Jointly presented by Nanyang Junior College Choir & Nanyang Chorale in.harmo 2024NNY NY Y VictoriaConcertHall-5May2024-5:00P.M. - -
Principal’s Foreword
Nanyang Junio strong heritage early days. The to feature stron Arts Presentatio concerts and pe Student Initiate
The Choir has c at Nanyang JC. has grown fro both the local a been awarded Arts Presentati Lyric Opera at 2018, the Choir was also a part of the Esplanade s Limelight Series. It was also among the first few schools to have a live concert at the Art House when the Covid-19 measures were relaxed in 2022.
The NYJC Choir also reached multiple milestones in its choral journey through benchmarking against the best in overseas competitions. It clinched Gold awards in the Festival of Songs held in Olomouc, Czech Republic, as well as the International Choir Competition Riva del Garda in Italy.
What is heartening to note is that the choir does not only comprise a strong membership of 47 choir members across the JC1 and JC2 cohorts; it also has a strong connection with alumni members who continue to contribute back to their alma mater in meaningful ways. It is therefore not surprising that the Choir’s annual performance, the in.harmoNY series, has featured the NYJC Alumni Choir since 2016. What is special with every collaboration is seeing new and meaningful friendships forged between seniors and juniors over the love for choral singing. Beyond singing, such collaborations have also been a means for the alumni to give back in other ways, such as providing logistical and administrative support, as well as guidance to the juniors in the process.
This year’s collaboration will certainly continue to dazzle the audience with melodious singing and memorable choral presentations. On this note, let me wish the NYJC Choir and our Alumni Choir every success for in.harmoNY 2024!
Pang Choon How
Terrence Toh
Conductor
Terrence Toh is a Singaporean choral director, music educator and chorus master. He holds a Master of Music from Boston University and has studied under Dr. André de Quadros, Dr. Owen Brian William and Dr. Diana R. Dansereau. Terrence’s research interest is in the transformative powers of music, music education and music-making.
In his international debut as a conductor, Terrence led the choirs of National University of Singapore (NUS) and Tanjong Katong Secondary School to four gold awards in four competition categories at the 21st Century International Choral Festival in Genting, Malaysia. The NUS Choir was awarded the “Best Interpretation Award” and Terrence was honoured with the "Most Promising Conductor Award” in the same festival.
Choral programs under Terrence’s direction have consistently garnered gold awards and distinction certificates in the Singapore Youth Festival. He has also led the Anglican High School (AHS) Choir and Nanyang Junior College Choir to gold awards and diplomas at the Festival of Songs 2008 in Olomouc, Czech Republic, 11th and 12th Consorso Corale Internazionale in Riva Del Garda, Italy. The AHS choir also participated in Orientale Concentus 2014, Singapore and emerged winner in the Mixed Voices Junior Youth category.
On top of being a regular feature in Esplanade’s Limelight, a concert series that showcases the best school choirs in Singapore; Terrence has also been actively involved in Esplanade’s Voices – A Festival of Song, as performer and clinician. He has also served as a choral specialist for Ministry of Education’s World Youth Choral Festival (2008) and Singapore International Youth Choral Festival (2011).
A lifelong music educator, Terrence directs the choral programs at Anglican High School, Anderson Secondary School, Chung Cheng High School (Main), CHIJ Katong Convent and Katong Primary, Crescent Girls’ School, Nanyang Junior College and Pasir Ris Secondary School and St. Joseph's Institution. He firmly believes in a progressive curriculum, grounded in education ethics, realized through Critical Pedagogy, empowerment and transformative music.
He is the resident Chorus Master of the Singapore Lyric Opera (SLO) and has directed the chorus for SLO's productions of Pagliacci (2015, 2023), Turandot (2016), L’elisir d’amore (2017), Aida (2018), Carmen (2019), Die Fledermaus (2022) and Cavalleria Rusticana (2023). He currently directs the program for the three SLO choruses (Children, Youth, Adult) and also serves as a member of the SLO Artistic Committee.
