Augmented strIVngs+

Content 1. Music Director’s Message 2. About Us 3. Timeline of strIVngs 4. Programme 5. Testimonials from members 6. Musicians 7. Upcoming Events

Thank you for spending and sharing this afternoon with strIVngs.

Presenting the group at the season’s finale concert had been something that I always look forward to every season. The concert is a testament to each and every player’s hard work in this entire season. However, during our weekly sessions, I shift the focus of the concert away from the members, to let them focus on progress and growth instead.

Music takes a lot of hard and heart work, and I am very fortunate to be able to use strIVngs as a platform to provide our members with a safe space to learn, play and grow.

I hope you enjoy this afternoon’s Augmented strIVngs, this concert is a result of their collective effort throughout the entire season.

This afternoon, strIVngs will bring you through some familiar pieces, and maybe some not so familiar, and our regular Hungarian Dance is back too! I shall not reveal too much and let the concert unfold itself.

So sit back, enjoy the show, close your eyes if you need to, and let the music brings you to places.

Take care and stay safe!

Dwayne Leow Music Director

MESSAGE from the Music Director

Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.

-Plato

ABOUT US

VIOLIN | VIOLA | CELLO | DOUBLE BASS

IV

roman numeral for 4

Four string instruments of Western classical music.

str iv n gs strings + IV

read as strings

Established by music director Dwayne, strIVngs aims to push boundaries by providing new learning and performance opportunities for adult learners and hobbyists alike.

The programme is dedicated to enhancing musical skills and making the experience of learning and playing a string instrument as an adult enjoyable and accessible.

s i n ce 2 02 2

NEW BEGINNINGS 25th June 2022

StrIVngs

Inaugural concert

play with strIVngs 6th August 2022

festival for strIVngs 27th November 2022

StrIVngs

Season 2 concert

play with strIVngs 25th January 2023

initiation!

3rd June 2023

initiate

Inaugural concert

Initiate by strIVngs is specifically designed to cater to the needs of individuals who are either beginning their journey with string instruments or rediscovering their passion for them.

The main objective of the Initiate programme is to establish a safe and enjoyable space where musicians, regardless of their skill level, can come together and create music.

Whether someone is picking up a string instrument for the first time or reigniting their musical aspirations after a break, Initiate by strIVngs warmly welcomes them.

By incorporating a combination of individual skill development and ensemble playing, Initiate members have the opportunity to evolve as musicians while reveling in the sheer delight of playing music in a group setting.

ONE! 2nd July 2023

StrIVngs

Season 3 concert

play with strIVngs (3rd edition) 5th August 2023

initiation II 4th November 2023

initiate

2nd Season concert

The Barber of Seville Gioacchino Rossini Arranged by James “Red” McLeod Hungarian Dance No. 2 Johannes Brahms Arranged by Matthew Naughtin La Cumparsita

By G. Matos Rodriguez Arranged by Matthew Naughtin 1812 Overture Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Arranged by Deborah Baker Monday Queen of the Night Aria from The Magic Flute Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Arranged by Bob Lipton Merry-Go-Round of Life From Howl’s Moving Castle Joe Hisaishi Arranged by Jen Mathers Inverno Scenes from Vivaldi’s Winter Antonio Vivaldi Arranged by Todd Parrish Symphony No. 5 in C Minor 1st Movement: Allegro con brio Ludwig van Beethoven Arranged by Dwayne Leow

Pomp and Circumstance Sir Edward Elgar Arranged by Elliot Del Borgo Finale from Symphony No. 5 Ludwig van Beethoven Arranged by Carrie Lane Gruselle Greater Than…

Brian Balmages Waltz of the Flowers Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Arranged by Jonathan Lam Greensleeves Traditional Arranged by Matthew Naughtin A Grand Winter Festival Arranged by Terrence Wong

PROGRAMME

INTERMISSION

The Barber of Seville is totally entertaining for the audience - the players blend comedic music with romance.

- Kay Thwe Myint, Cello

One of my favorite pieces would be the Waltz of the Flowers for its serene and flowing melodies that transports the listener through a whirlwind of emotions!

- Ryan Koh, Viola La Cumparsita - it’s so dramatic and enjoyable, both as a player and a listener! This piece has a “fiery” charm to it because of the tango style, and it makes me imagine an old-school European rom-com when I listen to it. As a player, the piece has several parts that put me up for a challenge, and being able to hit the difficult parts make it all the more satisfying.

- Alycia Low, Violin

The appassionato of La Cumparsita and the calming, soothing tune of Greensleeves. Truth be told that I play Greensleeves to calm myself down whenever I get exasperated with myself during individual practice.

- Apple Lee, Violin

What’s your favourite piece this

Dvorak’s Largo. During the pandemic, I was struggling to perform with a Zoom musical group and we played New World Symphony. It was a time of great challenge to play with others on Zoom, and yet it provided an outlet for all of us and uplifted our spirits.

- Amy Stebbings, Cello Beethoven’s 5th! It’s challenging because it’s such an iconic piece! The piece also requires much teamwork as each section has to work tightly with the other sections to pass the musical theme around. The music director’s arrangement of the piece also stays true to the composer’s original score, so it feels amazing to be able to play this monumental work with strIVngs!

- Priscilla Lai, Viola Beethoven 5. The ensemble skills needed for that piece, the satisfaction when each section nails their entry, when we coordinate our playing, oooooh it’s all so shiok to play. The energy we can bring to Beethoven 5 as a string ensemble, despite not being a full orchestra with brass and winds, really shows what strings can do. Also Beethoven 5 is really where I feel the battle of 5 violas against the other 50 members which is a massive adrenaline rush.

