Orchestral Institute: The Age of Becoming
Saturday, 6 September 2025
YST Concert Hall
Saturday, 6 September 2025
YST Concert Hall
Orchestral Institute: The Age of Becoming
YST ORCHESTRAL INSTITUTE WITH
JASON LAI, PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR
MANUEL DE FALLA
Interlude and Spanish Dance No. 1, from La Vida Breve
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
Symphony No. 3, Op. 55, “Eroica”
Vice Dean’s Message
Imagination abandoned by reason produces impossible monsters; united with her, she is the mother of the arts and the source of their wonders.
— From “Los Caprichos (1799), Francisco Goya
Welcome, and thank you for joining us for this evening’s Orchestral Institute performance: The Age of Becoming!
Tonight, we bring together the music of Ludwig van Beethoven and Manuel de Falla with the searing images of the great Spanish artist Francisco Goya, a contemporary of Beethoven’s. The idea for this juxtaposition was kindled by YST’s Principal Conductor, Jason Lai, whose encounter with an article tracing the resonances between these two giants of the Enlightenment sparked the inspiration for tonight’s programme. In that spirit, this evening’s programme embodies the Orchestral Institute’s commitment to reimagining the concert experience—not only as a dialogue between past and present, but also as an exploration of artistic interdisciplinarity, where sound and vision illuminate one another.
In their own ways, Goya and Beethoven bore witness to an era on the cusp of modernity—an age of liberty, revolution, and profound uncertainty. Both endured personal struggles that sharpened their vision, producing works that continue to resonate with startling immediacy. Beethoven’s Eroica stands as a testament to that spirit, a symphony that gave musical form to the possibilities and perils of revolution. Manuel de Falla, writing a century later, drew upon these legacies in La vida breve, infusing his Andalusian culture with meditations on love, fate, and impermanence. Together, these voices trace not only the turbulence of their times, but also the enduring human struggle to fnd meaning, dignity, and beauty amid upheaval— upheaval that still shadows our present, even as it awakens resilience and hope.
This evening’s performance also marks a celebration of creative collaboration. We are delighted to feature real-time animations by YST alumna Stephanie Tan (BMus ’21, clarinet), whose artistry brings Goya’s images into vivid dialogue with the music. Her work exemplifes the imaginative and exploratory spirit we cherish at YST— one that bridges tradition and innovation, sound and vision, art and idea.
Thank you for being with us tonight. May this journey through sound and image invite you to refect on our own “age of becoming,” and remind us of how art—in uniting imagination with reason—continues to illuminate and inspire!
Associate Professor Brett Stemple Vice Dean (Performance & Research)
Programme Notes
Why Goya (Beethoven and de Falla)?
The painter Francisco Goya (1746–1828) and composers Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) and Manuel de Falla (1876–1946) each illuminate an age of becoming in which the Enlightenment ideals of liberty, reason, and beauty contend with fracture, confict, and loss.
Goya’s art, moving from luminous portraiture to unfinching visions of cruelty and resilience, captures the tension between hope and despair that defned his age.
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 “Eroica (Heroic)”, frst dedicated to Napoleon and then famously retracted, transforms the very notion of heroism—shifting from the exaltation of a single fgure to a profound meditation on the human struggle. Like Goya, who turned increasingly inward as deafness deepened his private visions, Beethoven’s own encroaching silence sharpened the intensity of his symphonic voice, leaving works that speak with startling immediacy.
A century later, de Falla’s opera La vida breve (The Brief Life) confronts the fragility of life and liberty within the confnes of class and fate, its Prelude and Dance alive with Andalusian colour yet shadowed by impermanence.
By placing these works in dialogue—with images animated in real time and voiceovers framing the narrative—this performance invites us to experience sound and vision as parallel witnesses. In doing so, it also refects the Orchestral Institute’s commitment to creative exploration, reimagining the concert experience as a space where past and present, music and imagery, speak to one another.
On Translating Paintings to Performance
A NOTE FROM OUR ANIMATOR, STEPHANIE TAN HUI MIN
When I visit museums, I often fnd myself just inches away from a painting, studying every brushstroke. It feels personal, almost surreal, to see something frozen in time and yet so alive with the artist’s movement that day.
I approach music in a similar way, sitting with scores, analysing and interpreting the notes on a page. With this project, I found myself doing the same with Goya’s paintings, Beethoven’s Eroica and de Falla’s Dances, spending hours zooming into tiny details and trying my best to animate them while keeping true to their spirit.