Terrence is the founder, artistic and music director of EVOKX, a non-profit community choir that engages youths in social and charitable causes through its outreach program and concert series, Evocation: The Art of Giving. EVOKX also promotes choral excellence and diversity in programming through Resonance: The Heart of Singing, a flagship concert series that explores an eclectic range of choral music.
Nanyang Junior college Choir
The Nanyang Junior College Choir is a mixed youth choir led by our conductor, Mr Terrence Toh. Under his artistic direction, the choir soon clinched Gold awards in the Festival of Songs held in Olomouc, Czech Republic and the International Choir Competition Riva del Garda in Italy. Since then, the choir has continued to reach multiple milestones in its choral journey.
The choir held its debut Limelight concert at the Esplanade Theatre in 2013, and returned in 2018 for another show. The NYJC Choir has also been privileged to perform with the Singapore Lyric Opera at their annual Gala Concerts in 2015 and 2016.
The Choir continues to strive for musical excellence, as affirmed at the Singapore Youth Festival Arts Presentation, where they have maintained the Certificate of Distinction since 2013 - the highest tier awarded in the judging.
@nyjcchoir
Front Row (left to right)
Lee Yee Hong
Foong Coh En Talia
Amanda Peng Yi Xuan
Sarah Joy Phan Hui Xin
Sim Xiao En
Middle Row (left to right)
Tan Tze Yin Charlotte
Chen Wenyi
Pang Cai Wen
Lavanya Senthil Kumar
Not pictured:
Yang Shuchen
Goh Si En Grace
Front Row (left to right)
Pandiyan Sadhana
Back Row (left to right)
Ryan Tan Keng Kai
Sopranos Altos
Wong Wei Ee Ashley Somkit
He Huiqi, Phoebe
Alyssa Azzahra Wirawan
Kam Shin Kai
Lim Yu Xi
Wee Li Wen Leanna
Rachelle Chan Le Xuan
To Vu Nguyen Trang
Foo Su Ern
Faith Lim Zi Cheng
Ramamoorthy Harinisri
Lee Yun En Chloe
Back Row (left to right)
Lee Jinzi, Kym
Kua Xuan Wen Megan
Neo Xuan Teng Natalie
Yap Rae Xin
Laraine Tung Shu Han
Grace Poh Xiu Un
Cheok Rui Wen
Loh Jia Qi
Tenors
(Left to right)
Leau Cheng Yin, Jeff
Li Zhixuan, Jair
Zhao Jia Fu, Jasper
Jing Hao Wen, Daven
Joshua Sotarduga Situmeang
Front Row
(left to right)
John-Paul Ramachandran
Brayden Tan Xin Yu
Lim Chu Feng
Avila Leigm
Chavez Chen Deyuan
Back Row (left to right)
Chen Jiayu
Ong Kai Jin, Eugene
Geoff Tang Jun Jie
Peng Jiaxuan
Ryan Tan Keng Kai
Basses
Nanyang Chorale
The Nanyang Chorale was formed in 2010 to provide NYJC choir alumni a platform to pursue their love for choral singing. Back then, we dreamt of the day we could establish our own singing community where all of us belong; a day when we could share a stage beyond our student years and let our hearts sing our song. Under the direction and support of Mr Terrence Toh, the chorale began its involvement in collaborative projects with NYJC’s in.harmoNY concert series, Esplanade’s Limelight series, and with community choirs such as EVOKX.
In 2020, our dreams were realised as we held our inaugural chorale concert, remiNYscence 2020: Not Only Dreamers. Today, the chorale remains a treasured community for the alumni, where lasting friendships are forged through shared experiences, such as this evening’s concert. This year we are thrilled to share the stage with our juniors, with the voices of choristers who graduated between years 2009 to 2023.
