Victoria Concert Hall Announces 2019/20 “VCHpresents” Season

Victoria Concert Hall, Home of the SSO, marks the fifth anniversary of its re-opening with its new season name, “VCHpresents”. The 2019/20 season includes performances that explore a wide range of the chamber music repertoire, solo voice recitals, more intimate happenings, and two music festivals.

CEO of the Singapore Symphony Group Chng Hak-Peng describes the new season as designed to give audiences a direct connection to chamber music.

“Since the reopening of VCH in 2014, we continue to hear people tell us how intimate the music feels in the spaces. Hearing what our audiences have to say, we also recognise that with the rush of our modern and digital lives, our audiences are seeking out something closer, and more intimate in their musical experiences. It gives us great pleasure to present new ways to enjoy VCH close encounters with music in this special venue.”

Widest Range of Chamber Music in Singapore

VCHpresents Chamber series is Singapore’s widest offering of chamber music at the highest level – from western classical strings and the Chinese sheng (Endless Sound featuring Wu Wei, 9 Feb 2020) to a chamber version of Mahler’s spellbinding First Symphony (Stradivari Quartet, 17 Apr 2020) and the titanic “Great Fugue”, one of Beethoven’s final works (Pavel Haas Quartet, 29 May 2020).

Performing together, two familiar faces of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO), Lynnette Seah (violin and Co-Concertmaster of the SSO) and Gulnara Mashurova (Principal Harp), bring enchantment to the hall through Massenet’s heavenly Meditation from Thais and the perfumed lyricism with Ravel’s well-known miniature harp concerto (French Connections, 14 Nov 2019).

Audiences can also look forward to rare male voice recitals this season. Emerging Chinese tenor Long Long and baritone Zhou Zhengzhong take the stage in two separate shows. Long’s concert features French and Italian love songs, accompanied by Malaysian pianist Tengku Irfan (Love and Longing, 10 Nov 2019); while Zhou performs heartfelt opera arias, contrastingly paired with Chinese songs and accompanied by Singaporean pianist Lim Yan (Songs of Nostalgia, 29 Mar 2020).

VCHpresents Excite! Featuring SSO Artist-in-Residence Rachel Barton Pine

To challenge the boundaries of classical music, VCHpresents Excite! welcomes award-winning violinist Rachel Barton Pine and Miloš Karadaglić.

The Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) 2019/20 Artist-in-Residence, Barton “shreds” her violin with a genre-defying programme featuring music from Paganini, Sibelius, Shostakovich as well as hard rock musicians such as Nine Inch Nails, Led Zeppelin and Van Halen (Shredding with Rachel Barton Pine, 27 Oct 2019).

The genre crossover continues with the return of popular guitarist Miloš Karadaglić, who brings with him dreamy poetry and sultry fire from the Mediterranean (Here Comes the Sun, 15 May 2020).

In the Company of the Klais Organ

VCHpresents Organ brings more mesmerising vibrations from VCH’s 2012-pipe Klais organ, Singapore’s only fully mechanical organ.

Eminent Japanese organist Masato Suzuki presents a tantalising programme of toccatas and sublime fugues from Bach, Brahms, Liszt and Schumann (Organ, Omakase, 8 Sep 2019).

Keeping with the spirit of community, the Organ series will include free lunchtime recitals through the year, by Singaporean organists Evelyn Lim and Joanna Paul (Pipes de deux, 4 Nov 2019), Isaac Lee paired with SSO trombonist Samuel Armstrong (Pipe Up! II, 16 December 2019), and Koh Jia Hwei paired with flautist Cheryl Lim (Second Wind, 4 May 2020). In addition, French organist François Espinasse goes back to Bach in a fascinating organ recital, supported by the Singapore Chapter of the American Guild of Organists (Organ, Français, 24 Feb 2020).

Not forgetting young concertgoers, the evergreen children’s classic, The Carnival of the Animals, is paired with The Composer and the Mouse. This animated double bill is a fun combination of film and original music for organ and piano, performed live by the Scott Brothers Duo (The Composer and the Mouse, 13 Jun 2020).

NEW! “Intimate Moments” with the SSO

In a brand new series called “Intimate Moments”, audience members will be able to enjoy a performance and converse with the musicians about chamber music of personal significance. The session features SSO violinists Zhang Si Jing (From West to East, 21 Nov 2019) and Cindy Lee (The Colourful World of Animals, 20 Mar 2020).

This series is supported by Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao, where introductions and conversations will be in Mandarin.

Two Festivals at the VCH

1. Baroque Festival: Genius of Rome and Orpheus of Rome

Renowned leader of the famous Academy of Ancient Music, Bojan Cicic, directs the ever-popular Baroque Festival this year (11–12 Apr 2020). Familiar names such as Vivaldi and Corelli share their muse with composers such as Locatelli and Colista, the “Orpheus of Rome”. Be lifted by the twin programmes of colourful, spirited music by composers who were active in Rome – the “Eternal City” of art and inspiration.

2. 27th Singapore International Piano Festival

From 4–7 June 2020, the annual Singapore International Piano Festival brings a line-up of established and up-and-coming pianists: Malaysian pianist and BBC Music Magazine Best Newcomer Mei-Yi Foo; familiar figure at the BBC Proms, Briton Leon McCawley; celebrated German pianist and conductor Christian Zacharias; and award-winning Argentinian Nelson Goerner. (Tickets go on sale early 2020).

VCHpresents tickets are affordably priced, ranging from $18–$50, with concession tickets from $12.

Fringe and Free Activities

From educational programmes in the concert hall, to backstage and historical tours of the building, and performances at the atrium – ticketed and free activities are planned all year round. Visit www.sso.org.sg for upcoming activities for all ages and music inclinations.

General Ticketing:

Tickets can be purchased online at www.sso.org.sg, through the SISTIC hotline at
(65) 6348 5555, or at any SISTIC Authorised Agent.

For School and Corporate Bookings:

Please contact our Customer Experience team at (65) 6602 4245 or ticketing@sso.org.sg.