Ghosts of Yesteryear| SIFA 2021

14–30 MAY

GHOSTS OF YESTERYEAR Morse Percussion

20 May Thurs, 7.30pm Esplanade Concert Hall

MESSAGE FROM THE FESTIVAL DIRECTOR The world has changed dramatically in the last year. This is an extraordinary time for artists, where we have been asking ourselves: how can we still bring you great art and recreate the magic of the live experience? This is an enormous challenge, one which requires creativity, boldness and determination.

With over 60 productions and over 300 performances, SIFA 2021 has been curated as a direct response to the here and now.

It is a response to the care and compassion we need for ourselves, our community and our environment. It features exceptional artistes and companies who have learnt to adapt and present work that can reach audiences around the world, using a variety of technologies.

And it will feature a record number of Singaporean commissions and collaborations.

Besides shows that will take place in theatres and unique spaces around Singapore, SIFA 2021 will allow you to interact with artists “live” from around the world. There won’t be any shows that you watch passively on a screen. You can also expect the return of festival favourites such as our popular film offering, Singular Screens, as well as Festival House – the epicentre of the festival.

It’s been an honour to helm our national festival and see it grow in stature, both at home and internationally, over the past four years.

None of this would have been possible without the support of the incredible team at Arts House Ltd who have worked tirelessly to make this happen, and especially their Herculean efforts of mounting a festival of this scale during a pandemic.

In a time where most of us can’t travel, SIFA looks forward to bringing the world to you, and Singaporean artists to the world.

See you at SIFA 2021.

Gaurav Kripalani Festival Director

MESSAGE FROM CREATIVE DIRECTOR Morse Percussion was formed in 2020 when a bunch of zealous percussionists with an adventurous and eclectic taste for music coupled with a strong passion to play in a chamber group decided to create something together. Percussion music is unique as we don’t have the benefit of hundreds of years of repertoire, but we don’t have the burden of hundreds of years of tradition. In the context of percussion music, there are idiosyncrasies to virtually every instrument and an almost limitless number of instruments available.

Any object that we can make a sound out of can potentially become one of our instruments. Every piece that we perform can be its own very unique sonic world, with a different set of instrumentation, and our respective roles can change each time.

The world is fighting one of its harshest wars in recent times in the form of a global pandemic and Haunt of Last Nightfall is our take on this devastating event that has disturbed and disrupted lives of everyone in the world. This compelling piece is an invitation to contemplation versus confrontation.

Accompanied by his trademark repetition of chords and rhythmic structure, Glass’s Aguas de Amazonia serves as our answer to the complex and dark tones of Little’s music. From the meditative sounds of the almglocken to the subtle yet assuming tones of glass bowls, this work will shed a new light to all audiences that are unfamiliar with percussion instruments and strip off all fears that percussion instruments are incapable of sensitive and serene music making. I hope you enjoy the different timbres and colours of the abounding instruments that is on show today and I wish you a very pleasant evening ahead.

Derek Koh

ABOUT THE PROGRAMME Every person, place, country, and the world is shaped by their painful past, lingering feelings and unfortunate events. In this production, Morse Percussion wishes to challenge the audience’s perspective on humanity, suffering, and the transition to recovery and restoration of oneself when one is faced with their past aberrations.

Our unknowable potential as a human race may see us repeating previous atrocities and acts of colonialism, or we could be interdependent of time, honoring history’s ghosts and allowing our knowledge of them to shape us.

With works by David T. Little and Philip Glass, join them on a journey of questioning, realization and redemption.

PROGRAMME David T. Little – Haunt of Last Nightfall (approx. 31”) (for percussion quartet and electronics) Act One: I. Curtain, El Mozote II. Between the Hammer and the Anvil III. Last Nightfall IV. Line Up / Face Down V. Coda: And there was evening...

Act Two: VI. ...and there was morning - the Second DayVII. Smoldering Hymn VIII. Prayer (for No. 59) IX. Postlude: The Girl on La Cruz

Philip Glass - Aguas de Amazonia (approx. 21”) (for percussion quartet) 1. Madeira River 2. Xingu River 3. Japura River 4. Amazon River

PROGRAMME NOTES David T. Little – Haunt of Last Nightfall Haunt of Last Nightfall was commissioned and premiered by Third Coast Percussion, and was part of a theatre work called “See You Later” devised and directed by Cathie Boyd of Theatre Cryptic and performed at the Alexander Kasser Theatre, Montclair, New Jersey in November 2016. This title is taken from a line by the late Eduardo Galeano – History never really says goodbye. History says, “See you later.” this 30-minute “ghost play in 2 acts” draws inspiration from experimental metal bands Sunn O))) and One Day as a Lion, American composer Lou Harrison, and the tragic events that took place in El Mozote, El Salvador on December 11, 1981.

Little does not shy away from difficult topics whether it’s in his operas or with his Orwell- inspired ensemble Newspeak, but uses the juxtaposition of blunt force and subtle textures in the many percussion instruments and electronics to explore themes of power, truth, corruption, and desperation.

