This Thursday, the YST BMus Class of 2022 comes together to tell a distinctive story of their own in Foreword, their graduating class concert live at the Victoria Concert Hall.
Speaking with Felita Eleonora (Harp) and Elicia Neo (MCP-Violin), who are representatives from the organising committee, the concert theme is one that hits home for the cohort. Elicia shares, “In our brainstorming process, a theme that many peers resonated with was the idea of going back in time to reflect on how we have grown, and from there moving forward into the future with hope. ‘Foreword’ aptly describes a prelude to our lives as we each look towards new chapters ahead.”
Performing and being involved in productions is nothing new for our students. However, the graduating cohort concert takes things a step further as students take full responsibility of all things – from conceptualisation and programming, to publicity, production and logistics. “The committee comprises both of us who are in charge of publicity; Luke Chong (Horn) and Wong Yong En (MS-Voice) who handle finance, productions and logistics; Viktoriya Klyukina (Flute) who is in charge of programming; and Cliff Tan (Composition) who is composing our closing cohort piece,” explains Felita. This is YST’s third edition of graduation concerts, with Springing (2019) and Unmask (2021) preceding in this tradition.
In a project as momentous as this, the collective effort has been key in all aspects. Felita shares, “Our programme was built through suggestions from our peers, and curated to ensure that the various instrument groups were all represented.” Elicia adds, “Within the organising committee, we chose not to have a specific lead – everyone has an equal voice and contribution. We are in the loop on each other’s roles as our work is all connected, and we always help each other out. In fact, we have a system where each person makes sure another person is accountable and on track in their task lists!”
From learning QLab and animation for this concert, to delving into the nuts and bolts of production and organisation, each committee member took on a learning journey of their own. In Felita and Elicia’s case, they learned to conduct a themed photoshoot for the very first time. From preparing the sets and lighting, to running individual shoots for the cohort on schedule, to directing and posing peers, each learning point helped to bring their vision to reality.
“It was a scary process being original and building things from scratch, compared to other concerts I’ve worked on before that have existing structures,” Elicia reflects. “I am thankful we have the chance to go through this experience in school with a project of this scale, and to be going through this journey with friends.” Felita adds, “This has been my biggest project at YST so far. It has been so rewarding to see the things we created ourselves grow, and to learn so many important skills that are applicable even outside of a concert production context.”
As the conversation broadens from reflections on Foreword, to thoughts on learning and the undergraduate experience, one wonders: how do the two students view the road ahead, at this point in their last semester here?
Felita responds, “This last semester has been a very sentimental one for me – I feel that there is so much I still need to learn! But I’m seeing the positive side of graduating amidst COVID, as it has pushed us to be creative with technology and to continue giving audiences 100% through virtual experiences. It’s somewhat daunting to be leaving school, but I look forward to experiencing the world out there.”
Elicia shares, “I was initially set on pursuing Master’s studies after graduation, which is a very typical path for musicians. But with the ever-changing landscape in music and the arts, my mindset has gradually deepened. My larger goal is to tell stories not only through music but also through connections with all kinds of media – be it sensory theatre, visual arts or dance. I hope to pursue this as a way forward for the arts, and am excited to find my place in the scene.”
As we look towards the end of their undergraduate journey, we wish them the best in all beginnings to come, and the leaps of faith they will continue to take. After all, this is but the foreword in a story that will continue to evolve with a vivid life of its own.
Foreword takes place this Thursday 10 Feb at 7.30pm, live from Victoria Concert Hall (no livestream). Learn more and get your tickets here.
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National University of Singapore
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