@nychorale
Sopranos
Angela Heng
Be Lynxyn
Evelyn Aliansyah
Goh Jia Ying, Christabel
Grace Mok Jie Qi
Jael Ng Geng Hui
Lee Hui Kay
Keiko Florensia Ang
Kiew Chi Wei Anika
T Tania
Tan Wiphaporn
Wong Ka Wei
Yip Ler Enn, Vera
TENORS
Boey Jia Rui, Benedict
Ethan Su Jian Siang
Hifzhul Matin Bin Nordin
Joseph Sunny Mathews
Jovi Ho Yong Wei
Kee Song Yang
Sng Kee Rui
Timothy Soh Yee Song
ALTOS
Chang Xiu Qi
Chin Zhong Wei
Clara Lee Min Xuan
Erika Kesuma
Jeanette Choong
Lee Jia Yun, Abigail
Sophia Soon Hoi Yan
Tng Yi Min, Melanie
BASSES
Caleb Lim Kai Le
Chan Poh Chin
Chong Zi Hao, Joe
Chng Chee Hian
Fong Shi Quan, Gabriel
Kester Tay
See Yan Hong
Yeow Ming Xuan
Programme Notes
Ready for an adventure like no other?
Tonight, the NYJC Choir and Nanyang Chorale will take you on a journey where you’re in for it all: the fun, the bold, the mysterious and the painful. Our selection of choral works has been categorised into dimensions, each representing a feeling or experience that may be familiar or entirely new to you. In this journey, we want to show you that adventure does not necessarily require a plane ticket, as choral music can take you places too.
First up: enter a cosmos of pulsating rhythms and lively tempo, where each note resounds with the spirit of adventure and discovery. We begin with the vibrant and dynamic Hentakan Jiwa by Ken Steven, with its Asian-inspired melody setting the stage for our adventure. Next, groove along to Sing as we celebrate the universal language of music, and tap your feet along to Sir Duke as we pay tribute to the timeless brilliance of Stevie Wonder's classic hit, revelling in the joyous spirit of music and dance.
Step into the realm of fantasy and whimsy, where you will be enchanted by the boundless world of lyrical imagination. Sit back, close your eyes and soar to the skies alongside the great Leonardo Da Vinci in Leonardo Dreams of his Flying Machine. Marvel at the majesty of trees in Joyce Kilmer’s Trees, where the lush harmonies paint a striking image of nature’s grandeur. Emily Dickinson’s There Is Another Sky invites you to plan your great escapade away from reality, in the hope that maybe, just maybe there is another world out there that is better. Explore the ethereal beauty of music and let it inspire you to dream beyond the ordinary.
Dive with us into the world of sacred music. Does the image of old cathedrals and hymns come to mind? These trio of sacred songs will bring you further than that, to an uncharted dimension of sacred music. The lush chords of Even When He Is Silent by Kim André Arnesen mirror an emotional journey, urging you to hold onto your hope and faith even in the darkest of times. Benedictio by Urmas Sisask will get you into the hypnotic, incantatory and cosmic dance of great ritual power, and the mysterious O Sapientia by Tadeja Vulc engulfs you in a holy wisdom that will leave you feeling enlightened.
Lastly, we are teleported to the dimension of longing, where feelings of desire and nostalgia come into play. Starting us off, Les Miserables I Dreamed a Dream arranged by Philip Lawson puts you in the shoes of a singer’s anguishing disillusionment of her dreams, reflecting the transition from once reminiscing about joyful dreams to accepting harsh reality. When The Earth Stands Still by Don Macdonald, a contemporary piece, reminds us to reflect on the simple joys of life and appreciate the moments spent with those we love. This is followed by Long Long Ago by Dan Forrest and And Both Shall Row by Eric Banks, both of which share the common theme of separation and longing. Our last piece, Entreat Me Not to Leave You by Dan Forrest embraces you with the beauty of love’s sacrificial power, marking the end of our journey.
We welcome you to embark with us on this musical odyssey; exploring new emotions and reflecting on shared experiences through the power of music and song. Feel free to feel, dream, reminisce and wonder.
