Two Premieres, Two Leading Ladies Of Music

Joyce Koh is a familiar name in the landscape of cutting-edge, contemporary Singaporean composers. Underpinning her creative impulse is a fascination with architectural structures and scientific theories – and the result on this occasion is the SSO-commissioned one point six one eight zero.

Referencing the first five digits of the Golden Ratio, each number in the title is a movement in the work. The fourth, “one”, based on the sound of a nine-inch triangle, will see its world premiere by the SSO on 15 Aug. As Koh puts it, this piece “is a poetic projection of a triangle timbre expressed with the palette of the orchestral instruments”.

Conducting the SSO is another leading lady of music, the acclaimed British-Australian conductor Jessica Cottis, described by Rolling Stone Magazine as an extraordinary conductor “who led the orchestra as a queen. Full of energy and verve… repeatedly able to tear applause even in the middle of scenes”. Cottis will not just direct the premiere of one, but also the Singapore premiere of Flowing Sleeves.