The weekend of 7 to 9 September 2018 was a rich celebration of wind and brass music at the YST Conservatory. Over three days, we hosted the Singapore Band Clinic themed ‘The Joy of Band and Beyond!’, held the YST Double Reed Day 2018, and presented the YST Wind Consort in concert at Bandscendence.
These events sought to celebrate and continue the tradition of wind band music, which has been well-enjoyed in Singapore since the arrival of military bands in early 19th century as well as the initiation of school band programmes in 1965. Since then, the scene has now grown to encompass 190 bands island-wide and an estimated 20,000 students who have benefited from wind music education in the past 25 years.
It was a lively weekend in more ways than one. Sessions included a bassoon masterclass, talks on applied topics, and concert performances. Further, it was a gathering of YST leaders, faculty, alumni, students and partners in a rich community of music-making and sharing.
View the video and photo highlights from the weekend, and click on the dropdowns below to learn more about what went on.
SINGAPORE BAND CLINIC (7 – 9 SEPTEMBER)
The Band Clinic (7 – 9 September) brought together band educators, students and teachers from Singapore and the region to explore new dimensions of wind band pedagogy and curriculum development. Participating as clinicians and speakers were Governing Board member Ms Pang Siu Yuin; Vice Dean (Professional Integration) Assoc Prof Chan Tze Law (who served as keynote speaker for the Teacher track); Assoc Profs Brett Stemple, Jason Lai, Ty Constante and Tony Makarome; faculty member Adrian Chiang (President of the Band Directors’ Association Singapore); conducting alumnus Alvin Seville (‘18); and MMus Year 2 conducting student Chong Wai Lun. The concepts of musicianship, leadership, flow and joy emerged as key themes for the band clinic.
DOUBLE REED DAY (8 SEPTEMBER)
The annual Double Reed Day united the Singapore oboe and bassoon community in a lineup of events, featuring a bassoon masterclass with Professor Giorgio Versiglia of the Bergamo Conservatory of Music, workshops on instrument maintenance and reed-making with oboe-maker Mr Yanko Petrov, sessions with YST Head of Woodwinds Assoc Prof Zhang Jinmin and Artist Faculty Carolyn Hollier, as well as a closing concert.
YST WIND CONSORT: BANDSCENDENCE (9 SEPTEMBER)
The weekend ended with the fully-subscribed Bandscendence concert, featuring the YST Wind Consort with musicians from the College of Music at Mahidol University – a partner school of YST through Southeast Asian Directors of Music (SEADOM) association. The evening’s programme paid tribute to the special genre of wind music, showcasing contemporary works by Trumpet alumnus Lee Jin Jun (’16) and Composition faculty Asst Prof Nick Omiccioli, alongside classics by Grainger, Stravinsky, Bernstein, Persichetti and Sousa. We were also proud to witness the great work done by alumni Hou Chuan-An (BMus Trumpet, ‘11) and Li Xin (BMus Clarinet, ‘07) and MMus Year 2 Conducting student Chong Wailun!
View Stories by Themes
YST CONSERVATORY
National University of Singapore
3 Conservatory Drive
Singapore 117376