Programme notes by Alyssa, Grace and Su Ern
Programme
Ken Steven
Joe Raposo
Stevie Wonder arr.
Paul Langford
Eric Whitacre
Eriks Esenvalds
Ivo Antognini
Kim André Arnesen
Tadeja Vulc
Urmas Sisask
Les Miserables arr.
Philip Lawson
Dan Forrest
Don Macdonald
Eric Banks
Dan Forrest
Hentakan Jiwa
Sing
Sir Duke Leonardo Dreams of His
Flying Machine
Trees
There is Another Sky
Even When He is Silent
O Sapientia
Benedictio
I Dreamed a Dream
Long Long Ago
When the Earth Stands Still
And Both Shall Row
Entreat Me Not to Leave You
Hentakan Jiwa
Ken Stevens (1993)
Gentam! Gentam! Gentam! Lenggang! Gemulai!
Mengepat cing Lenggang lenggang sentak!
Cing cingi cing cing liuk-liuk.
Titi, titi batang o sing sing! Titi, titi batang! Melenggang.
Hentakan Jiwa.
I dai da ih Lei.
Stomping
Walking while moving the body
Moving the hand gracefully
Dragging the foot
Running while moving the body and suddenly stopping
Ci-cing (A small run) + Bowing and moving the body
Walking in a straight line
Walking while moving the body
The beat of the soul
Expression of a dancing soul
Terminology used for various Malay traditional dance movements
Sing Joe Raposo (1937 - 1989)
Sing, sing a song, Sing out loud, sing out loud. Sing out strong,
Sing, sing a song. Song, sing a song. Make it simple
To last your whole life long.
Don’t worry that it’s not good enough.
For anyone else to hear.
Sing a song. Let the world sing along.
Everybody sing a song. Make it simple
To last your whole life long. Don’t worry that it’s not good enough.
For anyone else to hear.
Sing a song, Sing out loud, Sing out strong, Sing for you and for me.
Just sing, Sing a song.
Sir Duke Stevie Wonder (1950)
arr. Paul Langford (1966)
Music is a world within itself
With a language we all understand, With an equal opportunity For all to sing, dance and clap their hands.
Well, just because a record has a groove Don’t make it in the groove. But you can tell right away at letter A When the people start to move!
They can feel it all over They can feel it all over, people. They can feel it all over They can feel it all over, people.
Music knows that it is and always will Be one of the things that life just won't quit. But here are some of music's pioneers That time will not allow us to forget.
Well, there’s Basie, Miller, Satchamo And the king of all, Sir Duke. And with a voice like Ella’s ringin’ out, There’s no way the band could lose!
You can feel it all over. You can feel it all over, people. You can feel it all over. You can feel it all over, people.
Leonardo Dreams Of His Flying Machine
Eric Whitacre (1970)
Leonardo Dreams of his Flying Machine…
Tormented by visions of flight and falling, More wondrous and terrible each than the last, Master Leonardo imagines an engine
To carry a man up into the sun… And as he's dreaming the heavens call him, softly whispering their siren-song:
“Leonardo. Leonardo, vieni á volare”. L’uomo colle sua congiegniate e grandi ale, facciendo forza contro alla resistente aria.
“Leonardo. Leonardo, come fly.” A man with wings large enough and duly connected, might learn to overcome the resistance of the air.
Leonardo Dreams of his Flying Machine…
As the candles burn low he paces and writes, Releasing purchased pigeons one by one Into the golden Tuscan sunrise…
And as he dreams, again the calling, The very air itself gives voice:
“Leonardo. Leonardo, vieni á volare”. Vicina all’elemento del fuoco…
Scratching quill on crumpled paper, Rete, canna, filo, carta.
“Leonardo. Leonardo, come fly.” Close to the sphere of elemental fire…
Net, cane, thread, paper.
Images of wing and frame and fabric fastened tightly.
…sulla suprema sottile aria.
…in the highest and rarest atmosphere.
