SSO announces August digital concerts: its annual National Day Concert and two concerts conducted by new Chief Conductor Hans Graf

The Singapore Symphony Orchestra today announces three online concerts to take place in August, including the orchestra's  SSO National Day Concert.

SSO's annual showcase of Singapore music and national songs, the National Day Concert, will take place as scheduled on Saturday 15 August, but streamed on SISTIC Live due to on-going COVID-19 venue restrictions. This year's concert will see the SSO premiere works by three of Singapore's young composers: Sandra Lim, Jonathan Shin and Tan Yuting. The orchestra will also give the world premiere of Brahman: Kannagi's Realization by Singapore-based veteran composer, John Sharpley featuring the brilliant Bharatanatyam dancer, Kshirja Govind. Continuing the tradition of performing a different orchestration of the National Anthem each year, the SSO will perform Kelly Tang's 2010 arrangement re-orchestrated for a smaller-sized orchestra. The programme will be conducted by Darrell Ang and hosted by Khairudin Saharom. Tickets go on sale 4 August, on a pay-as-you-wish basis starting at just $5.

Hans Graf, the new Chief Conductor of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, is working with the orchestra - for the first time in his new role - to record two concerts to be streamed online this August.

The first, to be streamed on SISTIC Live from Saturday 1 August at 8pm, explores the chamber music of Debussy and Dvořák. The programme opens with Debussy’s String Quartet in Hans Graf's own arrangement for string ensemble, and Danses sacrée et profane for harp and string orchestra, performed by harpist Gulnara Mashurova. This is followed by Dvořák’s Serenade in D minor, written for wind instruments, cello and double bass. Tickets go on sale tomorrow, 24 July, on a pay-as-you-wish basis starting at $10. 

The second of the two concerts pairs Stravinsky with Mozart. Stravinsky had once gone so far as to call himself ‘Mozart’s continuer’. Join the SSO on SISTIC Live on Saturday 29 August to enjoy Mozart’s Serenade in E flat and Adagio & Fugue in C minor, and Stravinsky’s Apollo and Octet. Tickets go on sale 4 August on a pay-as-you-wish basis starting at $10.

The SSO also announces the cancellation of two previously announced live concerts in August: Ye-Eun Choi Plays Beethoven (21 August) and Three Continents Cello Concerto (28 August).