of war-torn Poland. Following this, Glazunov’s colourful Five Novelettes spark delights in the manner of Spanish, Hungarian and Oriental dance, before the piano joins in during the sumptuous melodies of Glinka’s Grand Sextet. This attractive programme performed by musicians of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra will bring a smile to your Thursday night.

Featuring

Zhao Tian, violin / Zhang Si Jing, violin / Chan Yoong-Han, violin / Jin Li, violin / Nikolai Koval, violin / Marietta Ku, viola / Luo Biao, viola / Yu Jing, cello / Karen Yeo, double bass / Low Shao Ying, piano

Programme

Suite for Two Violins

Grażyna Bacewicz (Bacewicz)

Five Novelettes, Op. 15

Alexander Glazunov (Glazunov)

Grand Sextet in E-flat Major

Mikhail Glinka (Glinka)
Price

$20

Buy Tickets
Buy Tickets
Mendelssohn Violin Concerto and Beethoven’s Eroica
Season 2024/25 • Subscription Concert

Mendelssohn Violin Concerto and Beethoven’s Eroica

Singapore Symphony Orchestra / Julian Kuerti, conductor / Yu-Chien Benny Tseng, violin

Fri / 24 Jan 25 / 7.30pm

Sat / 25 Jan 25 / 7.30pm

Victoria Concert Hall

Popular Taiwanese violinist Yu-Chien Benny Tseng makes a welcome return to Singapore to play the crown jewel of violin concertos, the Mendelssohn. Beethoven’s mighty Eroica Symphony forms the second half of this Romantic programme led by Canadian maestro Julian Kuerti, opening with Ligeti’s loving tribute to Romanian folk music.

Featuring

Singapore Symphony Orchestra / Julian Kuerti, conductor / Yu-Chien Benny Tseng, violin

Programme

Concert Românesc

György Ligeti (Ligeti)

Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64*

Felix Mendelssohn (Mendelssohn)

Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 55 “Eroica”

Ludwig van Beethoven (Beethoven)
Price

$100, $75, $55, $40, $30, $15

Buy Tickets
Buy Tickets
Organ Music in a Different Light!
Season 2024/25

Organ Music in a Different Light!

Isaac Koh, organ / Holly Yang, organ / Max Zuo, organ / Melina Leong, soprano / Raeanne Wong, soprano

Sun / 26 Jan 25 / 4.00pm

Victoria Concert Hall

The Klais Pipe Organ of the Victoria Concert Hall stars in a programme of fanfares, toccatas and even a Singaporean classic arranged for organ. Performing are an array of young musicians as little as 10, showcasing their skills at the organ as well as with their voices.

Featuring

Isaac Koh, organ / Holly Yang, organ / Max Zuo, organ / Melina Leong, soprano / Raeanne Wong, soprano

Programme

Festive Trumpet Tune

David German

Toccata in Seven

John Rutter

Alleluia from Exsultate, Jubilate K. 165

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Mozart)

Straits in Sepia - a duet for 4 hands and feet I: Dayung Sampan II: Rasa Sayang

Phoon Yu

Prelude in E minor, BWV 533

Johann Sebastian Bach (J.S. Bach)

Scherzo

Dudley Buck

Laudate Dominum from Vesperae Solennes de Confessore, K. 339

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Mozart)

Laudamus Te from Gloria, RV 589

Antonio Vivaldi (Vivaldi)

Perpaduan

Kenneth Tay

Allegro from Concerto in A minor, BWV 593

Johann Sebastian Bach (J.S. Bach)

Finale from Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 65

Felix Mendelssohn (Mendelssohn)
Price

$10

Buy Tickets
Buy Tickets

ABOUT THE SINGAPORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Founded in 1979, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is Singapore’s flagship orchestra, touching lives through classical music and providing the heartbeat of the cultural scene. In addition to its subscription series concerts, the SSO is also known for its outdoor and community appearances. The orchestra also presents intimate chamber performances in the SSO Chamber Series and SSO Organ Series, the annual Singapore International Piano Festival (SIPF) and the biennial National Piano and Violin Competition (NPVC) at the Victoria Concert Hall, Home of the SSO. The SSO is part of the Singapore Symphony Group, which also manages the Singapore Symphony Choruses, and the Singapore National Youth Orchestra. The Group’s vision is to be a leading arts organization that engages, inspires and reflects Singapore through musical excellence. Our mission is to create memorable shared experiences with music. Through the SSO and its affiliated performing groups, we spread the love for music, nurture talent and enrich our diverse communities.

The Singapore Symphony Orchestra was nominated and clinched third place in the prestigious Gramophone Orchestra of the Year Award 2021. In 2022, BBC Music Magazine named the SSO as one of the 21 best orchestras in the world.

Visit Singapore Symphony Orchestra’s website and find out more.
Follow Singapore Symphony’s Orchestra Facebook page, Instagram and YouTube page

ABOUT THE SINGAPORE SYMPHONY CHORUSES
The Singapore Symphony Choruses is a premier choral body comprising the Singapore Symphony Chorus, Singapore Symphony Youth Choir and Singapore Symphony Children’s Choir.

Since 1980, the Choruses have seen membership from diverse ages, backgrounds and nationalities. Regularly sharing the stage with the SSO, the Choruses record and tour with the orchestra, as well as give their own performances in Singapore and abroad. Through holistic training that nurtures artistic growth and personal development, the Choruses aim to articulate an ecosystem of choral excellence. Repertoire for the respective choruses straddle musical worlds and styles, ranging from orchestral masterpieces to a cappella favourites, and spanning the Renaissance to contemporary 21-st century music. Throughout the pandemic, the Choruses challenged the boundaries of remote collaboration in music making, releasing several productions including a music video "We Will Get There", as well as a one-of-its-kind joint choral performance "Longing", entirely enabled by technology.

Find out more about Singapore Symphony Choruses

ABOUT THE SINGAPORE NATIONAL YOUTH ORCHESTRA
Formally established in 1980, the Singapore National Youth Orchestra (SNYO) has welcomed generations of youths to the life-changing experience of playing orchestra music, performing locally as well as representing Singapore at prestigious concert halls and music festivals overseas. Over the years, the SNYO has performed in concert venues and music festivals across Australia, Austria, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia and the United Kingdom. Today, the orchestra consists of 180 youths aged 10 to 21, from more than 60 schools across Singapore. The SNYO family consists of a main orchestra and a junior orchestra, where they are guided by professional musicians in rehearsals, sectionals and masterclasses. Their programme is accessible to talented youth musicians with selected individual lesson subsidy and travel grants for tours as well as participation in exchange programmes. The SNYO is recognised by the Ministry of Education as a National Project of Excellence, and part of the Singapore Symphony Group.

Find out more about Singapore National Youth Orchestra.

For media enquiries, please contact:

Elizabeth Low
Senior Executive, Marketing Communications, Singapore Symphony Group
E: elizabeth.low@sso.org.sg

Celine Tan Assistant Account Director, Red Havas
E: celine.tansl@havas.com
M: +65 9816 1204

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