Music: Piano Prodigy Mikkel Myer Lee Returns Home with third instalment of Complete Beethoven Sonata Cycle

On 23 May 2026, an extraordinary musical homecoming will unfold at the Esplanade Concert Hall. Singapore’s rising piano prodigy Mikkel Myer Lee returns to the stage for the third instalment of his ambitious Complete Beethoven Sonata Cycle — an eight-part artistic journey that will eventually see him perform all 32 piano sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven. For Mikkel, the concert marks more than another recital. … Continue reading Music: Piano Prodigy Mikkel Myer Lee Returns Home with third instalment of Complete Beethoven Sonata Cycle

★★★★★ Theatre Review: Le Père (The Father) 父亲 by Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre

by D.Y. Mandarin adaptation of acclaimed Florian Zeller play finds heartbreaking new resonance; spotlighting the Asian sensibilities of a family at war with Alzheimer’s disease.  In theatre, there are few plays that break the trust between audience and performer in its storytelling; And with an unassuming title such as ‘The Father’, the audience is lured into a false sense of familiarity. But, when the naturalistic, … Continue reading ★★★★★ Theatre Review: Le Père (The Father) 父亲 by Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre

★★★★☆ Dance Review: Diary VII ・ The Story Of…… by Mui Cheuk-yin

Mui Cheuk-yin transforms a chance encounter with a stray cat into a profound reflection on migration, memory and the circular nature of time. Diary entries often feel like streams of consciousness, a flow of thought. So for a dance piece to take inspiration from one, that results in a performance where there is no dramatic overture, no attempt to overwhelm. Instead, the theatre fills with … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Dance Review: Diary VII ・ The Story Of…… by Mui Cheuk-yin

★★★★☆ Theatre Review: The Sun by 4 CHAIRS THEATRE

A searing Taiwanese sci-fi triumph that evokes harrowing existential crises as we wonder how much humanity we leave behind as we evolve. There is something disquietingly apt about encountering The Sun in a cultural moment already steeped in suspicion, fracture and the long psychological aftershocks of global crises today. Directed by Tora Hsu and adapted by Chen Yi-En from Tomohiro Maekawa’s 2010 Japanese script, this … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Theatre Review: The Sun by 4 CHAIRS THEATRE

★★★★☆ Theatre Review: Deling and Cixi by He Jiping

A tender look at power and femininity in the dying days of the Qing dynasty. As the opening production of this year’s Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts, Deling and Cixi arrives with imperial grandeur and no small ambition, taking us back to the days of imperial China. Written by celebrated playwright He Jiping and directed by Roy Szeto, this sweeping three-hour production brings the … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Theatre Review: Deling and Cixi by He Jiping

Music: Singapore Symphony appoints Andrew Beer as concertmaster

The Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) has appointed violinist Andrew Beer as its GK Goh Concertmaster, starting from the 2026/27 season. A musician with an international career spanning major orchestras and musical genres, Beer will help shape the orchestra’s sound as it enters a new chapter with incoming Music Director Hannu Lintu. Canadian violinist Andrew Beer joins the SSO from the Auckland Philharmonia, where he has … Continue reading Music: Singapore Symphony appoints Andrew Beer as concertmaster

Huayi 2026: An Interview with Hong Kong dance icon Mui Cheuk-yin ‘Diary VII ・ The Story Of……’

For more than four decades, Mui Cheuk-yin has shaped the language of contemporary dance in Hong Kong through works that are deeply personal yet quietly expansive. Her long-running Diary series, begun in 1986, traces a life in motion: recording memories, migrations, encounters, and the passing of time through the body. With Diary VII・The Story Of……, which makes its Singapore premiere this February as part of … Continue reading Huayi 2026: An Interview with Hong Kong dance icon Mui Cheuk-yin ‘Diary VII ・ The Story Of……’

Huayi 2026: An Interview with King Shih-chieh, star of Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre’s ‘Le Père (The Father)’, and director David Jiang

Quick-witted and sharp-tongued, André is used to commanding every room he enters. But as small ruptures begin to surfac;a missing watch, rearranged furniture, unfamiliar faces at the dinner table, the boundary between memory and reality starts to dissolve. Le Père (The Father) draws audiences into the disintegrating inner life of an ageing man confronting Alzheimer’s, unfolding with unsettling intimacy and emotional precision. Presented as part … Continue reading Huayi 2026: An Interview with King Shih-chieh, star of Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre’s ‘Le Père (The Father)’, and director David Jiang

Huayi 2026: An Interview with ‘The Sun’ director Tora Hsu and writer Chen Yi-En

Set in a post-apocalyptic future marked by division and survival, The Sun is a contemporary reimagining of Japanese playwright Tomohiro Maekawa’s celebrated science fiction fable. Directed by award-winning Taiwanese theatre-maker Tora Hsu, with script adaptation by Chen Yi-en, this new staging reframes the work through a distinctly Taiwanese lens, responding to the fractures, anxieties and ideological tensions of the present moment. Premiering internationally at Huayi … Continue reading Huayi 2026: An Interview with ‘The Sun’ director Tora Hsu and writer Chen Yi-En

Huayi 2026: An Interview with director Roy Szeto and playwright He Jiping as they bring epic period drama ‘Deling and Cixi’ to the stage

Set against the twilight of the Qing dynasty, Deling and Cixi brings together two formidable women at a moment when an empire and a worldview stands on the brink of collapse. Written by celebrated playwright He Jiping and directed by Roy Szeto, the play looks beyond familiar historical narratives to uncover an intimate, humane encounter between Empress Dowager Cixi and the Western-educated aristocrat Deling. Through … Continue reading Huayi 2026: An Interview with director Roy Szeto and playwright He Jiping as they bring epic period drama ‘Deling and Cixi’ to the stage