Master Leonardo Da Vinci Dreams of his Flying Machine…
As the midnight watchtower tolls, Over rooftop, street and dome, The triumph of a human being ascending In the dreaming of a mortal man. Leonardo steels himself, takes one last breath, and leaps…
“Leonardo, Vieni á Volare! Leonardo, Sognare!”
‘Leonardo, come fly! Leonardo, Dream!”
Text by Charles Anthony Silvestri (1965)Trees
Eriks Esenvalds (1977)
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day, And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain; Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me, But only God can make a tree.
Text by Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918)
There is another sky
Ivo
Antoginini (1963)
There is another sky
Ever serene and fair
And there is another sunshine
Though it be darkness there
Never mind faded forests, Austin
Never mind silent fields
Here is a little forest
Whose leaf is ever green
Here is a brighter garden
Where not a frost has been
In its unfading flowers
I hear the bright bee hum Prithee, my brother
Into my garden come!
Text written by Emily Dickinson
Even When He Is Silent
Kim André Arnesen (b. 1980)
I believe in the sun, even when it’s not shining.
I believe in love, even when I feel it not.
I believe in God, even when He is silent.
Written by a Jewish individual hiding during World War II, and found scratched on the wall of a cellar in Cologne, Germany
O Sapientia
Tadeja Vulc (1978)
Latin:
O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem, fortiter suaviterque disponens omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.
Translation in Ancient english:
O Wisdom, Who didst come out of the mouth of the Most High, reaching from end to end and ordering all things mightily and sweetly: come and teach us the way of prudence.
Modern day translation:
O Holy Wisdom, how I long for you!
You are the Word of Life whispered by the Divine Presence. With fierce tenderness you reach to touch the ends of the galaxy and the edges of the universe, inviting all creation to flourish. Come, Holy Wisdom, show us wisdom’s ways.
Adapted from the ancient text: The O-Antiphons
Benedictio Urmas Sisask
(1960-2022)
Benedicat vos omni potens Deus
Pater et Filius et Spiritus Sanctus
Benedicat vos omni potens
Et filius et Spiritus Sanctus
Amen
May the Almighty God bless you
The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit
May the Almighty bless you
And the Son and the Holy Spirit
Amen
I Dreamed a Dream Les Miserables arr. Kirby Shaw/ Philip Lawson
I dreamed a dream in time gone by When hope was high and life worth living, I dreamed that love would never die, I dreamed that God would be forgiving.
Then I was young and unafraid when dreams were made and used and wa there was no ransom to be paid, no song unsung, no wine untasted.
But the tigers come at night, With their voices soft as thunder, As they tear your hope apart, As they turn your dream to shame.
He slept a summer by my side, He filled my days with endless wonder, He took my childhood in his stride, But he was gone when Autumn came.
And still I dreamed he'd come to me, That we would live the years together, But there are dreams that cannot be, And there are storms we cannot weather.
I had a dream my life would be So different from this hell I'm living, So different now from what it seemed, Now life has killed the dream I dreamed.
Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg
Lyrics by Alain Boublil, Jean-Marc Natel & Herbert Kretzmer
Long Long Ago
Dan Forrest (ASCAP)
Tell me the tales that to me were so dear, Long, long ago, long, long ago. Sing me the songs I delighted to hear, Long, long ago, long ago.
Now you are come, all my grief is removed. Let me forget that so long you have roved. Let me believe that you love as you loved, Long, long ago, long ago.
Ah, yes, you told me you’d never forget, Long, long ago, long ago.
Now you are come, all my grief is removed. Let me forget that so long you have roved. Let me believe that you love as you loved, Long, long ago, long ago.
Thomas Haynes Bayly, 1833
When the Earth Stands Still
Don MacdonaldCome listen in the silence of the moment before rain comes down. There’s a deep sigh in the quiet of the forest and the tall tree’s crown.
Now hold me.
Will you take the time to hold me and embrace the chill? Or miss me.
Will you take the time to miss me when the earth stands still?
