Dvořák Cello Concerto and Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony

Dvořák Cello Concerto and Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony Wed, 6 Dec 2023, 7.30pm Esplanade Concert Hall

Another extraordinary performance proudly presented by SNYO

www.snyo.org.sg/audition Managed by

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SINGAPORE NATIONAL YOUTH ORCHESTRA A NATIONAL PROJECT OF EXCELLENCE

Photo by Bryan van der Beek

SNYO 2024 AUDITIONS

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Wed, 6 Dec 2023 Esplanade Concert Hall

Dvořák Cello Concerto and Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony Singapore National Youth Orchestra Peter Stark conductor Qin Li-Wei cello 1 Koh Jia Hwei organ 2

ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104 1 40 mins Intermission 20 mins

CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 78 “Organ” 2 36 mins Concert duration: approximately 2 hrs (with 20 mins intermission) Meet Peter Stark and Qin Li-Wei at the foyer, Level 1, after the concert for a photo opportunity. First come, first served.

Singapore National Youth Orchestra A leading orchestra dedicated to the training of young orchestral musicians, the Singapore National Youth Orchestra (SNYO) occupies a special place in Singapore’s music community. SNYO alumni have gone on to become fulltime musicians in Singapore and with orchestras around the world. Many are also educating the next generation of musicians and playing significant roles in the growth of Singapore’s vibrant cultural scene.

The Orchestra’s roots can be traced to the early 20th century before moving within the purview of the Ministry of Education in 1980. In 2015, SNYO became part of the Singapore Symphony Group, which also manages the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO).

Recognised by the Ministry of Education as a National Project of Excellence, members in mainstream secondary schools with sustained involvement in the SNYO will have their participation in the orchestra recognised in lieu of a school-based Co-Curricular Activity (CCA). Entry into the SNYO is by a comprehensive audition process.

The Orchestra currently comprises over 180 talented young musicians aged 10 to 21, representing more than 60 schools across Singapore. Consisting of two orchestras – the main orchestra and a junior training orchestra, the SNYO boasts a distinctive music talent development programme where members receive tutoring from professionals, including those from the SSO. Over the years, the SNYO has performed in concert venues and music festivals across Australia, Austria, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia and the United Kingdom. The 2018/19 season also included performances at the Xinghai Concert Hall in Guangzhou, the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, and a side-by-side concert with the SSO featuring violinist Ray Chen at the Esplanade Concert Hall in Singapore.

At the start of the 2018/19 season, Joshua Tan assumed the position of Principal Conductor with the SNYO and Peter Stark was appointed as its firstever Principal Guest Conductor.

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Peter Stark conductor

Peter Stark’s performances as a conductor are exhilarating, imaginative and inspiring. At the heart of all his work lies a passion and commitment to the study and practice of music to profit humanity. Peter is Rehearsal Director to the European Union Youth Orchestra and Professor of Conducting at London’s Royal College of Music. He has taught over six hundred private students, and his acclaimed courses in conducting have taken him across the world. His reputation as a teacher and mentor is internationally renowned.

Whilst having performed with a number of the world’s leading ensembles such as the London Symphony Orchestra, the Hallé, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra Peter fosters a hunger to work with any orchestra that plays with spirit and enthusiasm.

Peter’s growing media profile includes his appointment as series consultant to the popular BBC television series ‘Maestro’ and regular screen appearances as a mentor. For this role, Peter was responsible for the training of eight ‘celebrity’ students as orchestral conductors. Peter has since made live ‘Maestro’ webcam commentaries for the BBC Proms and a subsequent TV series.

In addition to his work with the world’s finest students, Peter has conducted youth orchestras ranging from the Hertfordshire County Youth Orchestra (Principal Conductor since 1994) to the New South Wales Public Schools’ Symphony Orchestra in Australia, the Ung Filharmonie of Norway and the Toyota City Orchestra in Japan. Between 1985 and 2010, Peter was Conductor in Residence of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. He was the Principal Conductor of the Arabian Youth Orchestra in Dubai and the Principal Guest Conductor of the Singapore National Youth Orchestra.