This concert was a full circle moment for me: my frst ever orchestral rehearsal as a student in YST was playing the clarinet in Beethoven’s Eroica and now, I have the opportunity to translate this colossal work of art through an immersive concert!
Having to sit with these intense pieces of art reminded me how fortunate I am to be in a place of stability. For me, that makes it feel almost like I’m a visitor when I encounter art and music born out of confict or unrest. But, I believe it’s still so important for us to stay aware of the world around us: past, present, and future. The beauty in the ability for art to educate us; and as artists, our responsibility is to say something with our work, whether it’s to stir emotions, raise questions, or simply give people space to refect.
I feel so grateful and honored to have worked with the brilliant minds of Brett and Jason on this project. Together, we’ve been able to bring music and moving images into dialogue, exploring the idea of idols, of heroes, and how delicate and uncertain those very notions can be, something that feels so relevant today.
In today’s world, it’s rare to have the time to sit still with a piece of art, to let it speak to you. Our hope is that this concert gives you that space—to sit with beauty, with discomfort, and to refect on the evershifting idea and fragility of heroes. We invite you to immerse yourself fully in the experience, to draw your own connections, and to look through the eyes (and ears) of Beethoven, de Falla and Goya. You may be surprised at how much of their struggles and hopes resonate with your own.
Interlude/Spanish Dance No. 1
FROM LA VIDA BREVE MANUEL DE FALLA
Infuenced by Bizet’s Carmen, Manuel de Falla composed La Vida Breve (The Brief Life) in 1904-05. Set in 20th Century Granada, this short two-act opera in Andalusian Spanish tells the tragic story of Salud, a Gypsy maiden who is deceived by her lover Paco, a man of higher social standing who is secretly engaged to another woman. As the drama unfolds, Salud’s love turns to despair and disillusionment, with confrontation culminating in a powerful yet tragic conclusion.
The Interlude offers a moment of contemplation, painted with rich harmonies and evocative orchestration which reveal the gradual brewing of tension and sadness. This leads directly into the Spanish Dance No. 1, a fery/exuberant and rhythmically vibrant piece that captures the essence of Andalusian famenco music. Filled with driving rhythms, bold accents and dynamic contrasts, this dance refects the underlying passion and turmoil of the characters.
Much like Goya’s dynamic bullfghting scenes which reveal struggle and resistance amidst playful images, this emotionally charged work by De Falla unveils the tragedy of betrayal and heartbreak, inviting us to uncover the undercurrents of unrest.
Symphony No. 3, “Eroica”
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 (‘Eroica’) marked a radical departure from tradition, often being referred to as the frst great Romantic symphony for transcending the boundaries of form, scale, emotional and cultural depth of the Classical symphony. This work, completed in 1804, is often seen as the musical birth of Romanticism, embodying ideals of struggle, transformation, and the hero’s journey.
Goya’s paintings share the symphony’s emotional intensity and its confrontation with suffering and heroism. The Eroica can be heard not just as a celebration of heroism, but as a deeply human response to chaos and change - much like Goya’s haunting visions on canvas.
The frst Allegro con brio movement begins with two bold chords that announce not only the work itself but a new age of symphonic writing. What follows is a sweeping, turbulent sonata form, flled with sudden dynamic shifts, unexpected harmonic turns, and a sense of boundless momentum. Beethoven stretches phrases beyond their expected length, drives the harmony into surprising directions, and interrupts lyricism with sudden force. The result is music that tests the limits of form, bursting with heroic energy while refusing the listener the comfort of predictability or repose.
In striking contrast, the second Marcia funebre movement unfolds as a funeral march—profound in its solemnity, dignifed yet shadowed by despair. Its dark lyricism and relentless tread evoke not only personal mourning but also the collective grief of an age scarred by the Napoleonic wars. Contemporary listeners would have felt its immediacy as a meditation on the costs of revolution and empire, even as later generations have found in it a universal expression of loss. These qualities have given the movement enduring cultural resonance, from state funerals to moments of public remembrance.
The third movement, a vigorous Scherzo, breaks the tension with irrepressible vitality. Lightness and rhythmic agility animate the score, its playful contrasts infused with a sense of renewal and human resilience. The horn trio, in particular, emerges as a bold affrmation of life, injecting both humor and grandeur.
