A record $1.4 million was raised for the Singapore Symphony at the SSO Symphony Ball on Saturday, 26 April 2025. Presented by DBS, the gala event was held at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore, and welcomed over 380 guests, with Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat gracing the occasion as Guest-of-Honour.

This year’s Ball, themed Straits Serenade, paid tribute to Singapore’s 60^th birthday. Led by Committee Chair Ms Paige Parker, the evening featured Singaporean influences woven throughout the musical programme and cuisine.

The generosity of donors and guests shone through their support, with tables reserved at $15,000 and above, alongside outright donations and a live charity auction featuring eight premium spirits donated by various benefactors. In the auction alone, $152k was raised.

The evening’s centrepiece was the Singapore Symphony Orchestra performing under the baton of Associate Conductor Rodolfo Barráez. The showcase included local works such as Spring! by Cultural Medallion-recipient Kelly Tang, and spotlighted SSO musicians violinist Kong Xianlong and trumpeter Lau Wen Rong as soloists. Returning to the annual fundraiser after seven years, the Singapore Symphony Children’s Choir performed a heartwarming rendition of the nation’s unofficial anthem, Dick Lee’s Home. To close the night, they delighted audiences with an encore – Gilpin’s Why We Sing.

Since its inception in 1984, the SSO Symphony Ball has been a fixture in Singapore’s social calendar. It has played a vital role in raising funds to sustain the SSO and support its ongoing mission of staging world-class performances in Singapore and beyond. The contributions have also helped to enrich diverse communities through free community concerts and in-school programmes, as well as nurture the talents of the Singapore National Youth Orchestra and the Singapore Symphony Choruses.

The next edition of the SSO Symphony Ball will return on 16 May 2026, at the Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore.