Victoria Concert Hall - Dedicated To Music

Empress Place
South, Singapore

July 2014

To full test out the effects of the newly-reopened Victoria Concert Hall, Merlion sat is for no less than 2 different performances on the opening day.
   

T’ang Quartet

The T’ang Quartet started officially performing in 1999, and comprises of the following members: Ng Yu-Ying (1st Violin), Ang Chek Meng (2nd Violin), Leslie Tan (Cello) and Lionel Tan (Viola). 

Awaiting the entrance of the group with the 4 chairs in the centre of the Hall...

A playful reference to the last names of the group’s members, ‘T’ang’ also symbolises the golden age of cultural expression in the Tang Dynasty, an acknowledgement of their Asian roots.

The Philharmonic Winds and Philharmonic Youth Winds

Since its formation in 2000, The Philharmonic Winds (Phil Winds) - currently led by Music Director Leonard Tan - has been presenting meaningful concerts of high standards. Each concert revolves around a theme, such as Sounds of Japan, All That Jazz, Absolut Dutch, An American Portrait and Death and Life, amongst others. They have also presented works by Grainger and Varèse, wind serenades by Mozart, Dvořák and Strauss, as well as symphonies by Hindemith and Barnes. In addition, Phil Winds has participated in opera
productions of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly and Weill’s Street Scenes.

Philharmonic Youth Winds (Phil Youth) was formed in early 2002 by Phil Winds to provide an opportunity for young, passionate musicians to further their ensemble experience. Since its inaugural concert led by Zechariah Goh Toh Chai and Leonard Tan, the ensemble grew under various other conductors, such as Andy Sim, Yeow Ching Shiong, Alan Lourens, and David Glosz, performing in joint concerts with Phil Winds as well as its own concerts under Resident Conductor Adrian Chiang. In addition, Phil Youth has had the opportunity to work with foreign clinicians and conductors and participate in music exchange programmes.

The Emcee introducing the Orchestra, a deep introductory bow by Resident Conductor Adrian Chiang, and a sharing about the pieces to be performed...

The soloists take centrestage under Adrian's guidance...

 Talented youths dedicated to their music...

 The Orchestra in its entirety in the traditional Concert Hall...

   

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Victoria Theatre - Of Painted Faces In Hanboks

Empress Place
South, Singapore
July 2014

Over the openhouse weekend, visitors were guided tours of the gorgeously renovated Victoria Theatre and Victoria Concert Hall and catch performances by a mix of arts groups including the T'ang Quartet, Bhaskar's Arts Academy, the Chinese Theatre Circle, Frontier Danceland and Teater Kami. The open house's packed slate of events includes a performance on the concert hall's Klais Organ by organist Margaret Chen.

Merlion Wayfarer was able to catch one of the charismatic performances at the Victoria Theatre.
 

Nam Hwa Opera

Nam Hwa Opera was established as a non-profit social organisation to promote Teochew art, music, dramas, operas, culture, as well as to provide a platform for members, who are opera enthusiasts to learn and perform.

Elaborate costumes and elegant poses...

A short excerpt showing the courtship ritual between a rich young man and a lady in a hanbok-like dress...

As one audience member exclaimed, "Is she from Korea?"

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Victoria Concert Hall - Ever The Same

Empress Place

South, Singapore

July 2014

The existing interior of the 673-seater concert hall retained much of its original Old World charm and classic ornamentation. During the refurbishment, the balcony overhang was reduced to free up column and improve acoustics. The new balcony made the space more acoustically transparent with a woven stainless steel mesh front rail. The existing vaulted ceiling was replaced by a coffered ceiling to better the Hall's acoustic capabilities.

Queuing before entering the Concert Hall - When the 3-column queue on both sides entered the Hall was only half-full. Ushers were disciplined to retain queue order and ran after queue breakers. Good job!

  

Although replaced with brand new seats, the chairs were still the hard-backed type with the same nostalgic feel from the old Concert Hall...

On both sides of the staircases at the Concert Hall the busts of two famous men stand high:

• Sir Cecil Clementi Smith, Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Straits Settlements from 1887 to 1893, and an accomplished scholar of Chinese culture who played a major role in containing the secret societies. Clementi New Town (See "Clementi - A Step Back In Time") was named after him...

• Sir Andrew Clarke, the second Governor of the Straits Settlements, known for signing the famous Pangkor Treaty in 1874, which established British indirect rule over the Malayan States. He had also successfully enforced a check on the abuse of coolies with the support of the Chinese and European merchants. Clarke Quay was named after him...

 Nothing much seemed to have change in the Concert Hall with the same panelled pipe organ, exposed ceiling lights and microphones hanging from the ceiling...

The view of the seats - Stall & Circle...

The classy side entrance with its marble-top bar counter...

The original raised platform to the back entrance with stairs at each corner that had resulted in inconvenience for many a concert-goer with long flowing dresses or high heels was still here...

The spacious and classy balcony well-lit with natural daylight. 
The spiral staircase...


A clear view of the cityscape from the Concert Hall...

Capturing the nostalgia with a selfie!

|   "Victoria Theatre & Concert Hall - Majulah Singapura"   |

  

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Victoria Theatre & Concert Hall - Majulah Singapura

Empress Place
South, Singapore
July 2014

After a four-year refurbishment costing $158 million, the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall opened its doors again. Singapore's oldest performing arts venue, the original architecture of the 152-year-old Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall was largely preserved.

First established as two separate buildings - a town hall and a memorial hall to honour Queen Victoria, the buildings are linked by a 54-metre high clock tower. Gazetted as a National Monument in 1992, the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall witnessed many significant moments in Singapore's history.

• During World War II, the Concert Hall (then known as the Memorial Hall) served as a makeshift hospital, and was also the venue for war crime trials in 1937.
     
• In November 1954, the People's Action Party's inaugural meeting took place in the Memorial Hall.
    
• In the mid-1950s, Singapore's national anthem was originally composed to celebrate the reopening of Victoria Theatre after its earlier refurbishment.
     

The central passageway between Victoria Concert Hall and Victoria Theatre which existed since 1905 was reinstated with the restoration of the Central Atrium. Located on the first storey and at the entrance of the thereat and concert hall, it presents two varied designs reflecting the new and the old - The Victoria Concert Hall with its ornate archways and rusticated columns contrast with the Victoria Theatre's new precast panels which are relief-etched.

Where a lift and a dark airwell used to bridge the space between the Concert Hall and the Theatre, the space now opens into a bright and sunny glass-ceiling courtyard. This was the original design between the renovation of the building in the 1950s...

    

The original marbled stairs leading upwards to the concert hall and theatre were preserved. 

A coat of non-slip floor coating had been applied...

These were new staircases lining both sides of the Central Atrium. Although stretching only one floor, they were at least 1.5 times the length of your regular HDB staircase...

Porous granite stone slabs were used to line the surfaces of the walls to create a more neo-classical feel, with the ornate wall carvings and motifs...

To add a touch of modernism, the original lamps were replaced with metallic light fixtures and automated glass doors. Where traditionalism was required, yet similar mosaic tiles were no longer produced, floor laminates were used...

The cafe where many had a fond memory of snacks at the intermission of SSO performances...

The bronze plaque outside the old cafe - "to the memory of those who were killed during the mutiny in Singapore in February 1915"...

Opposite the "1915" plaque lies the all-famous foundation stone laid by Sir Frank Athelstan Swettenham, Governor of the Straits Settlements on 09 August 1902...

(Now you understand why our National Day falls on that day)

In 1947, the Straits Settlements coat of arms that was hung on the tympanum of both wings of the building was replaced by the newly formed coat of arms of the Crown Colony of Singapore. It was later brought down in 1959 to make a plaster cast of the Coat of Arms of Singapore, which was topped of with two flagpoles with the Flag of Singapore on it.

|   "Victoria Concert Hall - Ever The Same"   |

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