The Music
Beethoven
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
Allegro con brio
Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 “Pastoral”
Merry gathering of country folk
Thunder and storm
Shepherd’s Song – cheerful and thankful feelings after the storm
tCHAIKOVSKY
Music from the ballet, The Nutcracker Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies
Chinese Dance Dance of the Reed Flutes
Arabian Dance
Trepak
Waltz of the Flowers
Stravinsky
Music from the ballet, The Firebird (1919 version)
The Princesses’ Khovorod (Round Dance)
Infernal Dance of King Kashchei Berceuse (Lullaby) – Finale
The Music
Ponchielli
Clair de lune (arr. Stokowski)
Dance of the Hours from La Gioconda
Dukas
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Elgar
Pomp and Circumstance Marches (Music from Nos. 2, 1 and 3)
Respighi
Pines of Rome
Pines of the Villa Borghese
Pines of the Janiculum
Pines of the Appian Way
Debussy
Singapore Symphony Orchestra
Since its founding in 1979, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) has been Singapore’s flagship orchestra, touching lives through classical music and providing the heartbeat of the cultural scene with its 44week calendar of events. From the 2026/27 season, the SSO will be led by Finnish conductor Hannu Lintu, the fourth Music Director in the orchestra’s history after Choo Hoey (1979–1996), Lan Shui (1997–2019) and Hans Graf (2020–2026).
In addition to its subscription series concerts, the orchestra is well-loved for its outdoor and community appearances, and its significant role educating the young people of Singapore.
The SSO has also earned an international reputation for its orchestral virtuosity, having garnered sterling reviews for its overseas tours and over 50 recordings, culminating in its 3rd place win in the prestigious Gramophone Orchestra of the Year Award 2021. In 2022, BBC Music Magazine named the SSO as one of the 23 best orchestras in the world.
The SSO performs over 60 concerts a year at such venues as the Esplanade Concert Hall and Victoria Concert Hall in Singapore. Bridging the musical traditions of East and West, Singaporean and Asian musicians and composers are regularly showcased in its concert seasons. Its versatile repertoire spans all-time favourites and orchestral masterpieces to exciting cutting-edge premieres.
The SSO is part of the Singapore Symphony Group, which also manages the Singapore Symphony Choruses, the Singapore National Youth Orchestra, the Singapore International Piano Festival and the biennial National Piano & Violin Competition.
2nd Prize winner of the 2008 Dimitri Mitropoulos International Competition, Singaporean conductor Joshua Tan’s rise to prominence on the international scene has been marked by successful debuts in Carnegie Hall, Philharmonie Berlin, Mariinsky Hall and Bunkamura.
A graduate of The Juilliard School and the Eastman School of Music (High Distinction), he is an awardee of numerous scholarships and awards, such as the Young Artist Award, Singapore, Bruno Walter Memorial Foundation Award, NAC-Shell Scholarship, and the SSO/ MOE Scholarship.
Known as a versatile conductor, Joshua is at home with symphonic, operatic and ballet works. His substantial repertoire for opera includes La Traviata, Rigoletto, Das Rheingold, Der fliegende Holländer, Lohengrin, Carmen, among others. He is also equally adept with music for ballet, film and multimedia. For the latter, his extensive work include Disney’s Fantasia and Pixar, West Side Story, Jurassic Park and more.
Joshua has conducted orchestras all around the world. He has studied with various eminent conductors—James DePreist, Charles Dutoit, David Zinman and Kurt Masur—and worked with many others, such as Michael Tilson Thomas, Ingo Metzmacher and George Manahan.
Joshua is presently Music Director of the Singapore National Youth Orchestra and the Asia Virtuosi. He has served successful stints as Associate Conductor of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Resident Conductor of the National Centre for the Performing Arts (China) Orchestra, and as Principal Conductor of the Guiyang Symphony Orchestra. Highlights of this season include debuts with Orchestre National de Bretagne, Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra, Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra as well as return engagements to Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, and with the Singapore Ballet for Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella.