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Qin Li-Wei cello

“Mr. Qin has a great deal going for him, including a meltingly beautiful tone, flawless centered intonation and an ironclad technique” — New York Times As one of the most sought-after cellists of his generation, Chinese Australian Li-Wei Qin has appeared all over the world as a soloist and as a chamber musician. After being awarded the Silver Medal at the 11th Tchaikovsky International Competition, Li-Wei won First Prize in the prestigious 2001 Naumburg Competition in New York. “A superbly stylish, raptly intuitive performer” (Gramophone Magazine, January 2015) was the description of the cellist’s Elgar and Walton concerti recording with the London Philharmonic.

Twice a soloist at the BBC Proms in London’s Royal Albert Hall, Li-Wei has enjoyed successful artistic collaborations with many of the world’s great orchestras including all the BBC symphony orchestras, Los Angeles Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra Hamburg, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, La Verdi Orchestra Milan, Finnish Radio Orchestra Helsinki, Vienna Radio Orchestra, Prague Symphony, Osaka Philharmonic, Hong Kong Philharmonic, China Philharmonic, Sydney Symphony and Melbourne Symphony among many others. Leading conductors with whom he has worked include Vladimir Ashkenazy, Sir Andrew Davis, Marek Janowski, Jaap van Zweden, Gianandrea Noseda, Simone Young, Hans Graf, Yu Long, Lü Jia, Tan Dun, the late Marcello Viotti, the late Jiří Bělohlávek and the late Lord Yehudi Menuhin. Li-Wei has also appeared with chamber orchestras such as the Kremerata Baltica, Sinfonia Varsovia, the Munich, the Manchester, the Zurich, the Australian Chamber Orchestras.

Recent and upcoming concerts includes debuts with the London Symphony (Noseda), Russian Philharmonic (Jurowski), New Japan Philharmonic (Hisaishi), Southwest German Chamber Orchestra (Bostock). Return visits include to the Sydney and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras.

In recital and chamber music, Li-Wei is a regular guest at the City of London, Rheingau and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Music Festivals, Wigmore Hall London and the Lincoln Centre Chamber Music Society New York, with musicians including Daniel Hope, Nobuko Imai, Cho-Liang Lin, Peter Frankl, the Danish and Jerusalem Quartets.

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He has recordings on Universal Music/Decca with Singapore Symphony, on Sony Classical with Shanghai Symphony, and on ABC Classics with London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Li-Wei was invited to join the BBC ‘New Generations’ Scheme in 2001, and in 2002 received the Young Australian of the Year Award. Other major invitations included appearances at the 2008 Beijing Olympics (New Zealand Symphony), 2012 London Olympics, Davos World Economic Forum (Basel Symphony) and the Fortune Global Forum 2017 Opening Ceremony.

Prior to teaching at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory, National University of Singapore, Li-Wei taught at the Royal Northern College of Music Manchester.

Currently, he is a guest professor at Shanghai and Central Conservatory of Music in China, and a guest professor in chamber music at the Royal Northern College of Music. Li-Wei is in much demand world-wide for masterclasses and as a member of jury in international competitions such as Geneva, Isangyun, Paulo, Schoenfeld and Young Tchaikovsky. As artistic director, Li-Wei successfully founded the annual Qingdao International Cello Festival in 2018. Li-Wei plays a 1780 Joseph Guadagnini cello, generously loaned by Dr Wilson Goh.

Koh Jia Hwei organ

Jia Hwei started learning the organ in 2013 with Dr. Evelyn Lim. She continued her studies with Susan Landale and Gerard Brooks at the Royal Academy of Music in London (UK), where she was the recipient of the Joyce Rhoda Danzelman Award, Eric Windo Organ Award, and Stephen Bicknell Organology Prize. During her graduate studies in London, she was organ and choral scholar at St. Michael’s and All Angels in Croydon, and organist at St. Mary’s in Acton. She was awarded her Masters in performance in 2019.

Originally, Jia Hwei majored in piano at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester (UK), where her tutors were Jeremy Young and Carole Presland. She graduated with her Bachelors, and subsequently Masters of Music in 2003. She won a number of awards during her studies at the RNCM, including the Rawsthorne Prize, the Bach Recital Prize, and the Prix Scarbo.

She is now based in Singapore, and plays regularly for the VCHpresents Organ series. She continues to work as soloist and chamber musician with local orchestras, such as the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, re:Sound, Red Dot Baroque; and also with the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, Singapore.

