Martin Ng's 'The Italian Baritone' - COMING SOON!!!

Martin Ng's gala concert The Italian Baritone with Boris Kraljevic and Li Jie is happening in two weeks! Get your tickets at Peatix (http://peatix.com/event/181283) or at Madison Academy of Music (madisonacademy.com.sg)!

Here are some videos of Martin and Boris performing in Montenegro:

It goes without saying that Boris is a very accomplished pianist, and so it is our pleasure that he will perform two pieces by Rachmaninov with us. Here is a video of him doing just that. Imagine how amazing it would be when heard live!

Soprano Li Jie has had quite a busy year performing across Europe, many times with Martin. Here she is performing Rossini's Cat Duet with baritone Xiao Chunyuan at our Esplanade Recital Studio:

Here's the official programme for the evening:

Martin:
~ Come paride vezzoso from L'elisir d'amore (Donizetti)
~ Resta immobile from Guglielmo Tell (Rossini)

Li Jie:
~ In der Fremde (Schumann)

Martin:
~ Cruda funesta smania from Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti)

Li Jie:
~ Signore ascolta from Turandot (Puccini)

Martin and Li Jie:
~ Duet: Pura siccome un angelo from La Traviata (Verdi)

INTERVAL

Martin:
~ Pietà rispetto e amore from Macbeth (Verdi)
~ Ah! Pescator from La Gioconda (Ponchielli)

Boris:
~ S. Rachmaninov: Musical moment in D Flat Major, Op 16 No 5
~ S. Rachmaninov: Etude-tableaux in C Sharp Minor, Op 33 No 9

Martin and Li Jie:
~ Duet: Figlia! Mio padre from Rigoletto (Verdi)

Martin:
~ Cortigiani vil razza dannata from Rigoletto (Verdi)

Li Jie:
~ Meine Lippen by Lehar

Martin:
~ Nemico della patria from Andrea Chenier (Giordano)

Martin and Li Jie:
~ Udiste...Mira di acerbe lagrime from Il Trovatore (Verdi)

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Once more, tickets for Martin Ng - The Italian Baritone are available at Peatix (http://peatix.com/event/181283) and at Madison Academy of Music (madisonacademy.com.sg). Get yours today!

Fong Kai De Piano Recital - 23 Dec 2016

Fong Kai De may be only 16, but he has already scored a distinction in the ABRSM LRSM examination. His success in international competitions include Silver Prize at the 7th All Japan Junior Piano Concours held in Tokyo.

Supporters of young musical talent should not therefore miss his recital on 23 December at the Esplanade Recital Studio. On the programme are works by Beethoven, Rachmaninov, Prkofiev and Chopin.

Check out this link below for more information including where to get tickets!

A Musical Fantasy - Piano Recital by Song Ziliang

Russian-trained pianist Song Ziliang presents a concert on 16 December 2016 at the SOTA Concert Hall. A Musical Fantasy promises to be a departure from the usual classical recital format, namely as audiences can request for their favourite pop songs to be played by clicking through on this link.

Fancy hearing your favourite pop tunes played by a professional concert pianists between 'serious' pieces? Here's your chance! Please SMS or Whatsapp 9271 3366 to reserve your tickets!

Journey - Compendium of Vocal Scores by Xiao Chunyuan

Just like our local singers, instrumentalists, dancers and actors, local composers need public support as well in order to grow. London-trained local composer and baritone Xiao Chunyuan has marked a new milestone in his career with the publication of Journey, a collection of songs that he has composed over the years.

Journey is available for purchase at only $25 at Gramercy Music (188 Buki Timah Road) and Music Book Room at Bras Brasah Complex. Make your music library more diverse by adding Journey to your collection!

