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NAFA & SOTA
Chinese Chamber Music Concert

Synopsis

Lift Your Veil | arranged by Chow Jun Yi

The melody from Lift Your Veil, is a traditional Uygur folk song from northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region adapted and popularized by renowned songwriter Wang Luobin. This adaptation is arranged by renown composer Chow Jun Yi for Chinese chamber ensemble.

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Yan | Huang Junxi

"Yan" is rearranged by Huang Junxi from the work of Toshihiko Mizuno. The music adopts the unique scale and rhythm from the east. The music depicts the scene of a burning flame, which represents the burning passion of the dancers.

Spring Flowing Over Stones | Cao Wen Gong

Influenced by a Tang Poem, A Spring Flowing Over Stones uses the plucking timbre to mimic a Chinese mountainous painting.

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Mountain Song | Liu Xing

As described by the composer of this Zhongruan piece, Liu Xing, this piece has a unique style compared to his other works, and is one of his more cheerful sounding works. 

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The opening of the piece uses long tremolos and short plucking techniques, fully illustrating the stark contrast of musical phrases, with long lines and brief dots, similar to the ethnic duet mountain folk songs. This expressive piece uses layering harmonies to signify a forward moving sensation. The impressive octave jumps, fast passages and strong rhythmic motives gives the piece an impactful, colourful and illustrative scene of mountains and the ever-progressive march of time.

 
Blue | Zhang Meng

Blue is a colour that is often used to represent coldness, purity, beauty, rationality, peace and vastness. The composer used the plucked string instruments like the pipa, guzheng, ruan and yangqin, combined with Western musical elements, to create a strong feel of blues, while letting the audience seemingly enjoy a glass of blue margarita.

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Xing Zhe | Wei Jun

Xing Zhe is composed by Professor Wei Jun in 2015. The piece uses melody and rhythm from Puo Luo Men Yin, a traditional Xi’an percussion piece, thus making the music sound richer in harmony and rhythmic change. 

Spring has arrived | Phoon Yew Tien

Composed by renown composer Phoon Yew Tien. Spring has arrived is a Dizi duet accompanied by the piano.

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Phoenix by Fire | arranged by He Chang Lin, Cao Wen Gong

The piece uses materials from the 773 A.D. Ping Diao Opera "Tang Five String Pipa Pa Scores". Composed during the Northern Wei era, "Phoenix by Fire" was widely popular during the Tang Dynasty, and was gradually forgotten during the Song Dynasty. The piece brings out a certain music style, much like the fiery dance of the Phoenix, and the elegance of a swan (a rough translation from a Tang dynasty poem).

Performers

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SOTA Chinese Ensemble

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Ruan: Athena Ng

Pipa: Parveen Kaur D/O Geramir Singh, Anne Ying Altorfer-Ong

Guzheng: Khoo Sze Ning, Chong Qi En Hannah

Dizi: Neo Rui Zhi, Ning Wee Dee, Tesslyn Tan Shan Ci

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NAFA Chinese Chamber Ensemble

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The NAFA Chinese Chamber Ensemble was established in 2002. It currently has over 40 members comprising both diploma and degree students majoring in Chinese and Western instruments. As one of the most active performing groups at NAFA, the NAFA Chinese Chamber Orchestra has been invited to perform at various community and charity events, as well as corporate functions, festivals and ceremonies. They have also visited China, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States, Taiwan and other countries to perform and has received wide acclaim.

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Led by Head of Chinese Instrumental Studies Mr. Sunny Wong, members of the orchestra participated in a series of performances to critical acclaim as part of exchanges with renowned conservatories namely China Conservatory of Music, Shanghai Music Conservatory, Xian Music Conservatory, Tianjin Conservatory of Music, Xinghai Conservatory of Music, Zhejiang Conservatory of Music, National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts and Tainan University of the Arts.