© BRYAN VAN DER BEEK
The Orchestra
Viola
Manchin Zhang Principal, Tan Jiew Cheng Chair
Guan Qi Associate Principal
Gu Bing Jie* Assistant Principal
Joelle Hsu3
Patcharaphan Khumprakob3
Marietta Ku
Luo Biao
Julia Park
Shui Bing
Janice Tsai
Dandan Wang
Yang Shi Li
Cello
Ng Pei-Sian Principal, The HEAD Foundation Chair
First Violin
Markus Gundermann3 Guest Concertmaster
(Position vacant) Concertmaster, GK Goh Chair
David Coucheron Co-Principal Guest Concertmaster
Kevin Lin Co-Principal Guest Concertmaster
Kong Zhao Hui1 Associate Concertmaster
Chan Yoong-Han2 Assistant Principal
Cao Can*
Duan Yu Ling
Foo Say Ming
Jin Li
Kong Xianlong
Cindy Lee
Karen Tan
William Tan
Wei Zhe
Ye Lin*
Zhang Si Jing
sECOND VIOLIN
Jeongyeon Im3 Guest Principal
Sayuri Kuru Associate Principal
Nikolai Koval*
Hai-Won Kwok
Lim Shue Churn3
Renyu Martin Peh^
Margit Saur
Shao Tao Tao
Ikuko Takahashi3
Wu Man Yun*
Xu Jueyi*
Yin Shu Zhan*
Zhao Tian
Yu Jing Associate Principal
Guo Hao Assistant Principal
Chan Wei Shing
Christopher Mui
Jamshid Saydikarimov
Song Woon Teng
Wang Yan
Wu Dai Dai
Zhao Yu Er
double Bass
Yang Zheng Yi Acting Principal
Karen Yeo Assistant Principal
Po-Yu Fang
Victor Lee
Jacek Mirucki
Guennadi Mouzyka3
Wang Xu
fLUTE
Jin Ta Principal, Stephen Riady Chair
Evgueni Brokmiller Associate Principal
Roberto Alvarez
Miao Shanshan
Wang Tong3 piccolo
Roberto Alvarez Assistant Principal
oboe
Rachel Walker Principal
Pan Yun Associate Principal
Carolyn Hollier
Elaine Yeo
cor Anglais
Elaine Yeo Associate Principal
clarinet
Ma Yue Principal
Li Xin Associate Principal
Liu Yoko
Tang Xiao Ping
bass Clarinet
Tang Xiao Ping Assistant Principal bassoon
Guo Siping Principal
Liu Chang Associate Principal
Christoph Wichert
Zhao Ying Xue
contrabassoon
Zhao Ying Xue Assistant Principal horn
Austin Larson Principal
Gao Jian Associate Principal
Jamie Hersch Associate Principal
Marc-Antoine Robillard Associate Principal
Bryan Chong^
Hoang Van Hoc
trumpet
Jon Paul Dante Principal
David Smith Associate Principal
Lerkiat Chongjirajitra3
Lau Wen Rong
Nuttakamon Supattranont
trombone
Allen Meek Principal
Damian Patti Associate Principal
Samuel Armstrong
Hu Shaozhen3
bass Trombone
Wang Wei Assistant Principal tuba
Tomoki Natsume Principal
Brett Stemple3Guest Principal timpani
Christian Schiøler Principal
Mario Choo
percussion
Jonathan Fox Principal
Mark Suter Associate Principal
Cheong Kah Yiong3
Mario Choo
Mark De Souza3
Lim Meng Keh
harp
Gulnara Mashurova Principal
keyboard
Nicholas Loh3 (Piano/Celesta) Guest Principal
Gabriel Hoe3 (Celesta)
organ
Joanna Paul3 technical Director
Jessie Yang
With deep appreciation to the Rin Collection for their generous loan of string instruments. Musician on annual contract.
Kong Zhao Hui performs on a J.B. Guadagnini of Milan, c. 1750, donated by the National Arts Council, Singapore, with the support of Far East Organization and Lee Foundation.
Chan Yoong-Han performs on a David Tecchler, Fecit Roma An. D. 1700, courtesy of Mr G K Goh. Guest Musican
Musicians listed alphabetically by family name rotate their seats on a per programme basis.
IN CONCERT LIVE TO FILM
PERFORMED BY SINGAPORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Disney’s Fantasia in Concert Live to Film features highlights from two of Disney’s most extraordinary and groundbreaking animated features, Fantasia (1940), and its sequel Fantasia 2000 (1999).
Classical selections include Beethoven’s “The Pastoral Symphony,” Debussy’s “Clair de Lune,” Ponchielli’s “Dance of the Hours,” Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance,” Respighi’s “Pines of Rome,” and Dukas’ “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” and more.
Released to great acclaim in 1940, Walt Disney’s Fantasia was his boldest experiment at the time and culminated in the creative visionary’s desire to blend animated imagery with classical music. The original recording of
the film’s score was conducted by Leopold Stokowski with the Philadelphia Orchestra, captured in stereophonic sound, which was still an experimental medium at the time. What had begun as a vehicle to develop Mickey Mouse’s career with an animation short titled “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” went on to become a genuine cinema classic.
Walt’s dream in 1941 was to turn Fantasia into an ongoing event with new segments. This was finally realized in 1999 with Fantasia 2000, a spectacular follow-up spearheaded by Walt’s nephew, Roy E. Disney. The recorded score from Fantasia 2000 was conducted by James Levine and performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Presented by
From $28
From $48
UPCOMING CONCERTS
curated with families in mind
Young Spacefarer’s Guide to the Orchestra
6 Sep 2025
Sat, 11am & 2pm
Esplanade Concert Hall
Come on a musical trek through space! Help our lost adventurer search the musical cosmos in a journey of self-discovery.
SSO Babies’ Proms
13 & 14 Sep 2025
Sat & Sun, 11am & 2pm
Victoria Concert Hall
$35, $45
1 & 2 Nov 2025
Sat, 11am & 2pm l Sun, 11am
Victoria Concert Hall
Discover the fun and fantastic world of the orchestra and its different instruments in this free-and-easy musical day out for parents and kids.
Put on your spookiest costume this Halloween and join us in this fun-filled, musical Halloween Spooktacular of wily witches, grinning ghouls and stumbling skeletons! Recommended for ages 6 & below.