SLO Gala Concert 'Love and Passion' in Review

Singapore Lyric Opera Gala Concert - Love and Passion
Esplanade Concert Hall, Singapore
18 Nov 2016

Jason Lai - Conductor
Wang Bing-Bing - Soprano
Anna Koor - Mezzo-Soprano
William Lim - Baritone

Also featuring artists from SLO–Leow Siak Fah Young Artists Programme:

Teo Kai Xin - Soprano
Jeremy Koh - Tenor

With:

Singapore Lyric Opera Orchestra
Singapore Lyric Opera Chorus
Singapore Lyric Opera Children's Choir

A Review by Hawk Liu

Every time the annual opera gala comes along, I anticipate with trepidation, wondering which same pieces would be performed yet again. I am glad this time they have ventured a little bit more into new territory with the likes of merce, dilette amiche, Si puo, Je veux vivre and the Triumphant March from Aida.

With a solid cast of soloists and some new repertoire, it was certainly a delightful evening. The orchestra played well - good use of dynamics and great interpretations. I think the conductor did a good job in bringing out the 'opera' from the orchestra. Unfortunately, I found the brass section uneven sometimes. In general, the playing was too loud for the singers and even the chorus - the perpetual problem in many performances. The entire chorus with the children's chorus was no much for the orchestra in volume, especially in the final chorus of Carmen and Aida's March.
The children's chorus was outstanding in the Italian excerpt from Turandot, producing solid, lovely vocal tones. Unfortunately they faltered a little in the same aspects in the German of Hansel und Gretel, losing the focus in their tone. Indeed, Italian is the best language to sing in. The adult chorus had a good sing throughout, with the Cavalleria Rusticana's pieces particularly moving and harmonically beautiful.

The soloists were all wonderful to watch and I appreciated the acting they put into their performances. The standout for the evening had to be Teo Kai Xin's Je veux vivre. The voice loved the concert hall and rang out well. She got her well deserved enthusiastic applause. William Lim was engaging in Si Puo and the orchestra worked very well with him in this piece.

I was very sad at the end of the concert, not because it was the end, but because it ended yet again with Traviata's Brindisi which is played to death in every concert around the world. I got to say the singers were interesting in this Brindisi and I wasn't as bored as I thought I would be...BUT....please may we NOT have the Brindisi in ANY concert for the next ten years?

On a positive note, I found this gala very interesting to watch despite some uneven performances and I, as a member of the local audience, would love to see the annual opera gala grow by venturing a whole lot more into new territories in their repertoire choices.

[Note from Ed: by the way, awesome programme notes!]

Disney's Mulan Film Auditions - Seeking 18 y/o Lead

European Cultural and Performance Tour in June 2016 - 'The Sound of Madison'

Here's your opportunity to tour numerous places in Austria, Germany and France and perform in an ancient castle!

The Sound of Madison tour in June will take you to the most memorable cultural sites in Europe, including locations where the iconic The Sound of Music movie was filmed. You will also get to visit Mozart's birthplace and perhaps watch some concerts or operas. We will also be dining at a Michelin star restaurant and go shopping in the central districts.

And for those who are up for it, you will also have the opportunity to perform in our concert at Flehingen Castle with our talented students and teachers! If you are a musician but not in the mood to perform, you can opt to take masterclasses with the professors of Karlsruhe University.

Find out more information about the tour, including a full itinerary and tour costs (with a flexible installment plan), via the official website below. Please register your interest by 1 December so that the organizers may follow-up with you efficiently:

http://www.madisonacademy.com.sg/soundofmadison


Please call (+65) 6836 1088 or email: info@madisonacademy.com.sg for more information. 

Interview Feature: Black Pearl: Tribute to Maria Callas - 8 and 9 Nov 2016

Black Pearl: A Tribute to Maria Callas is Bellepoque's latest production this year, with a show that is conceived in Italy and features soprano Silvia Cafiero in her Singaporean debut. It also features local actor Gerald Chew in a supporting role. Here, we speak to Silvia and the show's playwright Federica Nardacci about the show, playing on 8 and 9 November 2016: