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SSO's Debut Recording on Decca

This looks like an exciting move for our very own local orchestra: a new CD on a major international label! Nevermind that they only playing a supporting role to Qin Li-Wei (who is a contracted recording artist with Universal Music as well as a lecturer at Yong Siew Toh), what matters is that their performance, along with Maestro Lan Shui's leadership, will now be accessible to a much broader international audience of classical music lovers. So give it up for the home team! Here's more information:

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- Lan Shui is leading Singapore Symphony Orchestra to be the world class Symphony Orchestra- American Record Guide

- Experienced Germany production team travelled to Singapore Esplanade for the live recording of the album


DECCA releases the works of the famous cellist, Qin Li-Wei's third album, Dvorak - a live recording together with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and conductor, Lan Shui. The album consist of the live recording of Dvorak ‘B minor cello concerto, ‘Silent Woods’and Brahms’s ‘Academic Festival Overture’. ‘B minor Cello Concerto’ is not only one of the masterpieces of Dvorak, but is also well received by the world. This is not the first time Li-Wei has played this piece, at the age of 17, he collaborated with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, but this time, he feels that he has grown and performed this piece more confidently.

The German production team was specially invited to Singapore Esplanade to do the recording for the album, and thereafter, the album was completed in Germany. Li-Wei mentioned that it was a lot of pressure for him during the live recording as everything that was played will be recorded in the album. However, conductor Lan Shui was very understanding and they all worked together very well along with the orchestra.

Cecilia Bartoli's Puzzle

I've solved the puzzle, now its your turn!

Cecilia Bartoli's website has a new game feature to promote her new recording of Norma, also featuring Sumi Jo. Complete the image in 300 seconds and you will get to view the official trailer of the recording sessions!

http://ceciliabartolionline.com/unlock-norma/

Otherwise if playing games at the office is not your thing, you can view the official trailers here:

Part two of the trailer, featuring the duo singing Mira o Norma:

Two Free Concerts to Watch Out For

Here are two free upcoming concerts, by professional performers, that you might be interested in:

SOTA faculty concert: American and Spanish 20th Century Music (14 May)

Faculty and Friends Concert II

Faculty and Friends Concert II presents four 20th Century pieces for keyboard and ensemble. The concert will be divided into an American and a Spanish part each; both parts will feature one work each for the piano and the harpsichord.

Hidden messages in Samuel Adler’s Acrostics: Four Games for Six Players, and synesthetic relationships between music and colours in Michael Torke’s The Telephone Book will be presented in the American half.

Free serialism in Salvador Brotons’ Mixed Sextet and the culmination of Manuel de Falla’s Harpsichord Concerto will form the Spanish half.

Featuring SOTA Faculty members: Yang Tien (harpsichord), Lim Yan (piano), Roberto Alvarez (flute), Li Xin (clarinet), Chan Yoong-Han (violin), Leslie Tan (cello), Mark Suter (percussion) and Audi Goh (oboe).

Find out more about the concert and make your reservations here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/187622354720682/?notif_t=plan_user_invited

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Piano Conversations with Julian Lawrence Gargiulo: The Art of Being Silly (1 June)

Piano recital of Julian Gargiulo in the beautiful setting of the Singapore Botanical Gardens.

Combining an informal style of presenting classical music with a rigorous Russian conservatory training, Julian G has been getting standing ovations on both sides of the Atlantic. Whether performing for 4000 people in Singapore's Symphony Stage or for an eclectic group of fifty in the 5th Avenue home of the Avery Fisher's, Julian is able to transmit a unique concert experience to each and every one present. Or, to put it in the words of NY critics, “...Jerry Seinfeld storytelling...” meets “...playing in the style of Rubinstein.”

DATE: 1 June 2013, Saturday
TIME: 6.30PM – 8PM
VENUE: Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage, Singapore Botanic Gardens
ADMISSION: FREE

About Julian Gargiulo
Julian G is a dynamic classical pianist who renders the compositions of renowned masters with extraordinary passion and precision, and a signature style of musicality that has brought him public and critical acclaim, from Bolshoi Hall in Russia to Carnegie Hall in the U.S. “His powerful energy enveloped the audience”, observed State Magazine in Washington, DC while L’Arena di Verona in Italy wrote “a romantic pianist with a particular sensibility for Schumann...Beethoven rich in textural subtleties...exquisite Gershwin.” and the St. John Times proclaimed him “A Tour de Force of wit and brilliance!”. Julian's performances bring together a mix of classical masterpieces, his own tango transcriptions and his original jazz-influenced compositions.

