Six original Singapore classical music compositions will premiere at the opening concert of Festival Puente, which will be held at the Chilean port city of Valparaiso from 11 to 16 Nov. Among the composers are Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), University of the Arts Singapore (UAS), Lecturers, namely Dr Joyce Beetuan Koh, Alicia De Silva, and Chua Jon Lin. When asked how these six compositions collectively represent the Singapore composition scene, Chua, an Adjunct Lecturer in composition at NAFA UAS, said that they do not think that they are going explicitly with a cultural agenda. While not all the works explicitly deal with Asian music traditions, Chua added that the Asian influence is palpable in the night’s repertoire. In addition, her piece titled Qin Yun, is inspired by traditional Chinese guqin music.
The festival, organised by Orchestra Marga Marga since 2019, aims to be a site of cultural and music exchange. It is also the first time that the Singapore contingent has set foot in the South American country.
Read more here.
Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction