Programme and conductor change announced for Fauré: Cantique et Requiem

The Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is announcing changes to the SSO Subscription Concert originally scheduled for 27 and 28 March 2020 as a result of travel restrictions affecting the conductor Stephen Layton. The concert on Fri 27 March 2020, 7.30pm is cancelled, while the concert on Sat 28 March 2020, 7.30pm at the Victoria Concert Hall will proceed with a change of programme and conductor.

The SSO is grateful to Darrell Ang, who has stepped in to conduct the orchestra on 28 March, with some changes in the repertoire. The SSO will continue to perform Benjamin Britten’s Simple Symphony and Arvo Pärt’s Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten, and close the concert with Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings. The title of the concert is now changed to The Spirit of Serenity. There will be no intermission.

Fauré's Cantique de Jean Racine and Requiem will not be performed. Guest singers Jassy Husk and Laurence Williams, and the Singapore Symphony Children’s Choir and the treble voices of the Singapore Symphony Youth Choir will not be performing during the concert. The Open Rehearsal on 26 March is cancelled, while the Pre-Concert Talk will go ahead, on 28 March only.

The SSO places great importance on the safety of our audience and performers at all times. In line with the government advisory on keeping audiences small and spaced out, seating in the concert hall will be re-configured to fit fewer than 250 persons in staggered seating. For the convenience of ticket holders, we will arrange a full refund for the concert. Ticket holders can then re-purchase tickets in the new seating arrangement on the SSO website, from 10am on Tuesday 24 March.

For payment via credit card, ticket holders will receive an automatic refund issued by SISTIC within one to two months’ credit card billing cycle. For payment via cash/NETS, SISTIC will be in touch with ticket holders on the various ways to obtain the refund.

Ticket sales to all other concerts have been temporarily halted while the orchestra adjusts all other future concerts to meet the new social distancing measures. Affected patrons will be contacted over the coming days.

Born in Singapore, Darrell Ang has held the role of Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of The Sichuan Orchestra of China since December 2016. He studied conducting in St Petersburg with Leonid Korchmar and continued at Yale with Shinik Hahm. He became the youngest Associate Conductor of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and also served as Music Director of the Singapore National Youth Orchestra. He took all three top awards at the 50th Besançon International Young Conductors' Competition, leading to the Music Directorship of the Orchestre Symphonique de Bretagne (2012-2015).