‘Cause there’s no use running ‘cause the storm’s still coming and you’ve been running for so many years.
Come listen in the silence of the moment before shadows fall. Feel the tremor of your heartbeat matching heartbeat as we both dissolve.
Now hold me.
Will you take the time to hold me and embrace the chill? Or miss me.
Will you take the time to miss me when the earth stands still?
‘Cause there’s no use running ‘cause the storm’s still coming and you’ve been running for so many years
So stay with me, held in my arms. Like branches of a tree, they’ll shelter you for many years.
Music and Words by Don Macdonald
And Both Shall Row
Eric
Banks (1969)
Oh Shenandoah, I long to see you, Away, you rolling river.
Oh Shenandoah, I long to hear you, Away, we’re bound away, across the wide Missouri.
Oh Shenandoah, I’ll never leave you, Away, you rolling river.
Oh Shenandoah, I’ll not deceive you, Away, we’re bound away, across the wide Missouri.
‘Tis seven long years since last I’ve seen you, Away, you rolling river. And seventy more I’ll promise to you, Away, we’re bound away, across the wide Missouri.
The water is wide, I cannot cross o’er, And neither have I wings to fly, Give me a boat that can carry two, And both shall row, my love and I.
Where love is planted, there it grows, It spreads its branches, like a tree, Love blooms in sweetness, like a rose, With such a grace you’ll never see.
Oh love is handsome and love is kind, And love’s a jewel, when first it’s new, As love lives on, it grows refined, Like the blade of green, in the morning dew.
A simultaneous setting of two American folksongs, Shenandoah and The Water is Wide
Entreat Me Not To Leave You
Dan Forrest (ASCAP)
Entreat me not to leave you, nor to turn back from following after you.
For where you go, I will go; And where you live, I will live; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God.
Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, If ought but death parts you and me.
Text adapted from Ruth 1:16-17
Acknowledgements
Artistic and Choral Director
Mr Terrence Toh
Teachers-In-Charge
Ms Toh Su Min
Mrs Lim Choy Fung
Mr Zaviour Chua
Executive Committee
President:
Alyssa Azzahra Wirawan
Vice-President:
Kua Xuan Wen Megan
Secretary:
Grace Poh Xiu Un Welfare Rep:
Geoff Tang Jun Jie Publicity Rep:
Loh Jia Qi
Quartermistress:
Cheok Rui Wen
Quartermistress:
Lim Yu Xi
Acknowledgements
Music Committee
Section Leaders
Soprano:
Kam Shin Kai
Wee Li Wen Leanna
Alto:
Yap Rae Xin
Neo Xuan Teng Natalie
Tenor:
Jing Hao Wen Daven
Bass:
Chavez Chen Deyuan
Chen Jiayu
Our Choristers
Programme Booklet Designer
Amanda Peng Yi Xuan
Programme Booklet Writers
Alyssa Azzahra Wirawan
Foo Su Ern
Grace Poh Xiu Un
Stage Manager
Ryan Lim
Front of House
Li Peishan
Sharon Seng
Acknowledgements
Principal
Mr Pang Choon How
Vice-Principals
Ms Jasmine Ong Peishan
Mrs Ken Oh Sihua
Mrs Gan-Tan Sor Leng
HOD PE/CCA
Mrs Koh Siew Ling
SH Aesthetics
Ms Lee Jia Ling
Photography and Videography
Channel News Nanyang (CNNY)
Nanyang Photographic Society (NYPS)
Venue
Victoria Concert Hall
Family & Friends for your unwavering support
Not Only Dreamers
Terrence Toh
In this moment
We’re here side by side
Feeling the joy we shared
Remembering tears we shed
On this chapter
An empty canvas
We paint colours
That’d never fade with time
Let our hearts sing our song of you and Ia part of all of us belongs
Hand in hand our journey has begun
To show the world we are not only dreamers
Show the world
In this moment
The Nanyang Junior College Choir Anthem