Hi everyone!
It has been exactly 27 days since our Da Capo XI: Spooky Soirée, and just when you thought you've gotten over your withdrawals, we're here to bring back your fondest memories!
For those of you who missed our show, do not despair as our resident videographer Poh Zi Yang has kindly shared these videos on our Youtube channel!
We don't mean to brag, but if you ask anyone who attended our concert on how they felt about the concert, we're quite confident that you're likely to hear positive reviews! For the first time in our concert series, we finally had the license to go crazy with our costumes and put on some intense make up for our big stage! Just look at our cute costumes!
Even our Associate Conductor, Mr Francis Tan, and our Emcee, Joshua Goh, dressed up for the occasion! We also want to give due credit to our PRODUCTION/PROPS TEAM led by our valued treasurer, Zu Xuan. They went the extra mile in helping to get our stage set up with hand-made props, and to publicise our concert. Most of them did not have prior experience constructing these sorts of craft, which makes their effort all the more admirable, heartfelt, and demanding of appreciation. Many thanks to Zu Xuan, Kai Ying, Linda, Jiaii Marcus, Jin Xing, Shermeen, Levis, Ryan, Zhi Jie, Phoebe, Tianyu, Claire, Liting, Christabel and Ezbon! Sorry if we've missed anyone :3
We like to think (and are actually pretty proud of the fact) that our band has a strong family culture or spirit. Outsiders can probably observe and tell from our supportive alumni who come back to support us even after they've long graduated from NUS.
You can't deny that everyone has different motivations for wanting to be in or maintain their connection to #teamnusws. Just as with any group or organisation, this is just the way the world works.
Some want to reminisce their old band days, some want to further their passion for music, some come for rehearsals to meet their friends, some want to make WS great again (like yours truly), and some probably aren't even sure why they want to or should come for rehearsals *squints* BUT regardless of the motivations you might have, what's truly important for us at the end of the day is that everyone actually enjoys the huge amount of time we spend together. Nobody should have to look back after a concert and say, 'hmm that was a waste of time.' And what's really special for us is that across the generations, we have all shared about 11 common experiences as NUSWS members:
If you think about it, these are things that we both enjoy and hate. They truly define our band experience, and while they may seem generic, one can't say that the experiences or cultures in other bands are entirely identical to ours. What defines our culture are the people (you guys) who make up the organisation, and the people who are elected to lead the band year after year. (On that note, do remember that our annual general elections will take place in February 2017!) Going back to the topic of culture, it is categorically stated here that band people are GENERALLY NICE PEOPLE, and it's probably why we tend to be so agreeable. We become masters of compromise and empathy, as it can be difficult to play good music with people you absolutely want flung off the face of the Earth. Yes we're generally quiet, but when you put a bunch of us together, we're like acoustic shells that bounce creative ideas off each other, and end up with a whole that's greater than the sum of its parts. We tap on this collective strength and voice to communicate our beautiful, imaginative and wild inner mindscapes, especially through the common language of music and (occasionally questionable) choral singing. Let's pause for a moment of introspection? Hmmm.......... Okay.
To put things into perspective, many of us would not have had this opportunity to perform on stage if it weren't for the rest of the members. To that effect, we realised that we ought to be more appreciative of one another. Band is a communal activity, and it doesn't work if we don't take care of each other. University (and life in general) can be quite fun, but it can also be a rather dark and difficult place to be in. So during the holidays, please try to have outings to catch up and bond more outside of band! Besides, a self-proclaimed wise man once said:
"A band that's united in heart and mind, carries the potential to play better music than a professional band fitted with total strangers" (Cheng, D. 2016).
This takes us back to the starting point - that we say that we have a strong family culture in NUSWS. Our worry is that one day our members may take this culture for granted, and not invest special effort to sustain it as we go from strength to strength. Given that this is our first concert of the Academic Year, we want to encourage everyone to make the effort to get to know one another better, especially across the sections. Doing this will sow the seeds of friendship, that is sure to grow into a very fulfilling NUSWS experience - just ask Lishan who's been in NUSWS since Year 1.
