This is a home-grown Singaporean orchestra… Not an orchestra that I join, but really a dream team for me.
As a young market on the global cultural scene, Singapore faces challenges in defining its own identity, especially when it comes to classical music, which has its roots in the Western culture. In view of this, the Orchestra of the Music Makers, an ensemble of young volunteers, has done a remarkable job. Its Singapore-based origin, engagement in community, and efforts in debunking local stereotypes are what make it uniquely Singaporean.
Compared to professional orchestras where the founding members typically receive years of full-time training, the orchestra has an untraditional origin. The idea emerged in 2006 when a group of teenagers playing in their school orchestras aspired to continue playing after graduation (Wang, 2016). Unsatisfied with alumni societies, they decided to found an independent orchestra themselves. They reached Professor Tze Law Chan, associate director of Yong Siew Toh Conservatory, for advice, who became its conductor. The decisive opportunity came in 2008 when the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation needed an orchestra for its Youth Excellent Award. The newly formed orchestra staged its debut concert in August 2008 (Markow, 2014). Today, according to its official website, it has around 140 members with an average age of 23, ranging from teenagers to working adults, most of them pursuing a career other than music. It performs classic standards with a supplement of contemporary music, including pieces by Singaporean composers (Markow, 2014). One of its greatest concerts performs Mahler’s 8th Symphony celebrating the 50th anniversary of Singapore’s independence. It was described as ‘immensely impressive’ by reviewer Robert Markow (2015).
Ever since its foundation, a giving-back spirit has been incorporated into the orchestra. In August 2009, on the occasion that the orchestra itself received the Youth Excellent Award mentioned above, it held a concert that raised S$150,000 for the Strait Times School Pocket Money Fund, supporting underprivileged schoolchildren (Wee, 2009). In 2015, the orchestra again collaborated with Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation to raise S$100,000 for ChildAid, an annual children’s charity concert (Cabutihan, 2016). Apart from fundraising, it organizes various initiatives to enhance the togetherness of music-loving people. Each year, for example, it runs a camp jointly with School of the Arts for young musicians to experience playing in an orchestra (Wang, 2016).
Apart from community engagements, the orchestra aims to combat some of the typical stereotypes in the country. It is among the first two Singaporean orchestras to allow the audience to sit among the performers, as an effort to convey the message that classical music is not exclusive for the elite (Wang, 2016). In addition, as its founders observe in an interview with the blog 5MinuteMusic, the Chinese culture tends to discourage performing arts as a career; the orchestra, however, has encouraged some of its members to pursue their dreams of a musical career against the pressures.
To conclude, one not only sees the ‘made in Singapore’ origin and ‘made for Singapore’ attitude of the Orchestra of the Music Makers, but also its untiring passion in catalyzing a better atmosphere of musical education in Singapore. In this sense, it is a successful organization representing the Singaporean identity.
References
Cabutihan, E. (2016, Feb 26). HSBC and Orchestra of the Music Makers to present S$100,000 to ChildAid. HSBC News Rlease. Retrieved from http://www.about.hsbc.com.sg/news-and-media.
Markow, R. (2014, Jan 1). From Singapore: Orchestra of the music makers. Fanfare – the Magazine for Serious Record Collectors, 37, 236-239.
Markow, R. (2015, Sept 1). Singapore: Mahler’s 8th Symphony. Der Neue Merker, 304/305, 115-116.
Wang, S. (2016, April 21). A beautiful bridge to the world of music. The Strait Times.
Wee, J. (2009, Aug 27). Youth-oriented orchestra lauded for ‘making music happen’. The Strait Times.