The Finale takes the form of a theme and variations on a melody Beethoven had explored in the fnale of his ballet The Creatures of Prometheus. Here, it becomes a canvas for invention, by turns lyrical, energetic, and majestic. Each variation builds upon the last, gathering force until the symphony culminates in a triumphant resolution—a vision of humanity’s struggle transformed into transcendent victory.
More than a symphony, the Eroica is a declaration: of artistic independence, of human dignity, and of the power of music to embody ideals larger than itself. It remains, even today, a work that challenges listeners to hear beyond the notes into the very essence of heroism and becoming.
Programme notes compiled and edited by Toh
Yan Ee (BMus ‘23, Composition) and Brett Stemple.
Paintings Featured
OPENING FRAME
The Dog
PART 1 – DE FALLA: INTERLUDE & SPANISH NO. 1 FROM LA VIDA BREVE
Visión fantástica o Asmodea
La Cometa
Children Playing at Bullfghting (Niños jugando a los toros)
Suerte de Varas (1824)
TRANSITION
Self-Portrait with Dr Arrieta
Beethoven manuscript with Napoleon’s name scratched out
PART II – BEETHOVEN’S SYMPHONY NO. 3 “EROICA”
FIRST MOVEMENT – REVOLUTIONARY VISION & DISILLUSIONMENT
Caprices
Portrait of the Duke of Wellington
Fight with Cudgels (Riña a garrotazos)
Prince of the Peace (1801)
The Colossus
SECOND MOVEMENT – FUNERAL MARCH: MOURNING THE IDEAL
Disasters of War Plate 52
Disasters of War Plate 59
Disasters of War Plate 62
Second of May
Third of May
Disasters of War Plate 74
Disasters of War Plate 71
THIRD MOVEMENT – SCHERZO & TRIO: RESILIENCE & THE CROWD
The Straw Man
Blind Man’s Bluff
FINALE – ON BECOMING
Vuelo de brujas (1798)
Fire at Night
Witches’ Sabbath (1798)
Witches’ Sabbath (1821–1823)
The Bewitched Man
The Adoration of the Name of God (sketch)
CLOSING
The Dog
Creatives & Production
Jason Lai
CONDUCTOR
Jason Lai is the Principal Conductor at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory, Principal Guest Conductor at the Orchestra of the Swan, and former Associate Conductor of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and Hong Kong Sinfonietta.
Jason has been a prominent fgure in Singapore’s musical life since his arrival in 2010, but also active internationally giving masterclasses in Europe and China. He has also guest conducted the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, New Japan Philharmonic, Podlasie Opera Philharmonic in Poland, Macao Orchestra, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, and Hong Kong Philharmonic. Intent on broadening the appeal of classical music to audiences who would not normally think of going into a concert hall, Jason has built a unique reputation as a communicator with mass appeal through his television appearances in both the UK and Asia. He has appeared on the BBC as a judge in both the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition and the classical talent show Classical Star. He was also a conducting mentor in the series Maestro and won the competition with his celebrity protégé.
Since settling in Singapore he has continued with his television work and was presenter and conductor for Project Symphony, an eight part series which followed him in his quest to set up a community orchestra. Other shows for BBC World News include Heart of Asia exploring the contemporary arts and culture scene in Thailand, Indonesia, Korea and the Philippines, and Tales from Modern China, a voyage through contemporary China. Most recently in Singing to Remember for Channel News Asia, Jason set out to test the theory that regular group singing in choirs helps slow down the damaging effects of dementia.
Stephanie Tan Hui Min ANIMATOR
Stephanie Tan is a multidisciplinary artist and researcher whose work explores the intersection of animation, classical music, and audience experience.
A clarinetist by training, she graduated cum laude with a Master of Music from the Prins Claus Conservatorium, supported by the Hanze Scholarship, where she studied under Celeste Zewald, Fie Schouten, and Joost van Rheeden; focusing on clarinet performance and interdisciplinary settings.
Prior to this, she completed a masters in clarinet performance at the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffth University, under Paul Dean, further deepening her artistic and performance practice. Stephanie earned her Bachelor of Music in Clarinet Performance under Ma Yue with high distinction and was Valedictorian of the Class of 2021 at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music.
She has performed with orchestras and chamber ensembles across Singapore, Australia, and the Netherlands, and is a member of the Netherlands-based Mozaiek Quintet as heard on NPO Klassiek and Aurora Festival 2025. She recently appeared as a soloist with the Groninger Mozart Ensemble, performing Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto.
