The Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) will present Percussion Rhapsody at the SCO Concert Hall on Saturday, 13 December 2025, at 7.30pm. The 1.5-hour programme is helmed by SCO’s multitalented Associate Conductor Moses Gay.

Part of SCO’s “Metamorphosis” Season 25/26, curated by Principal Conductor Quek Ling Kiong in conjunction with Singapore’s 60th year of independence, Percussion Rhapsody takes audiences on a musical journey from folk-inspired soundscapes to contemporary virtuoso showpieces.

A centrepiece of the night will be the SCO premiere of Chinese-American composer Chen Yi’s avant-garde Percussion Concerto — heard in full for the first time in its Chinese orchestra version. Originally commissioned by Scottish percussionist Evelyn Glennie and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra in 1998, this percussion concerto draws inspiration from the percussive style of Peking Opera.

SCO percussionist Derek Koh will perform on 14 different percussion instruments, including the vibraphone, marimba, Chinese cymbals, Peking gongs, temple blocks, and dagu, in a virtuosic display demanding skill in both Chinese and Western techniques. He will also be reciting a poem by Song Dynasty poet Su Shi (Su Dongpo) in an exaggerated operatic voice during the concerto’s second movement (Prelude to Water Tune).

The evening will also feature the world premiere of the Chinese orchestra version of Wang Jianmin’s Erhu Rhapsody No. 6, performed by SCO musician Wong Qin Kai. Drawing on Tibetan folk themes, the work evokes the vastness of the Tibetan Plateau and marks a personal milestone for Wong, who has performed all six of Wang’s Erhu Rhapsodies.

Before that, the concert will begin with Guandong Overture by the late Sui Lijun, an expansive and majestic work first composed for the Hsinchu Youth Chinese Orchestra in Taiwan. Featuring the suona as a key instrument, the piece pays homage to Guandong (a region in China’s northeast) and its vast landscapes and rich cultural heritage. 

Rounding off the concert will be the Singapore premiere of Li Binyang’s Misty Rain on Maple Bridge, selected for China’s 2019 “Symphony of the Era” programme by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, commissioned and premiered by the Suzhou Chinese Orchestra. The audience is invited to stay for a Meet the Artistes session afterwards, where they can hear directly from the soloists and conductor about the concert’s music and its inspiration.

“This concert is a showcase of Chinese orchestral versatility, anchored by the rhythmic brilliance of percussion,” says conductor Moses Gay. 

“Chen Yi’s concerto — inspired by Peking Opera — is a thrilling dialogue between tradition and modernity. It’s rare to hear a percussionist as both soloist and storyteller, and Derek Koh’s virtuosity will reveal the instrument’s dramatic range, from thunderous power to delicate nuance.”

Tickets for Percussion Rhapsody are now on sale at sco.com.sg. Eligible Singaporeans can pay for tickets using their SG Culture Pass.