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Singapore National Youth Orchestra Joshua Tan PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR Seow Yibin ASSOCIATE CONDUCTOR Peter Stark PRINCIPAL GUEST CONDUCTOR Lim Meng Keh PERCUSSION TUTOR

FIRST VIOLIN Keith Ong CONCERTMASTER – DVOŘÁK Ethan Chong CONCERTMASTER – SAINT-SAËNS Jacob Cheng Tina Gao Goh Shi Eun Ethan Gu Khloe Gui Aidan Kwek Lee Seohyun Ng Zu Ni Samuel Soekarno Tong Xinran Janelle Yuen

CELLO Timothy Chua PRINCIPAL – DVOŘÁK Han Chaeyoon PRINCIPAL – SAINT-SAËNS Aidan Khoo Evan Khoo Zachary Lau Stanley Ngai Stacy Tah Ephraim Tan Shavaun Toh Narella Widjaja Yan Yutong Yang Jing Tong Aidan Yeong

SECOND VIOLIN Regan Ho PRINCIPAL Chloe Chee Celestia Choo Hannah Chung Fu Yu Goh Shi Qin Keila Kwa Lee Donghun Lim Jing Rui Joshua Lim Zanna Phua Raeanne Song

DOUBLE BASS Kaitlyn Wong PRINCIPAL – DVOŘÁK Alexsalma Herbert PRINCIPAL – SAINT-SAËNS Hoo Rei Hon Lee Yan Yu Li Jiaying Zhang Junhao

VIOLA Lareina Lim PRINCIPAL – DVOŘÁK Samuel Tan PRINCIPAL – SAINT-SAËNS Elliott Chan Joya Hossain Jayden Kwan Vernell Lim Elvis Ng Reuben Ong Ethan Ong Suah Zen Rong Calista Tan Mark Yang

PICCOLO Justin Damhaut

FLUTE Carolynn Choo PRINCIPAL – DVOŘÁK Chan Xingwei PRINCIPAL – SAINT-SAËNS Justin Damhaut Ian Lee

OBOE Kayden Yap PRINCIPAL – DVOŘÁK Tok Rei PRINCIPAL – SAINT-SAËNS Lucas Chan COR ANGLAIS Kayden Yap

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CLARINET Claudia Toh PRINCIPAL – DVOŘÁK Darren Sim PRINCIPAL – SAINT-SAËNS Qian Wanni Amelie Peh

TIMPANI Kilian Muliady PRINCIPAL – DVOŘÁK Isaac Ng PRINCIPAL – SAINT-SAËNS PERCUSSION Mirella Ang Chloe Miranda Kilian Muliady Isaac Ng

BASS CLARINET Ng Zhi Jian BASSOON Li Ruidan PRINCIPAL Shi Jiaao*^

PIANO Beatrice Lin* Nicholas Loh*

CONTRABASSOON Kee Ruihan*

ORGAN Koh Jia Hwei*

HORN Chloe Lau PRINCIPAL Ethan Chng Chua Jia Xuan Andrew Lee Caden Rafiuly Linnet Sim*^ TRUMPET Tobias Tan PRINCIPAL – DVOŘÁK Koh Mi Yo PRINCIPAL – SAINT-SAËNS Sara Han Quentin Heng TROMBONE Wang Bo PRINCIPAL – DVOŘÁK Calista Lee PRINCIPAL – SAINT-SAËNS BASS TROMBONE Benjamin Lim TUBA Tomoki Natsume*

* Guest musician ^ SNYO alumni

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Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904) Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104 I. Allegro II. Adagio ma non troppo III. Finale. Allegro moderato In 1865, Antonín Dvořák attempted his first-ever cello concerto— “attempted” being the operative word. He never orchestrated it, leaving it unfinished as a cello-piano score. It is unclear if he abandoned the project because he was dissatisfied with his own work, lost interest, or some combination of the two. He also allegedly held a lifelong belief that the cello was simply inadequate as a solo instrument, best reserved for chamber groups and orchestras.

Thirty years later, he completed his Cello Concerto in B minor in February 1895. What changed in that time? Many reasons have been posited for the decision to re-attempt this unfruitful first project. One inspiration is said to be his attending the premiere of Victor Herbert’s Cello Concerto No. 2 in New York in 1894. He was struck by Herbert’s creative and sensitive use of instrumentation that allowed the cello to shine in a way he did not think possible.

Another motivation was his friendship with the cellist Hanuš Wihan.