Of the piece, Little says, “I think a lot about ghosts...of things that remain behind as the fleeting evidence of what once was. Since reading about El Mozote, I have been unable to get it out of my mind: how this village, innocent by virtually every account, was wiped out. Caught in the crossfire of a stupid ideological battle, its people are now ghosts. What we know shapes us, and whether I like it or not, I now know this.”

The personal ghost of Little results in this dark and transcending work for 4 percussionists and electronics.

Philip Glass - Aguas de Amazonia Aguas de Amazonia by Philip Glass is a large work that has experienced multiple lives on different musical instruments from different parts of the world. Glass’ 12 Pieces for Ballet, originally composed for piano, was arranged by Brazilian musical group Uakti for their own gamut of instruments, many of which were custommade and built by the performers. This new version of the piece was renamed after the Amazon basin and its many tributaries. Drawing on both the Uakti arrangement and the original piano music, we will be playing Third Coast Percussion’s arrangements of four of the twelve ‘rivers’ in the original music. This masterpiece exploits the vast instrument arsenal of percussionists and experiments with color blends across the spectrum from “non-pitched” to “pitched” percussion.

Performing Glass’ music will push us to reimagine familiar material with a different sound palette and offers us a chance to live inside the music of one of the most recognized voices in the contemporary classical music world.

This new arrangement for percussion quartet features unusual instruments other than the common pitched percussion found in orchestras or concert bands. They include - almglocken (Swiss cowbells), crotales, Thai gongs, desk bells, cut metal cylinders, glass bottles of different sizes, and even transparent plastic bowls filled with water.

PRODUCTION CREDITS Musicians Derek Koh

Creative Director/Percussion

Joachim Lim

Technical Director/Percussion

Julia Tan

Percussion

Cheong Kah Yiong

Percussion

Special Thanks David T. Little Mark Suter P.Works Singapore Colbern Drums Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music Singapore Wind Symphony The Philharmonic Winds

MUSICIAN’S BIOGRAPHIES Derek Koh

Touted as “One of the most promising musicians of his generation” (The Straits Time), Derek Koh’s sensitive musical voice and dynamism has led him to work with art forms of all genres and mediums, from western and Chinese classical music to theatre and dance.

Highly flexible and collaborative, Derek has premiered over fifty solo and chamber works and most recently recorded percussion for the Disney live-action movie Mulan and two music media albums produced by West One Music Group. He will be premiering music from local starlets Emily Koh and Bertram Wee in an upcoming EP. Co-founder and Creative Director at Morse Percussion, he is also part of award-winning Chinese chamber group Ding Yi Music Company, a regular at the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Chinese Orchestra and served as fellow at the Grammy-award winning Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.

Derek is a graduate of the Mannes School of Music, Royal College of Music and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts.

Joachim Lim

Armed with wide musical knowledge and versatility, Joachim Lim “performs with a razor-sharp edge” (The Straits Times) and quickly adapts to situations he is in - professional orchestras, renowned artist collaborations, and studio recordings. Graduating as Valedictorian, he attained First Class Honours from both the Peabody Institute and the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, obtaining his Masters degree from the former.

His mentors include marimba virtuoso Robert van Sice, Tom Freer, and Ji Hye Jung. Technical Director and co-founder of Morse Percussion, he is also co-founder of classical-pop-jazz fusion group Lorong Boys, percussionist with the TENG Ensemble, and has worked with many locals talents including The Sam Willows, Inch Chua, Nathan Hartono, Tay Kewei, and “Miss Lou” Peixin.

Joachim currently serves as Artist Faculty and Ensemble-in-residence with the Lorong Boys at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music and is a Freer Percussion Artist.

Julia Lim

Julia received her Bachelor’s degree with Honors from the Mannes School of Music in New York on a full scholarship and is a graduate from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. In recognition of her efforts, she is a recipient of numerous awards such as the Mannes Dean’s Award, George and Elizabeth Gregory Award for Excellence in Performance, Presser Undergraduate Scholar Award and the Best Graduate Award (NAFA).

As the first percussionist featured in the President’s Young Performer series, Julia performed Emmanuel Séjourné’s Marimba Concerto alongside the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. She was also featured as a soloist after clinching 1st place at the Mannes Concerto Competition 2019. As a freelancer, Julia has made appearances with orchestras in the United States, China and Singapore.

As a musician and educator, Julia seeks to connect people through art, as well as nurture youths and promote contemporary percussion literature.

Cheong Kah Yiong

One of the most highly sought-after percussionists in Singapore due to his flexibility in Western and Chinese music literature, Cheong Kah Yiong has performed with many of Singapore’s most important companies including the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, Ding Yi Music Company and Arts Fission.

