SPH celebrates 30th anniversary with special SSO concert at Paragon this Saturday

SINGAPORE - To be held at Paragon Shopping Centre this Saturday at 3pm, the concert will be helmed by SSO conductor Joshua Tan and will see the orchestra sharing the stage with the Singapore Symphony Children's Choir. Featuring well-loved classics ranging from classical pieces to movie themes, the programme will also include a mysterious opening act.

Get the full story from The Straits Times.

Read the full statement from SPH:

SPH launches 30th anniversary celebrations with special SSO concert

Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), which turns 30 this year, will kick off its 30th anniversary celebrations with a special concert by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) at Paragon on 1 March at 3pm.

The concert will also launch SPH Gift of Music 2014, a free concert series for the community, sponsored by SPH since 2005. The concert at Paragon will see the SSO put up a mysterious opening act - a first time ever for the national orchestra - which will add an element of surprise and excitement to the concert programme.

Sharing the stage with the SSO will be the talented children from the Singapore Symphony Children's Choir. The concert will be conducted by Mr Joshua Tan. The entertaining programme includes well-loved classics such as Summertime by George Gershwin, Carmen Suite by Georges Bizet, movie theme from Star Wars, as well as popular hit When You Believe from the animated movie Prince of Egypt.

Apart from the concert at Paragon, new programmes for the year-long SPH Gift of Music include an SSO concert at the newly refurbished Victoria Concert Hall in August; Pesta Raya, a Malay Festival of Arts featuring local and regional Malay artistes in August; and a Getai Night showcasing some of Singapore's popular getai singers in November. These popular getai singers will perform hits from the 70s and 80s.

The line-up this year also includes Ding Yi Music Company's performance for the first time. The group of award-winning musicians, known for their wide-ranging repertoire from traditional Chinese music to modern interpretations of classical pieces, will be staging two concerts.

Singapore Lyric Opera's Opera in the Park, the SCO Community Concerts by Singapore Chinese Orchestra, as well as performances by winds orchestras The Philharmonic Winds and the Singapore Wind Symphony, will be back this year. Kaala Utsavam, the Indian Festival of Arts at the Esplanade, will also make its return as part of this year's line-up. About 24 SPH Gift of Music concerts will be staged this year in the heartlands, schools, malls and concert halls.

Following the special concert at the Paragon on 1 March, SPH has lined up a series of events to mark its 30th anniversary. Some of the celebration activities include the SPH Lucky 30 Draw in March, special subscription deals in July, as well as anniversary offers for readers in August.

Visit https://www.sph.com.sg/sph-gift-of-music/ for the list of SPH Gift of Music concerts this year.