As a visual artist, she creates animations for live classical performances, enhancing narrative and audience engagement. Her work has been featured by the Singapore Lyric Opera, The Philharmonic Orchestra, and the YST Orchestra Institute amongst others. Her specialty in combining animation with classical music is grounded in her research, which focuses on how visual media can transform the concert experience through immersive and interdisciplinary storytelling.
She is also the co-founder of Eastside Story Productions, a new collective that champions cross-disciplinary performances that spotlight local and Southeast Asian Stories.
Orchestral Institute
FIRST VIOLIN
_______________________________
Viktoria Ivaylova Marinova, Concertmaster
Aureitsevich Natallia
Chen Yun-Li
Chien Hsin
Foong Shu Yan Ashley
Gao Wei Tina
Lin Yi-Hsuan
Ng Ee-Jun
Pey Kanchanabandhu
Wang Tianyi
Wu Yingtong
Xu Zhuorui
Yin Chen Ziyue
Zhan Qihui
SECOND VIOLIN
Chen Shu-Yu, Principal
Huang Chia-Ying
Varvara Gritsenko
Li Hao
Peng Yiyang
Siew Xuan Ying
Renee Toh
Tsao Wei-Chun
Yeo See Kang
Zhao Tongzhou
Zheng Xiyan
VIOLA
_______________________________
Pao Yu-Lin, Principal
Chen Wei-Yan
Chen You-Yun
Cher Zhi Xian Timothy
Caitlin Chin Kai Li
Claudia Khang Loo An
Lee Hung
Liu Xuanyu
Wu Haiping
Xiao Lei
Yang Yvonne
Yu Yang
CELLO
Sherzod Bakhtiyorov, Principal
Assenbay Alan
Chai Siming
Liu Yubin
Sun Xiaoran
Wang Jiaye
Wu Zuhui
Zhu Ruoning
DOUBLE BASS
Cheng Hsu-You, Principal (Falla)
Huang Yung-Ting, Principal (Beethoven)
Loewe Lim Li Tong
Yu Wenpeng
Yuan Moer
Zhou Yutong
FLUTE _______________________________
Chen Chih-Ying, Principal (Falla)
Oh Seonyoung, Principal (Beethoven)
Lazutina Anna
Simeon Yap Sheng Kiat
OBOE
Reynard Ardian Simanjuntak, Principal
Valentino Gerry Febrian Banggul
Goh Jing Zhong, Jasper
CLARINET
Zhang Liangliang, Principal (Falla)
Dominic Koh, Principal (Beethoven)
Sean Nicholas Alexander
Tao Nuoxi
BASS CLARINET
Yang Jinliang
BASSOON
Choi Hong Wa, Principal (Falla)
Liu Jiayu, Principal (Beethoven)
Chen Sihong
Wen Xiyu
FRENCH HORN _______________________________
Harsharon Kaur, Principal
Gao Xiaoxuan, Principal
Lin Shu-Yu
Luo Tianhao
Popetorn Buangam
TRUMPET _______________________________
Ravit Leelasiri, Principal
Wen Chia-Chun
Yeh Tsung-Ruei
TROMBONE
Ong Aun Guan, Principal
Toh Chang Hui
BASS TROMBONE _______________________________
Liu Xiaowei
TUBA
Lai Chong
TIMPANI
Evelyn Kuo Chan
PERCUSSION
Christian Daniel Ragay Borres, Principal
Hsu Zih-Ciao
Hu Yue
Ko I-Ting
Lin Yen-Ting
HARP
Zeng Yan, Principal
Jesslyn Gautama
CELESTA
Tang Ke
Administration
ORCHESTRAL INSTITUTE
Vice Dean (Performance & Research)
Brett Stemple
Orchestra & Ensembles Manager
Yap Zi Qi
Orchestra & Ensembles Assistant
Uvahraaj S/O Anbarasan
PROGRAMMING COMMITTEE
Committee Chair
Brett Stemple
Committee Members
Abigail Sin
Faezah Zulkifi
Jason Lai
Kenny Ooi
Lim Yan
Qin Li-Wei
Yap Zi Qi
PRODUCTIONS
Artistic Coordinator &
Strategic Project Manager
Kenny Ooi
Production Coordinators
Benny Lim
Christopher Ong Yadao
Technical & Operations Managers
Zhang Feng Tee
William Yee
DEAN’S OFFICE
Executive Assistant to the Deanery
Lim Yang Zhi
Communications Offce
Faezah Zulkifi
Toh Yan Ee