Kah Yiong has spent summers in both the Asian Youth Orchestra and Pacific Region International Summer Academy. Most recently, he recorded percussion for Disney’s live-action adaptation of Mulan. A graduate of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, his mentors include Mark Suter, Christian Schioler, Ted Atkatz and Rob Knopper.

Kah Yiong currently serves as a full-time military musician in Singapore Armed Forces Band and endorses Artifact Percussion.

ABOUT

MORSE PERCUSSION Morse Percussion is a professional contemporary classical percussion group that aims to cultivate the interest of percussive music through modern practices and compelling productions.

Formed in 2020 by a group of like-minded percussionists with an adventurous and eclectic taste for percussive music, Morse Percussion hopes to inspire through exquisite contemporary percussion music making, educate and cultivate interest of classical percussion through interesting productions, and to be Singapore’s first professional percussion group characterized by musical diversity and excellence.

An ardent supporter of commissioning local Singaporean works, Morse Percussion have worked with award winning local starlets Phang Kokjun, Cheng Jin Koh and have three more commissioned works coming their way this year.

ADVISORY ON COVID-19 Arts House Limited (AHL) places the utmost importance on the safety and well-being of all patrons, staff and artists visiting our venues. Please be assured all our venues are SG Clean certified and that Safe Management Measures (SMMs) have been implemented across all venues.

For your health and safety, please observe the following when visiting any of our venues, including:

TraceTogether check-in and check-out required

Mandatory temperature- taking upon arrival

Face masks to be worn at all times

Ensure safe distancing of one metre at anytime

Sanitize hands before and after the session

As the COVID-19 situation in Singapore evolves, these measures will be updated in accordance to the latest advisories issued by the Singapore Government. For the latest advisories, please visit sifa.sg All information is correct at the time of print. Every reasonable care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of information within, hence, Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) cannot accept responsibility for errors and/or omissions however caused. Every effort has been made to identify copyright holders. We deeply regret that if, despite our concerted efforts, any copyright holders have been overlooked or omitted. Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the editor or the official policy and position of SIFA and their related corporations. Any reproduction, retransmission, republication, or other use of all or part of this publication is expressly prohibited, unless prior written permission has been granted by SIFA or the appropriate copyright owner. SIFA reserves the right to make changes and modifications to the programme without prior notice. For updates, please visit our website at sifa.sg

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ART HOUSE LIMITED BOARD

Chairperson Wilson Tan Members Georgina Phua Joseph Ong Kelvin Ang Kenneth Kwok Lynette Pang Madeleine Lee Maniza Jumabhoy Ong Chao Choon

ABOUT ARTS HOUSE LIMITED

Arts House Limited (AHL) is a not-for-profit organisation committed to enriching lives through the arts. AHL manages two key landmarks located in the heart of Singapore’s Civic District – The Arts House, a multi-disciplinary arts centre with a focus on literary programming, and the Victoria Theatre & Victoria Concert Hall, a heritage building that is home to the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. It also runs the Goodman Arts Centre and Aliwal Arts Centre, two creative enclaves for artists, arts groups and creative businesses, and performing arts space Drama Centre. AHL presents the Singapore International Festival of Arts, the annual pinnacle celebration of performance and interdisciplinary arts in Singapore commissioned by the National Arts Council.

AHL was set up in 11 December 2002 as a company limited by guarantee (CLG) under the National Arts Council and was formerly known as The Old Parliament House Limited. It was officially renamed Arts House Limited on 19 March 2014.

In 2020, AHL was appointed cultural place manager of the Civic District.

ABOUT SIFA

As Singapore’s annual pinnacle performing arts festival, the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) presents captivating and diverse works across theatre, music, dance, film and visual arts. First launched as the Singapore Festival of Arts in 1977, the festival has gone through several evolutions and inspired generations of arts lovers and practitioners. Today, the highly anticipated festival is a high point on Singapore’s arts and cultural calendar. SIFA continues its festival mission to champion the creation and presentation of Singaporean and international works.

SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF ARTS MANAGEMENT

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Daphne Ong

Tan Boon Hui

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Gaurav Kripalani

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DON’T MISS THESE OTHER SHOWS IN COMPASSION: CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES BEFORE LIFE AND AFTER

Felicia Teo Kaixin, Jonathan Charles Tay and Jonathan Shin

GHOSTS OF YESTERYEAR

SIFA On Demand 5 — 12 June

ECHOES OF FIRE AND WATER

20 May Thu, 7.30pm Esplanade Concert Hall

ALONE TOGETHER

22 May Sat, 7.30pm Chamber, Festival House

Ding Yi Music Company 鼎艺团

BE COMFORTED NOW: BACH CANTATAS

SIFA On Demand 5 — 12 June

Organised By

Churen Li, Yang Shuxiang and Leslie Tan

Ensemble Æquilibrium

SIFA On Demand 5 — 12 June

HEALING RHAPSODY 回疫录

Morse Percussion

Commissioned By

Red Dot Baroque featuring Joyce Lee Tung and John Lee

SIFA On Demand 5 — 12 June

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Held In

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