Jointly reported by:
Tan Hong Zher Sr1ScA
Khoo Xin Yi Sr2ScA
Ang Ann Gie Sr2ScE
Photography by: Kuen Cheng Photography Club
12th August 2023, 7:30p.m. Following a three year hiatus, Kuen Cheng High School Philharmonic Orchestra held “Journey Through The Years 溯”, a concert which was meant to recall their origins and flow against the stream while journeying through the years of the orchestra.
Before the day of the concert, the orchestra held interviews with both their own members and other students in order to get a better understanding of their views towards the orchestra and have the broadcasted interviews act as advertisement.
On the evening of the concert, guests arrived much earlier to queue up as ticket holders were given the freedom to choose their seats. The school hall boasted approximately 1600 seats, all of which were sold out. A photobooth was set up with help from the Photography Club too.
As the lights dimmed, the concert started with a brief introduction of the club and the conductor-cum-instructor of the Philharmonic Orchestra, Mr Chan Ling Chee, who then gave a brief speech which, as he lost a bet with the students to sell all the tickets, he was forced to speak in Chinese language.
Finally, it was time for the orchestra to play. They started off with a medley that was composed to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the club, which consisted of multiple pieces that symbolises the philharmonic orchestra. Next, they played “Carmen: Prelude”, “Dance of the Knights” and “Adagio from Symphony No.2” which were all notable classical pieces that managed to showcase the talent of the orchestra.
Up next was “007: Through the Years”, with a performance of “James Bonds” below the stage. Next, a hilarious ballet performance was performed by two seniors of the club while the orchestra played “Sylvia: Pizzicati”. The following pieces were “Masquerade Suite: Valse” and “Blooming Flowers under the Full Moon”.
“Sylvia: Pizzicati”
Then came a performance of “Shinzou wo Sasageyo!”, a song from the anime “Attack on Titan”. They later played a piece that was arranged by one of their alumni, Isabel Goh, titled “Lenggang Kangkung”. Afterwards was “Imperial March”, in which the conductor, clad in a Darth Vader cosplay, walked up to the podium while Stormtroopers followed behind, before finally conducting using a lightsaber.
“Imperial March”
After a 20 minute intermission, the percussion section came up on stage to put on a unique solo performance called “Stinkin Garbage”, using several garbage bins to act as drums. Furthermore, the orchestra’s rendition of “My Heart Will Go On” captivated the audiences with the voice of Zoey Ang Jan Enn, one of the orchestra trumpeters, as the melodies resonated with the listeners.
“Stinkin Garbage”
“My Heart Will Go On”
Following up, “Disney Symphonic Suite” evoked a sense of nostalgia inside the audience as the orchestra played Disney’s opening theme, followed by an arrangement of ”Frozen”, “A Whole New World”, “Beauty and the Beast” and more. Coming up was the soundtrack album of the 1996 musical film “Evita”, and finally their last two pieces, “Highlights From Harry Potter” and “Star Wars Suite: Main theme”.
As the concert neared its end, thunderous applause sounded as the crowd chanted for an encore.
The lights went off abruptly and the orchestra started off their first encore song with “The Real Heros” from “Avengers: Endgame”. A classic rendition of the upbeat song “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” hyped up the audience as well. Lastly, the encore ended with the orchestra replaying the ending part of “Star Wars Suite: Main Theme”.
With no doubt Kuen Cheng Philharmonic Orchestra’s concert was a booming success. This concert was the evidence of all the hard work, effort and burning passion that was put into making music which had touched the hearts of many that night. Last but not least, thumbs up to all the student bodies that have given immense help to make the concert event a great success!