- Juliette, Viola

It can be challenging to keep in time and follow the group at times. This can be improved through listening and being aware of what to focus on.

- Jade, Violin We have encountered challenging moments of playing and blending in at the right moments, mostly due to miscounting. The masterclass and sectional sessions have been very helpful in improving our playing as an ensemble and resolving our issues.

- Cai Nan, Violin

There are some challenging runs and fast passages in some of the pieces. However the strIVngs community has always been helpful and supportive to give feedback and suggestions on fingerings. There was also great support from Dwayne in breaking the problems down into bite-sized solutions.

- Millicent, Violin Not knowing how to play the notes. Manage to overcome by using apps to play the music and figuring out the fingering through playing by ear.

- Cynthia, Violin

What challenges have you encountered in strIVngs and how have you overcome them?

Double Bass is my first string instrument which I started learning only after COVID. The main challenge was to move from playing solo as a beginner to playing together with the rest.

There was initial fear of letting down the rest, but the friendly and inclusive environment helps. So I just go and enjoy the practice and things fall in place. Week by week, I see incremental improvement and that is how I gain my confidence.

- Alvin Chan, Double Bass Every season is an opportunity to learn new pieces (from different composers). It takes a lot to stay in tune and keep up with the weekly practices. It’s a real challenge for working adults to squeeze in only a few hours a week in between practices. Our music director’s encouragement, as well as the safe environment he creates and the members’ community support, makes it less stressful.

And, more importantly, makes our music journey enjoyable!

- Danny Toh, Cello Wow, the biggest challenge is the volume and complexity of the programme by far. Next I suppose the need to be fully present and focused in the rehearsals after a long day of working. The amount of practice required to feel confident is very particular to the player and for me it is a lot. I basically become consumed by the music, it plays in my head all day and I want to practice to improve my skills so I can play it in my fingers, not just in my head.

- Paulene Smith, Violin

What moments with strIVngs stand out in your memory?

Owing to the fact that I’ve picked up the bass at the beginning of this year, I was never prepared to play running notes on the double bass. After practicing real hard, on one particular rehearsal, I managed to tackle running notes on the bass. I was so proud of myself because it’s so pivotal to be doubling them with the cellos that it creates this depth in the sound. Hopefully, we can achieve this as a section and the same effect for the concert!

- Thaddeus, Double Bass The players are all so passionate about strIVngs and playing their instrument, to the degree that I see them playing through injuries, surgeries and all other life commitments. It really shows how much they love music and the joy we find in playing together on a unique platform like this.

- Mieko, Cello I am very happy and enjoy every minute, even if I can’t play 100%.

- Sun YingJian, Cello I think to be in the strIVngs family and knowing that strIVngs is a safe place to learn, enjoy playing and even laugh at our mistakes is really assuring me to grow. And every time Dwayne gives words of wisdom as encouragement, it washes away the guilt of not playing the pieces accurately and nicely during the rehearsal, and it sets my mind for improvement day by day.

- Patricia F, Violin

Aside from the weekly rehearsals, I always look forward to the dinners and catch up where we can just discuss anything under the sun. Music is also about celebrating the little joys of life, that’s what make every moment with strIVngs memorable.

- Hector, Violin Dwayne’s encouraging speeches are always the best! He would always remind us that we don’t need to be perfect, and we are here to have fun making music. Really, really appreciate the safe and fun environment strIVngs provides for us to enjoy and learn music! There were also some touching, goosebump moments when the ensemble played really well together with lots of emotions.

- Kah Ming, Violin

MUSICIANS First Violins Ronald Lim Lee Ting Xin Kimmi Lee Jolene Seetoh Ong Gek Lin Cynthia Apple Lee Yentl Lee Kimberly Su Jeremy Teong Dong Xuesong Second Violins Kwan Cai Nan Eric Rosales Hernandez Paulene Smith Poon Wei Ching Millicent Goh Teo Kah Ming Hector Salatan Alycia Low Jade Goh Lynn Ong Neo Jin Yong Elaine Lim Janalyn Neo Patricia Febria Violas Juliette de Souza Priscilla Lai Bokyung Kim Ryan Koh Min Kai Lee Chia Ping

Cellos Jaime Chua Yvonne Teng Woei Hoi Wan Theng Sun Yingjian Sim Wan Teng Amy Stebbings Jonathan Lam Kanako Ikeda Genevieve Loke Chua Yi Heng Mieko Otsuki Jan Lester Amy Ying Genevieve Ong Tan Li Sze Christina Ong Alvin Aloysius Goh Danny Toh Cassie Lai Kay T Myint Louis Ong Double Bass Ooi Zhu Pei Alvin Chan Thaddeus Ong

First Violins Caleb Lim Amirul Hazim Alex Yap Lee Joleen Second Violins Nicholas Tan Michelle Lim Allison Tan Serene Wong Ida Chew Third Violin Angie Ng Saw Hui Ling Esther Fang Violas Ng Yoke Cheng Cellos Shirley Tan Lim Miao Xia Peter Yeung Bui Nhu Quynh Double Bass Lee Sing Yin

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT strIVngs would also like to thank the following people who helped us in a way or another for the success of this performance.

Erin and Dawne, our emcees, Lydia, Shawn and Stephanie for managing the backstage, Felicia, for being the front of house, All staff of Victoria Concert Hall, and lastly, the audience, for being part of this afternoon performance!

Have a great weekend and see you again!

Do follow our social, and don’t forget to tag us!

INSTAGRAM: @strIVngs Facebook: strIVngs