The cast of Sing’Theatre’s Little Shop of Horrors Andrew Marko as Seymour Vanessa Kee as Audrey TJ Taylor as Mr Mushnik Benjamin Koh as Orin / Ensemble AJ Alingalan as Crystal Nurulhuda Hassan as Ronnette Marissa Vojodi as Chiffon Honey Gluttony (AKA Tony Tong) as Audrey II Directed by TJ Taylor SOTA Drama Theatre 3pm, 13 Apr 2024 Review by Derek Lim At once charming, disturbing and a musical treat, ‘Little Shop of Horrors’, with its relatively small cast and comfortable running time, is the perfect musical to receive a staging by Sing’theatre at the intimate SOTA Drama Theatre, with acces ..read more

From left to right – Jacob Cheng, Sophia Fang, Yuto Lim, Mark Chia. | Photo: @joelcaptures/Resound Collective PRODIGIOUS: The Trout & Four Seasons Schubert: Trout Quintet Edward Tan (violin) Martin Peh (viola) Lin Juan (cello) Julian Li (double bass) Shaun Choo (piano) Vivaldi: The Four Seasons Yuto Lim (violin) Sophia Fang (violin) Jacob Cheng (violin) Mark Chia (violin) & re:Sound, Yang Shuxiang (leader) Wednesday, 20 March 2024, 7:30pm Victoria Concert Hall Review by Derek Lim Edward Tan (violin), Shaun Choo (piano), Martin Peh (viola), Lin Juan (cello), Julian Li (double bass ..read more

Traversing《心 · 音乐 · 汇》 Friday 15 March 2024 – 7.30pm -Victoria Concert Hall Traversing《心 · 音乐 · 汇》opens Ding Yi Music Company’s 2024 season with a concert that celebrates the blend of the traditional and contemporary in Chinese chamber music, unfettered by time or cultural boundaries. Helmed by Guest Conductor and Cultural Medallion Winner Tsung Yeh and Ding Yi’s Resident Conductor Dedric Wong, the programme features a host of local and international composers including Singaporean Jonathan Shin and contemporary Chinese composer Mo Fan. Guest Cellist Ng Pei-Sian takes the spotlight in Chen Yi ..read more

Photo credit: Yong Junyi RAVEL – La Valse SHOSTAKOVICH – Violin Concerto No. 1 TCHAIKOVSKY – Symphony No. 6 “Pathétique” Orchestra of the Music Makers Chan Tze Law conductor Kevin Zhu violin Esplanade Concert Hall Sunday, 21 Jan 2024 Review by Derek Lim As programmes go, this was a rather heavy-going one, with each work requiring a fair amount of preparation for both performers and listeners. Ravel’s ‘La Valse’ is no light divertissement piece, with a firm and steady hand needed to bring the orchestra through the rather lurid virtuosic waltz and the ever-present feeling of everything just a ..read more

Jointly organised by re:Sound Collective and Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, the Singapore Chamber Music Festival (SCMF) boasts a line-up of workshops and concerts from top chamber musicians, as well as the Chamber Music Academy for amateur chamber groups. Aileen Tang has a chat with Singaporean violinist Jonathan Ong, one of the founding members, and first violinist of the internationally acclaimed Verona Quartet (formed 2013), about the art of communication. The Flying Inkpot: The Verona Quartet champions contemporary music as well as interdisciplinary and collaborative projects. Can y ..read more

by Aileen Tang Last February, Singapore audiences were wowed by the American violinist Kevin Zhu’s performance of the full set of Paganini’s 24 Caprices. Kevin, whose playing was described by the Straits Times as possessing “purity and robustness of tone…allied with matchless intonation”, returns to our shores this month with a double treat: a solo recital with pianist Akira Eguchi and Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto no. 1 with Orchestra of the Music Makers (OMM) and conductor Chan Tze-Law. ‘Holding the violin always felt natural’, says Kevin, 23, over Zoom, where he appears surprisingly fres ..read more

This year’s Singapore Chamber Music Festival (SCMF) includes, for the first time, the Chamber Music Academy (CMA), which provides expert coaching and performance opportunities for selected amateur chamber groups of all ages and abilities. In this 2nd of a 3-part series on SCMF, Aileen Tang chats with one of the coaches for CMA, Singaporean violinist Yang Shuxiang. The Flying Inkpot: You’ve performed a whole range of genres, from solo to orchestra. What draws you to chamber music? Yang Shuxiang: Over the years, I’ve come to realise that EVERYTHING is chamber music. Sonatas – chamber music with ..read more

Jointly organised by re:Sound Collective and Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, the Singapore Chamber Music Festival (SCMF) celebrates the dynamic energy and intimate beauty of chamber music. This year, the SCMF also introduces the Chamber Music Academy, providing expert coaching and performance opportunities for selected amateur chamber groups of all ages and abilities. Top musicians from the UK, USA, Japan and Singapore perform in a line-up of festival concerts from 27 January to 3 February, with the first being Japan’s Aoi Trio. Founded in 2016, the Aoi Trio – comprising Kyoko Ogawa (vio ..read more

It’s been 9 years since the then-Singapore Dance Theatre’s last new full-length ballet, Don Quixote, in 2014. Originally planned for 2017, Singapore Ballet Artistic Director Janek Schergen’s Cinderella is finally resplendently ready for the ball – or rather, the stage. It will be the 1st time that the design team is fully Singaporean, with Leonard Augustine Choo’s costumes and Eucien Chia’s sets. Aileen Tang chats with Schergen for a glimpse into his vision of the well-loved fairytale, as well as with Chihiro Uchida and Kenya Nakamura, Singapore Ballet’s principal dancers who will be taking t ..read more

Whirling winds and soaring strings come together in a charming evening with re:Sound Collective. Joining them in a programme that boasts both whimsy and seriousness is Singapore Symphony Orchestra’s (SSO) new Principal Horn, Austin Larson. Aileen Tang speaks to him to find out more. The Flying Inkpot: A belated welcome to Singapore! What made you decide to come here as Principal Horn of the SSO? What have been your impressions of Singapore so far? Austin Larson: Thank you, it’s great to be here! I came here to play principal horn in SSO because I got the job, simple as that. Orchestra auditi ..read more