Forget Me Not is a theatrical concert that reimagines the identity of the twenty-first-century classical musician. Framed as a reunion between two YST alumni, Howard the oboist and producer, and Akkra the pianist and composer, the performance becomes both a memory and a manifesto. It recalls what first connected them, the shared passion for traditional arts, and reflects on the ongoing struggle to adapt, survive, and remain meaningful in a rapidly changing world.
The title takes inspiration from the delicate flower, symbolizing love, fidelity, devotion, and fragility. In 1970, during the conceptual art movement, Dutch composer Louis Andriessen wrote Vergeet mij niet (Forget-Me-Not), a short work for an oboist who also plays the piano. He later revisited its spirit in The Memory of Roses, a collection of personal miniatures balancing sentiment and irony. This concert draws from that lineage, creating an experience that is political, comedic, absurd, beautiful, ugly, and deeply human, reflecting the diverse pathways YST graduates have taken and the Conservatory’s commitment to bold experimentation and artistic research.
Through piano and oboe music, theatrical acting, and multimedia, the two artists retrace their divergent journeys: one shaped by creative production and community engagement, the other by performance and artistic inquiry. Together they rediscover the beauty of the old, the expressive depth of classical repertoire, and the urgency of the new through innovative media, cross-disciplinary storytelling, and new ways of performing and composing. The concert asks what it means to stay musical when the industry no longer guarantees permanence. It celebrates the evolving possibilities of the classical artist as performer, composer, storyteller, educator, technologist, and producer, and affirms that artistry today flourishes through connection.
PROGRAMME
An Alienated Artist
EDVARD GRIEG
Solitary Traveller, Op. 43, No. 2 (for piano solo)
Incomplete, but Sufficient
EDWARD ELGAR
Soliloquy (for oboe and piano)
Mirrors & Narcissus, an Identity Crisis
THEA MUSGRAVE
Take Two Oboes (for two oboes)
IV. Frisky
Let’s Go with the Flow
MAURICE RAVEL
Jeux d’eau (for piano solo)
Words Unsung I: Singing a Song for the Orinoco.
ANDRÉ JOLIVET
Chant pour Les Piroguiers de L’Orenoque (for oboe and piano)
Words Unsung II: With the Nightingale and the Rose, A Journey to Persia.
SAINT-SAENS
Le rossignol et la rose from Parysatis (for oboe and piano)
Words Unsung III: An Intersection – A Modern Pop Song or a Sonata-Allegro?
AKKRA YEUNYONGHATTAPORN
Ohne Worte (for English horn and piano)
I. Above the Stars
A Popular Sonata
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
Piano Sonata, Op. 13 (for piano solo)
I. Grave – Allegro di molto e con brio
Minimalism Finds an Enemy in the Shortest Waltz Ever Written
LOUIS ANDRIESSEN
Forget Me Not (for oboe left hand and piano right hand)
– Intermission —
From Deep Affliction I Cry Out to You
GEORG DRUSCHETZKY arr. YEO CHOW SHERN
Canone a quatro voci del Sig. Kirnberger in A minor (for oboe and piano)
It Is Prussian Blue! And It Will Fade!
CPE BACH
Sonata G minor (for oboe and harpsichord)
All Shall Be Well
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH
Sheep May Safely Graze, arr. Egon Petri (for piano solo)
Of Friends and Fond Memories
LOUIS ANDRIESSEN
Memory of Roses (for piano and toy piano)
My Only Love Sprung from My Only Hate!
MARINA DRANISHNIKOVA
Poem (for oboe and piano)
Dessert, for the Broken-Hearted
MADELEINE DRING
Polka (for oboe and piano)
TICKETING INFORMATION
Tickets at $15 via yst.eventbrite.com
Patrons without valid tickets will not be allowed entry. Out of respect for all patrons, late admission will only be allowed at suitable intervals. No children under 6 years of age will be allowed admission. Food and drinks are not allowed inside the venue.
No refunds, exchanges, or cancellations will be accepted for inability to attend, change of plans, or failure to show up on the day of the event/session.
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ACCESSIBILITY
YST offers step-free access from the street to all venues within the building. Accessible seating arrangements can be made for patrons with access needs. If you require more information about our facilities or wish to book accessible seats, please contact muscomms@nus.edu.sg