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Members of the NAFA Chinese Chamber Ensemble have consistently swept top prizes at the previous Singapore Chinese Music Competitions organised by the Singapore Chinese Orchestra. They have also excelled in prestigious competitions held in Singapore, China, Hong Kong and the United States of America.

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Guzheng: Sim Kee, Li You, Huang Ting Xuan

Zhongruan/Liu Qin: Wang Siyuan

Pipa: Wong Hai Rong

Daruan: Gu Tianjiao

Yangqin: Zhao Dingyu

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Dedric Wong De Li, Conductor

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Dedric is the Assistant Conductor of the Ding Yi Music Company, Conductor of the Asian Cultural Symphony Orchestra, Principal Guest Conductor of China Sze Chuan Tian Zi Ensemble. In 2014, received the National Arts Council Arts Scholarship Recipient. 2016, He was featured by the Straits time Scholars' Choice. Panelist of the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth Singapore Youth Action Plan.

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He graduated with Masters in Orchestral Conducting at the China Conservatory of Music, under the tutelage of Prof Yang You Qing, with the guidance of Maestro Tsung Yeh.

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He graduated from The Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) in 2007, Diploma in Music, majoring in Suona Performance. After his Graduation, He received guidance in conducting from Singapore renown Chinese music Educator, Singapore Cultural Medallion Dr. Tay Teow Kiat.

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In 2006, Dedric clinched the first prize in the National Arts Council Chinese Music Competition’ Suona Open Category. Since than Dedric has further his Suona performing skills under the tutelage of many Suona masters in China. In 2008, he stages a Suona concerto with the Xi’An Music Conservatory Oriental National Symphony Orchestra. 

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In 2011, Dedric was invited by the Singapore Chinese Orchestra as a soloist to perform the Renowned Suona Concerto Farewell my concubine and accompanied by the Orchestra.

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Dedric has also been selected to participate in the 2013 Taipei Chinese Orchestra Conducting Masterclass by Prof Zhang Guo Yong and Mr. Qu Chun Quan. While in 2015, he was selected to participate in the Singapore Chinese Orchestra Conducting workshop conducted by Maestro Tsung Yeh. 2016-2017 served as the conducting fellowship with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra.

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In 2016, Dedric he guest conducted and  staged his conducting recital with the China Conservatory of Music Middle School Youth Chinese Orchestra.

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In the recent years, he has been actively performing and representing Singapore in many International Arts Festival, in countries such as China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, London, Wales, Australia, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Cambodia.

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With his keen interest in traditional Chinese music, he received twice The Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan Arts and Cultural Bursary in year 2004 and 2006. 

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Sunny Wong, Artistic Director

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Sun Tat has won many accolades and prizes when he was a student at the Central Conservatory of Music in China. He was the only overseas student with a government scholarship from China since the 1970s.

He began performing in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan at the age of 7 and was often invited to appear on television. At the age of 8, he was already the erhu solo with the Hong Kong Children’s Choir on their performing tour to the United States. He shared the stage with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in the same year at a fund-raising concert held at the Hong Kong Coliseum, and his performance won him the acclaim as a ‘child prodigy’. These were followed by many more honours and top positions at international erhu competitions held in China and Taiwan, making him the only contestant from Hong Kong to have won a position in the top three in such international events.

Sun Tat has given solo recitals in Hong Kong and Beijing, which were telecasted on CCTVB. He has also given concerts in the United States, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Singapore, and has appeared in the International Arts Festival of Taiwan, Macao Arts Festival, Hong Kong Arts Festival, Singapore Arts Festival and the Copenhagen Arts Festival.

The orchestras he has performed with include Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Singapore Chinese Orchestra, Macao Chinese Orchestra, National Chinese Orchestra of Taiwan, and Taipei Chinese Orchestra among others. He has performed under the baton of Yan Huichang, Tsung Yeh, Chen Zuohuang, Qu Chunquan, Wang Yongji, Hu Bingxiu, Yoshikazu Fukumura and Kenneth Schermerhorn. He has two solo albums to date.