As Year 4 seniors who find themselves going to graduate and handover after InTempo 2016, we leave you with these thoughts as you enter reading week, the December holidays and Semester 2. Especially in light of the upcoming annual general elections next February, do take some time to reflect and think about the direction we're currently headed. Feel free to approach us or our Exco anytime if you want (note: we don't bite!) This band belongs to everyone after all! Here's a final big THANK YOU to everyone who participated in Da Capo XI: Spooky Soirée, including Prof Ho, Mr Tan, Moh Li, the Exco, Yuting (Stage Manager), Joshua (Emcee), our members, our alumni, our audience members, and everyone else who helped out! It has truly been an exhilarating experience, and we look forward to bringing everyone greater things next year! With lots of love, Dexter & Lishan President/Vice President Exco 16/17 We are very pleased to announce that we recently clinched third place and a respectable Silver award for the Singapore International Band Festival 1st Division competition. Under the baton of our conductor, Mr Francis Tan, the band performed Movements 2 and 3 from Three Portraits for Symphonic Band by local composer Kelly Tang, as well as selected excerpts from Sidus by Thomas Doss.
Unfazed by the fierce competition from local bands such as Ngee Ann Polytechnic Concert Band and Republic Polytechnic Wind Symphony, as well as international bands from Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand, we prepared intensely for two months before finally performing in the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music concert hall before a panel of distinguished adjudicators. Our rendition of Sidus was found to be particularly impressive and commendable, earning praises from both professional and amateur audiences alike. We also received a special mention from composer Kelly Tang for a splendid performance of his composition. We would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to our conductors and tutors for their boundless patience and dedication, to CFA for its continuous support, and to everyone else who has contributed to our achievement. We hope to build upon this success and continue to soar towards even greater heights by participating in a festival and competition overseas next year to celebrate our 49th year of founding. Hi everyone! InTempo 2016 has just concluded! Our journey was fraught with challenges but I'm sure we can all agree that our performance last Sunday was nonetheless fulfilling. Before we take a look at what went on behind the scenes, we would like to acknowledge these people without whom our journey to the stars would not have been possible: Our conductors Prof. Ho and Mr Francis Tan, whose patience and dedication inspired us. NUS Centre for the Arts for their guidance, and our sponsor, Katong Flower Shop (Pte) Ltd, whose generosity helped to make this concert possible. Not forgetting, TeamNUSWS and our guest players for their dedication and passion. Now for some photos of that memorable day! (Photos by Ng Zhen Ning) Variations on Twinkle, Twinkle Little Stars as “stars” light up the stage. Our conductors: student conductor Wen Quan, Prof. Ho, Mr Tan (L-R) Thank you Katong Flower Shop (Pte) Ltd for the beautiful bouquets and continued support! Our 88-man strong band for the InTempo concert. And of course not forgetting our audience who attended the InTempo concert. We sincerely thank you for supporting us and hope you enjoyed the performance. InTempo 2016 has come to an end but the fun certainly hasn't! Our welfare officer organized a post-concert celebration last Thursday evening. We ordered Domino's Pizza and KFC to reward everyone for their dedication and passion. Sounds yummy? Let us now take a look at some interesting photos of the day. (Photos by Muhammad Hafiz Rahman) Everyone loves pizza. Check out our limited edition T-shirt! Joy on everyone’s faces.
It was a great celebration in which everyone spent quality time with each another. What could be better than spending time bonding with good friends over good food? To our beloved members, we hope you enjoyed the celebration as much as we did. After the excitement of InTempo, what’s up for the next few months? We will be hosting the annual TRIO camp later this year together with NUS Jazz Band and NUS Symphony Orchestra for our incoming freshies! Do look out for our next concert, Da Capo XI too! Till next time, Christabel |
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