As Singapore celebrates 60 years of independence, it is a fitting time to reflect on the nation’s enduring values of community and harmony.
With mental health awareness emerging as an increasing national priority, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) joined hands with Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) to host a first-of-its-kind fundraising event titled Stories & Symphonies of Hope. Held on 21 May 2025 in conjunction with Mental Health Awareness Month, the event welcomed around 250 guests from government agencies, healthcare and educational institutions, social service organisations, and professional bodies such as the Association for Music Therapy Singapore.
At the heart of the evening was a panel discussion on the healing power of music in supporting mental health and emotional resilience. Featuring voices from diverse backgrounds, the conversation brought forward powerful insights into how music can support emotional wellbeing.
The panel, moderated by Ms Charlene Heng, Deputy Director, SOS Academy, Samaritans of Singapore Limited included:
- Dr Tan Xue Li, President of Association for Music Therapy Singapore
- Mr Kok Tse Wei, Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Programmes & Production), Singapore Symphony Group
- Ms Chan May Peng, Senior Manager and Lead Counsellor, Samaritans of Singapore Limited
- Ms Shantini Sathivanesan, an advocate with lived experience
Drawing examples from real-life experiences, the panellists explored the intersection of music and community support, emphasising its role in raising awareness of mental well-being and suicide prevention.
Framing the panel discussion was an intimate performance by an SSO string quartet consisting of violinists Zhao Tian and Zhang Si Jing, violist Janice Tsai and cellist Christopher Mui. The repertoire featured a variety of pieces that underscored the emotional depth of the event, including A Day in Paris by local composer Shao Ying Low and Mascagni’s contemplative Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana. Uniquely, the performance was structured to mirror the rhythm of a typical workday, with each piece representing a different hour. This narrative arc helped to enrich the audience’s understanding of the piece and connected them more deeply with the music.
At first glance, music and mental health may seem like distinct notes in different keys. But tonight, they played in harmony. At Samaritans of Singapore, we often speak to people in their most challenging times. That’s why when we came together with SSO for Stories and Symphonies of Hope, we wanted to create something special: a space where people feel brave enough to share, safe enough to feel, and supported enough to heal.
Evaluating the Impact of Symphony Concert Attendance on Secondary School Students in Singapore
Along the same vein of positively impacting mental health with music, the Community Engagement team at Group partnered with researcher Dr Jean Liu in 2024 to evaluate a pilot programme aimed at enhancing the concert-going experience for secondary school students, many of whom (~50%) were attending a professional symphony performance for the first time. This initiative targeted schools that had not previously attended SSO concerts and achieved a participant demographic that broadly reflected Singapore’s diversity in terms of ethnicity and housing.
The findings were incredibly encouraging as they suggested that despite the students’ unfamiliarity with classical music, a lot of them reported a high level of enjoyment, with a median concert rating of 7 out of 7. Moreover, even a single concert experience was found to positively influence mental well-being and the sense of social connection among participants, underscoring the potential of classical music.
We believe it is important for us to play our part to create opportunities for social services and the arts to come together and build even stronger relationships across these sectors.
Stories & Symphonies of Hope marked a meaningful step toward a more collaborative future between the arts and community care, broadening access to vital resources for those facing mental health challenges and helping to build an even more compassionate society for generations to come.