Dvořák had written Wihan a few chamber works over their years of acquaintance, such as his Opus 90 and Opus 94, but Wihan wanted a full-scale concerto. With inspiration on one hand and a friend’s request on the other, Dvořák finally sat down to the task.

The Allegro first movement opens with a dark, somewhat ominous first theme introduced by clarinets and built up by the orchestra. This is contrasted with a second theme played by a solo horn, its warmth reminiscent of the famous 1893 “From the New World” Symphony. If Dvořák was mostly concerned about cementing the cello as the soloist, he may rest assured that his hard work has paid off. Its entry is bold and resolute, ringing out a major key version of the opening theme and proceeding to lead the orchestra to the movement’s powerful end.

In the midst of the writing the second movement, tragedy struck. A letter came from his first love (and first rejection), Josephina Čermáková, informing him that she was seriously ill. The pair met sometime in the 1860s, and Dvořák eventually moved on to marry her sister. As an homage, he worked in the melody of one of her favourite songs into the movement.

This was “Kéž duch můj sám” (“Leave me alone”), which he wrote in 1888.

Sadly, Čermáková died three months after he finished the concerto, and he revised it to add another quotation of the same song in the final movement. He also rejected Wihan’s addition of a flashy cadenza and left the soft sighing coda that remains today. In his own words, “The finale should close gradually with a diminuendo like a breath… then there is a crescendo, and the last measures are taken up by the orchestra, ending stormily. That was my idea, and from it I cannot recede.”

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Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921) Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 78 “Organ” I. Adagio – Allegro moderato – Poco adagio II. Allegro moderato – Presto – Maestoso – Allegro Camille Saint-Saëns composed his Symphony No. 3 in C minor in 1886.

At this time in Europe, Germans dominated the symphony genre — think Beethoven, Brahms, and the like. A strong national consciousness had become common in the wake of the mid-19th-century European revolutions, and Saint-Saëns essentially saw a gap in the market for a great French symphony. This contribution meant a great deal to the composer, who said about the symphony, “I gave everything to it I was able to give.

What I have accomplished here, I will never achieve again.”

The symphony was commissioned by the Philharmonic Society of London, an organisation created in 1813 to promote instrumental music in London.

Arguably one of its most unique features is the inclusion of organ and piano; either would be atypical for a symphony, let alone both. This addition does not seem to have been stipulated as part of the commission and was instead part of Saint-Saëns vision to innovate on the established symphonic form. Additionally, Saint-Saëns was himself a prolific keyboard player, debuting as a professional pianist at the age of 11 and thereafter working as a church organist for 20 years. Perhaps his affinity for these instruments was another reason for their inclusion in the symphony.

The piece begins with a tentative Adagio, rising to meet an energetic main theme in C minor. This swiftly gives way to a sweeter and more dancelike second theme. This is all the musical material Saint-Saëns needs to construct the rest of the movement, skillfully transforming and stitching previously heard phrases together. This technique is used throughout the symphony and creates a kaleidoscope of creative variations which lend unity to the whole work.

The organ appears in two main sections of the piece, which are in the second halves of each movement. In its first appearance, it performs the role of accompaniment, steadily supporting a tender melody in the strings. But its second entry is what earns this symphony the moniker “Organ Symphony”: a long, full C major chord amid a tacet orchestra.

Clearly, Saint-Saëns intimately understood the instrument’s dramatic range and used it to its full advantage. The work is treated to a majestic conclusion, replete with cymbal crashes and brass fanfare. We revisit earlier themes cleverly woven into the style of the movement, and one final tempo push drives the piece towards a glorious and satisfying end.

Programme notes by Wong Yong En

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Schools represented in the Singapore National Youth Orchestra Anderson Secondary School

National University of Singapore

Anglican High School

Ngee Ann Secondary School

Anglo-Chinese Junior College

Northbrooks Secondary School

Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road)

NUS High School of Mathematics and Science

Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) (Junior College)

Palm View Primary School

Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) (Secondary)

Pei Hwa Presbyterian Primary School

Pasir Ris Secondary School Punggol Secondary School

Anglo-Chinese School (International)

Raffles Girls' School (Secondary)

Bendemeer Primary School

Raffles Institution (Junior College)

Bukit Panjang Government High School

Raffles Institution (Secondary)

Bukit Timah Primary School

Red Swastika School

Cantonment Primary School

River Valley High School (Secondary)

Catholic High School (Primary Section)

