Preview: Joshua Bell and SCO – Butterfly Lovers

A classically trained violinist and a Chinese Orchestra may seem like an odd fit, but you’d be surprised at the sheer quality of the music they can produce together. This August, watch as Grammy Award winning violinist Joshua Bell returns to perform with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra! On the repertoire, Bell and the SCO will come together to perform one of the most famous works in … Continue reading Preview: Joshua Bell and SCO – Butterfly Lovers

M1 Patch! 2018: Immortalx by The Theatre Practice (Review)

The Theatre Practice kicks off the inaugural M1 Patch! Festival with a show about teenage immortals.  The Theatre Practice’s brand new festival kicked off this week with their new, original production Immortalx. Based off traditional Chinese mythology, Immortalx is an action-comedy coming-of-age tale where three teenage deities try to find their place in a world they don’t quite fit into, a world where gods are forgotten and no longer … Continue reading M1 Patch! 2018: Immortalx by The Theatre Practice (Review)

Preview: Go Local Series! Recollecting Memories《影视歌曲忆当年》by Ding Yi Music Company

This August, the musicians of Ding Yi go on a trip down memory lane with Recollecting Melodies 《影视歌曲忆当年》 a free outreach concert at the Singapore Botanic Gardens’s Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage! With the newly launched Go Local! series, Ding Yi hopes to reach out to a wider audience and cultivate more appreciation for Chinese chamber music via accessible performances of familiar tunes in a community setting. In … Continue reading Preview: Go Local Series! Recollecting Memories《影视歌曲忆当年》by Ding Yi Music Company

Preview: M1 Patch! A Theatre Festival of Artful Play by The Theatre Practice

Following the previous edition of their annual Chinese Theatre Festival, The Theatre Practice (TTP) has decided to go in a different direction this year, and will instead be presenting the brand new M1 Patch! A Theatre Festival of Artful Play throughout August! The concept of play is a core part of The Theatre Practice’s philosophy, driving its growth as a theatre company and to encapsulate the pedagogy … Continue reading Preview: M1 Patch! A Theatre Festival of Artful Play by The Theatre Practice

Preview: Music From Turn of the Century by Ding Yi Music Company

After a rousing concert in June at the Singapore Conference Hall, Ding Yi Music Company returns this July with a far more intimate affair at the Esplanade Recital Studio with Music From Turn of the Century.  In this concert, for the first time ever, Singapore’s foremost Chinese Chamber Music company will be led and conducted by Cultural Medallion recipient and Singapore Chinese Orchestra Music Director Tsung Yeh. This … Continue reading Preview: Music From Turn of the Century by Ding Yi Music Company

Preview: Nam Hwa Blazes 《万紫千红》(July 2018) by Nam Hwa Opera

Nam Hwa Opera is having a busy summer period. Just last week, the fifty year old Teochew Opera troupe performed two full length operas at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre, and this coming Sunday, they’ll be showcasing the tenth edition of their quarterly Nam Hwa Blazes programme at the Aliwal Arts Centre! The last edition in April saw the troupe showcasing three classic Teochew Operas, highlighting the … Continue reading Preview: Nam Hwa Blazes 《万紫千红》(July 2018) by Nam Hwa Opera

Review: 《告亲夫》Prosecuting the Husband by Nam Hwa Opera

The Chinese Opera I experienced growing up was always a very communal type of activity. Setting up makeshift stilt stages on the roadside, I’d join my excited grandparents as they dragged us along to watch in the evenings, particularly closer to the seventh month periods. As much as I never did master any dialect, these operas remained a fascinating aspect of my childhood as the … Continue reading Review: 《告亲夫》Prosecuting the Husband by Nam Hwa Opera

Keeping Teochew Opera Alive: An Interview with Tan Wei Tian, Wendy Lee and Teo Meng Hock of Nam Hwa Opera

This June, Nam Hwa Opera continues their 2018 season with two one night only shows at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre – Teochew Opera film classics《告亲夫》Prosecuting the Husband and《刘明珠》Lady Liu Ming Zhu. Whether you’re a Chinese Opera diehard fan or completely new to the scene, don’t miss this chance to relive the glory days of the past and catch this traditional art form performed by one of Singapore’s leading … Continue reading Keeping Teochew Opera Alive: An Interview with Tan Wei Tian, Wendy Lee and Teo Meng Hock of Nam Hwa Opera

Review: Citizen Dog by The Finger Players

The spirits are at play in both reality and fiction in this new work tackling issues of land ownership and the foibles of human desire. Pu Songling’s monstrous 18th century collection of over 400 supernatural stories Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (Liaozhai Zhiyi) has remained fascinating over the years, with its quirky supernatural characters from failed scholars to alluring fox spirits interwoven with a strong satirical edge. … Continue reading Review: Citizen Dog by The Finger Players

Preview: Highlights of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra 2018/19 Season

The SCO returns home at last to the Singapore Conference Hall for their 2018/19 season. While awaiting the completion of renovations at the Singapore Conference Hall, the over eighty member Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) have led a sprawling nomadic life for the better part of their 2017/18 season, with a programme that spanned various venues across Singapore, ranging from UOB Plaza to Gardens by the … Continue reading Preview: Highlights of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra 2018/19 Season