More information available at http://juliangargiulo.com/

About Room to Read
Room to Read is a global organization seeking to transform the lives of millions of children in the developing world through a focus on literacy and gender equality in education. Founded on the belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children, Room to Read works in collaboration with local communities, partner organizations and governments to develop literacy skills and a habit of reading among primary school children and to ensure girls have the skills and support needed to complete their secondary education. Since 2000, Room to Read has impacted the lives of more than four million children by providing increased access to high-quality educational opportunities through its network of libraries and schools, local language children’s books and its Girls’ Education program. Room to Read is changing children’s lives in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Zambia and aims to reach 10 million children by 2015.

Learn more at: www.roomtoread.org

SLO Presents "Pursuant" the Musical

The Singapore Lyric Opera presents an original musical by composer Chen Zhangyi and Jonathan Lim.

This May, leap into the future and catch Pursuant, a musical about dreaming by the Singapore Lyric Opera (SLO) at the Drama Centre Theatre on 31 May, 1, 2 and 4 to 8 June 2013, featuring a cast of TV and theatre regulars. Here's more information:

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DREAMS OF THE FUTURE
Set  in  the  year  2023 in a familiar country called SingaCorp,  Pursuant  is  an  original  musical that  follows  the  adventures  of  young  Ethan,  a  secondary  school  boy  with  an  unstoppable capacity  for  dreaming. The  only  problem is  –  dreaming  is  illegal and dreamers  are arrested and sent for treatment!

Ethan’s  wild  dreams soon spiral  into  a  nightmare  when he  is  captured  and sent  to  a  high‐security  concentration  camp  for  torturous  brainwashing.  When he  and his fellow dreamers are rescued by a band of vigilantes called Dream On, Ethan leads them all on a quest to find the mysterious Old  Man  who  has been  haunting his  dreams – the legend who started it all and built the country from a dream.  

International Festival Chorus's "Earworms from Everywhere" - 1 May 2013

Click to enlarge

The International Festival Chorus presents their concert Earworms from Everywhere on 1 May 2013, presenting choral arrangements of musical theatre, pop and movie theme songs. Here's an excerpt from their press release:

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Earworms from Everywhere - A celebration of music from the screen, the stage and The Beatles

The International Festival Chorus (Singapore) invites music lovers, theatre fans and film buffs to this family-friendly Labour Day concert, Earworms from Everywhere — the annual Spring concert of the International Festival Chorus (Singapore).

The term ‘earworm’ comes from the German ‘ohrwurm‘ — a catchy tune that sticks in your head. Earworms from Everywhere presents classic melodies that wedge themselves in our brains and refuse to let go, from the nostalgia of The Beatles to entertaining numbers from the screen and the stage.

Audiences can expect a range of pieces performed by full chorus, entertaining duets and trios, and inspired solo performances — from Broadway hits such as Rent, Avenue Q, Cabaret, Miss Saigon and The Phantom of the Opera, and music from blockbuster films such as Sister Act 2 and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. A selection of poetry readings from Shakespeare to more modern, humourous poems will be interspersed through the concert. Pieces are performed a cappella and with musical accompaniment by the Chorus’s Resident Pianist as well as brass music from guest artists, B5 Brass.

Concert Details
Date: Wednesday 1 May 2013

Time: 5.00pm

Venue:
Dunman High School Performing Arts Centre
10 Tanjong Rhu Road
Singapore 436895

Tickets: Adults S$20, Concession S$10
Please email tickets@singaporeifc.org to reserve your seats

Conductor: Albert Tay
Pianist: Francesca Lee
Guest Artists: B5 Brass

Songs of Frank Wildhorn - Free Concert on 12 April 2013 (TODAY!)

An excerpt from what the producers sent in:

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Frank Wildhorn is best known as the composer of the musical Jekyll and Hyde, and he has always been called the Andrew Lloyd Webber of America. The score of his musicals are often filled with soaring contemporary pop melodies. Other than Jekyll and Hyde, Wildhorn wrote many other musicals including The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Civil War, Dracula The Musical, Wonderland: Alice’s New Musical Adventure, and last year’s Bonnie and Clyde. This month, we will showcase the lovely music of Frank Wildhorn.

Date: Friday, 12th April 2013
Venue: library@esplanade
Time: 7pm - 8pm
Admission is FREE

Featuring:
Crenshaw Yeo
Vicky Williamson
Melissa Gan
Catherine Campion
Valerie Choo
Rachel Tay
Gavin Low

Accompanist:
Leonard Neo