Sing-ing Sunday: Concerts I Wish I Attended

I'm starving for a good concert. Since the most recent one I had watched left an aftertaste in my mind.



ACJC choir's annual concert, unknown year. Although the recording quality is bad, you can tell the choir is pretty good.



World Youth Choral Festival 2008, held in Singapore. I heard the junior college choirs were very good.



Raffles Chorale (RJC) Vocal Exploits. This makes for a very unconventional and refreshing concert opening number! Clapping Music by Steve Reich (1972), by the way. Very famous minimalist composer.



Vocal Consort, unknown year. Too bad this is another badly taken video. I always liked the way Mr Kwei interprets Asian and especially Chinese songs.

Concert: An Evening With Friends by Anglo-Chinese Junior College Choir

Date/Time: 1 Jun 09, 7.30 pm

Venue: Esplanade Concert Hall

Ticket Price: Standard - S$25, S$21, S$19 (Doesn't appear to have concessions for students)

---Start of Extract---

Since its inception into the Ministry of Education's Choral Excellence Programme, the Anglo-Chinese Junior College Choir has achieved numerous accolades both internationally and at home.

Having clinched top honours in prestigious choral competitions in Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Wales, and most recently in Slovakia, the ACJC Choir is the only Singapore Choir to have been invited by the International Federation of Choral Music to represent the country at the 4th World Symposium on Choral Music in Sydney, Australia.

At home, the choir is the six-time winner of the Singapore Youth Festival Choral Competition "Choir of the Year" and “Best Junior College Choir” Award.

This evening’s concert celebrates the shared passion and love for music making between choristers past and present and will feature the works of renowned composers including world premier of the choir’s commissioned works.

----End of Extract----

Book your tickets through SISTIC now!

'Sing'-ing Sunday 1

Hi guys,

We're starting this new section of our blog called 'Sing'-ing Sunday, showing you guys clips of our 'Sing'-apore a cappella groups or choirs doing what they do best - singing!

This week we've got 3 vids, all of them choirs haha, we'll try to add some a cappella groups next week (hint to cheej to send me some links)

First off, admittedly one of the best choirs in Singapore and internationally acclaimed at various competitions, including the prestigious Llangollen International Music Eisteddfod - the Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC) Choir. Here, they sing one of their hallmarks in the local choral scene, Soleram arr. by Fabian Obispo. A slow Malay folk-song, simple but rife of emotion. They sang this piece in the Cathedral of Bratislava at far-away Slovakia. The recording isn't very clear so I can't really comment on the singing.. =S



Next up, is a piece i truly enjoy. Most choristers in Singapore would have had the chance to at least sing one of American composer, Eric Whitacre's pieces. Be it the wintry "Sleep" or the crazy "Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine", Mr Whitacre's works are vastly popular amongst Singapore's conductors. Here, Raffles Chorale (Raffles Institution Junior College/RIJC), which has been very successful in overseas competitions, most recently, the Festival of Songs in Olomouc 2008, perform Lux Aurumque, a latin translation of a poem by Edward Esch at the said Festival:

Light,
warm and heavy
as pure gold,
and the angels
sing softly to the
newborn babe.

- Edward Esch

They started off a little flat, and the basses were a little flat (and too loud imo). They recovered and the chords glistened. Towards the end, the upper voices were gradually getting flatter @ the final section (slow & soft). Chords didn't quite lock in there too, but overall, very beautiful interpretation with glittering sounds.




Lastly, we have a piece called "Salve Regina" performed by Tampines Junior College (TPJC) choir. The blend is not too bad, they went slightly off-tune at some parts but not a bad attempt. The male voices aren't fully developed, which kinda let to the slightly flat start but they recovered. Enjoyed the fugal bit in the middle.

Do comment!



---UPDATE: Updated the name of the sch for Salve Regina as contributed by Anonymous, whom I assume knows Han Rui haha. Thanks again!