SG50 concert pays tribute to Lee Kuan Yew

SINGAPORE - As part of a gala concert to celebrate Singapore's golden jubilee, the Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) will pay tribute to Singapore's founding father Lee Kuan Yew.

The concert, Towards the Future, will be held on Jul 3 at 7.30pm at the Esplanade Concert Hall.

Local artistes including local veteran actor Lim Kay Tong, vocalist Robert Fernando and vocal band MICappella will perform with SCO. Music Director Tsung Yeh will be conducting the concert.

SCO will illustrate Singapore's journey of 50 years of independence through five parts in the concert.

The prelude will feature the first prize winning composition from 2011's Singapore International Competition for Chinese Orchestral Composition, A Stroll in the Lion City by Xie Xiang Ming, which depicts Singapore's multi-cultural heritage and diverse facets of life.

The second part will showcase the early establishment of Singapore through Law Wai Lun’s music depiction of Hong San See and Phoon Yew Tien’s rearranged Reminisce Those Years while the third part is the tribute to Mr Lee.

Composer Eric Watson's new composition, An Independent Note, will carry an excerpt of Lee Kuan Yew's speech during National Day, which will be narrated by Lim Kay Tong.

The fourth part, which illustrates the development of Singapore, will be performed by first prize winner of the National Violin and Piano Competition 2013 (Senior category)'s Serene Koh, who will play piano concerto Singapore Capriccio.

The finale consists of a newly commissioned symphonic cantata by Mr Law and it will describe the multicultural vibrancy of Singapore. The symphony is accompanied by the Vocal Consort chorus.

Tickets are available from SISTIC and are priced at $38, $48, $68 and $78. Concession price tickets are also available at $14 and $19.

stephluo@sph.com.sg