Foreword

Dear esteemed guests, fellow friends, and loved ones – a warm welcome to NTU CAC Symphony Orchestra’s concert, Dal Segno: Dancing in the Snow!

We are a young symphony orchestra founded in 2019 – just before COVID-19 took its toll – with our roots dating back to 1994 as the now-defunct NTU String Orchestra. After 25 years, we made a bold decision to expand our soundscape and repertoire. As we continue to build upon our soundscape and strive for growth, we believe that while our journey to maturity will be a long and perhaps even difficult one, it is undoubtedly a rewarding and fulfilling one.

Tonight, after a year of recovering from the hit we took from the COVID-19 restrictions, we are proud to be having our second concert with full symphonic orchestration. We are very thankful to finally be able to rehearse as a full orchestra. In the time we had together after transitioning back from playing in smaller chamber groups, we have worked tirelessly to not only rebuild the orchestra soundscape, but to also push the limits of the orchestra and our individual members.

Tonight’s concert features two soloists who are committed members of our orchestra: Raymond, our Concertmaster who has seen through thick and thin of the growth of the orchestra since his first year with us in 2019; and Ryan, our in-house multi-instrumentalist belonging to the best of both worlds (violinists and violists could disagree). We would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation for their extra time and commitment, and for communicating, delivering, and inspiring musical conversations within our rehearsals.

Inspired by the season of giving, Dal Segno: Dancing in the Snow celebrates the gift of music – the medium that enables us to connect and share with you the spirit of the season.

Foreword

In the same essence, we would like to extend our deepest appreciation to all the support that we have received over the past years – including but not limited to – the NTU CAC Symphonic Band for their gracious instrument and admin support; NTU Cultural Activities Club and Student Affairs Office for their continued support towards our programmes; our sponsors for extending a helping hand to make this event possible; the sound and lighting technicians for their expertise and support; our members – for loving and celebrating music-making as passionately and fervently as us; our guest players – for extending their support and passion for music-making; and last but not least – the audience, for making all of this possible.

In music, Dal Segno (from Italian for “from the sign”) is used as a navigation marker, often as an instruction to repeat certain parts of a music. As we conclude the first semester of this academic year, we hope that this concert would bring you, the audience, and our members a meaningful culmination of all our efforts this semester, as well as an anticipation for what we have in store for the next semester. We also hope that it is a reminder of the trialand-error nature of music, and that through each concert and musical experience, we hope that you, the audience, would serve witness to our growth as we journey in the spirit of Dal Segno. Sit back and enjoy as we bring to you the spirit of the season, as we waltz through the distinctive musical eras!

- NTUSO Committee 22/23