CHORUS

A chorus is a group of people that gather, much in the way an orchestra does, and combine their talents to form a singing ensemble.

The voice ranges of a chorus fall under four basic categories: soprano, alto, tenor and bass. Sopranos and altos tend to be women or, in some cases, young boys. Sopranos are the highest voice-part, and altos are the next-lowest voice. The men's parts are tenor and bass, with tenor being higher and bass being lower.

A chorus is sometimes used in conjunction with an orchestra. Depending on the type of composition, the two ensembles may or may not be equally prominent.

In masses, oratorios and cantatas, the chorus and vocal soloists take the foreground. A mass is a multi-movement piece that uses the ritualistic Latin texts of church services. The oratorio, on the other hand, is a long dramatic work like an opera, except that it tells a religious story and is usually only sung and not acted out. A cantata is basically a shorter version of the oratorio.


SINGAPORE SYMPHONY CHORUS
The Singapore Symphony Chorus (SSC) was initiated in 1980 under the direction of Choo Hoey, then Music Director of the SSO. The Chorus gave its first performances on 13 and 14 June 1980, performing Brahms’ A German Requiem. In 1981, Lim Yau was appointed Chorus Master and under his guidance, the SSC established itself as one of the finest choirs in the region and one of the few symphony choruses in Southeast Asia. Bart Folse was Chorus Master from 1998 to 2000. In 2001, Lim Yau returned as the Music Director of the Chorus. The SSC performs with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO), presenting an average of three programmes a year. Under Lim Yau’s leadership, the SSC continues to strive for excellence in performance.

The Chorus has performed under the baton of Choo Hoey, Lan Shui, Lim Yau, Okko Kamu, and has worked with renowned choral specialists such as Peter Erdei, Eric Ericsson and Laszlo Heltay. Vocal soloists who have appeared with the Chorus over the years include Sir Willard White, David Wilson Johnson, Michael George, Neil Mackie and Susan Chilchott.

The wide repertoire of the SSC includes Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass, Hindemith’s Requiem, Holst’s The Planets, Lambert’s Rio Grande, Leong Yoong Pin’s Choral Symphony, Mahler’s Second and Eighth Symphonies, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Rachmaninov’s The Bells, Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms, Tippett’s A Child of Our Time as well as the famous masses and oratorios of J.S. Bach, Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart, Berlioz, Gounod, Dvořák, Elgar and Fauré.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE SINGAPORE SYMPHONY CHORUS HERE!