Rosyth School

Catholic High School (Secondary)

School of the Arts, Singapore

Changkat Primary School

Singapore American School

CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls' School (Secondary)

Singapore Chinese Girls' Primary School

Chung Cheng High School (Main)

Singapore Chinese Girls' School

Crescent Girls' School

Singapore Management University

Damai Primary School

Singapore Polytechnic

Dover Court International School

Springfield Secondary School

Dulwich College (Singapore)

St. Hilda's Primary School

Dunman High School (Junior College)

St. Joseph's Institution (Junior College)

Dunman High School (Secondary)

St. Joseph's Institution (Secondary)

Eunoia Junior College

St. Joseph's Institution International

Fairfield Methodist School (Secondary)

St. Joseph's Institution Junior

Gan Eng Seng School

St. Margaret's Secondary School

Hua Yi Secondary School

St. Patrick's School

Hwa Chong Institution (Secondary)

Tanglin Trust School

Hwa Chong International School

Tanjong Katong Girls' School

Methodist Girls' School (Primary)

Tanjong Katong Secondary School

Methodist Girls' School (Secondary)

Tao Nan School

Nan Chiau Primary School

Temasek Junior College

Nan Hua High School

Temasek Junior College (Secondary)

Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts

Temasek Polytechnic

Nanyang Girls' High School

Temasek Primary School

Nanyang Primary School

United World College of South East Asia

Nanyang Technological University

Unity Secondary School

National Junior College

Victoria School

National Junior College (Secondary)

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Singapore Symphony Group Administration CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Kenneth Kwok CEO OFFICE Shirin Foo Musriah Bte Md Salleh ARTISTIC PLANNING Hans Sørensen (Head) Artistic Administration Jodie Chiang Jocelyn Cheng Michelle Yeo Lynnette Chng OPERATIONS Ernest Khoo (Head) Library Lim Lip Hua Avik Chari Wong Yi Wen Orchestra Management Chia Jit Min (Head) Charis Peck Xin Hui Kelvin Chua Production Management Noraihan Bte Nordin Nazem Redzuan Leong Shan Yi Asyiq Iqmal Ramayah Elango Khairi Edzhairee Khairul Nizam

COMMUNITY IMPACT Kok Tse Wei (Head) Community Engagement Kua Li Leng (Head) Erin Tan Whitney Tan Samantha Lim Terrence Wong Choral Programmes Kua Li Leng (Head) Regina Lee Chang Hai Wen Mimi Syaahira Singapore National Youth Orchestra Ramu Thiruyanam (Head) Tang Ya Yun Tan Sing Yee Ridha Ridza ABRSM Patricia Yee Lai Li-Yng Joong Siow Chong Freddie Loh May Looi William Teo

PATRONS Development Chelsea Zhao (Head) Nikki Chuang Sarah Wee Sharmilah Banu Eunice Salanga Digital & Marketing Communications Cindy Lim (Head) Chia Han-Leon Calista Lee Germaine D’Rozario Myrtle Lee Hong Shu Hui Jana Loh Sherilyn Lim Elizabeth Low Corporate Communications Anderlin Yeo Elliot Lim Customer Experience Randy Teo Dacia Cheang Joy Tagore CORPORATE SERVICES Finance, IT & Facilities Rick Ong (Head) Alan Ong Goh Hoey Fen Loh Chin Huat Md Zailani Bin Md Said Human Resources & Administration Valeria Tan (Head) Janice Yeo Fionn Tan Netty Diyanah Bte Osman Organisation Development Lillian Yin

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Acknowledgements SNYO COMMITTEE Ms Liew Wei Li (Chair) Prof Qin Li-Wei Mr Benjamin Goh Ms Vivien Goh Dr Kee Kirk Chin Mrs Clara Lim-Tan WITH SUPPORT FROM MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, ARTS EDUCATION BRANCH Mrs Clara Lim-Tan Director, Arts Education Mr Low Ying Ning Deputy Director, Music & Drama Ms Chek Yui Hong Assistant Director, Visual and Performing Arts CCA & Singapore Youth Festival Ms Chow Pei Yan Arts Education Officer, Music THE SINGAPORE NATIONAL YOUTH ORCHESTRA WISHES TO THANK Markéta Dvořák National Arts Council Tutors of the Singapore National Youth Orchestra Parents of the Singapore National Youth Orchestra members Principals of the participating schools

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