SINGAPORE SEASON ARRIVES IN LONDON

14 February 2005

 

Singapore Season in London 2005

25 February – 5 April

 

Another facet of Singapore will be in the spotlight when the curtain rises on the Singapore Season in London later this month.  Through a rare, multi-faceted string of programmes profiling Singapore’s contemporary artistic and cultural achievements, the Singapore Season will increase awareness of Singapore as a hive of artistic and creative activity and global business city in the United Kingdom (UK).

 

2          Initiated and presented by the National Arts Council, Singapore, the country’s prominent arts companies and artists will participate in this inaugural presentation.  Director ONG Keng Sen and TheatreWorks opens the Season, followed by the Singapore Dance Theatre, the T’ang Quartet, a Singapore Season Film Week of popular films by top Singapore film makers, and the Singapore Chinese Orchestra with multi-disciplinary artist TAN Swie Hian.  Their presentations are supported by some of London’s major venues - The Barbican, Barbican Cinemas, Wigmore Hall, the Institute of Contemporary Arts and Sadler’s Wells.

 

3          A multi-agency effort, the Singapore Season in London also incorporates a Singapore Evening which is designed as a seamless multi-sensory experience of the arts, media, design, architecture, fashion and cuisine in Singapore; as well as a Singapore Conference which will feature a keynote speech by Senior Minister GOH Chok Tong and a panel discussion on the new positioning and role of Singapore in global business.  Other associated events also include the naming of the “Uniquely Singapore” Clipper and a showcase of our favourite local delights at the Singapore Food Festivals.

 

4          Singapore Season aims to position Singapore as a creative city, a global meeting place for ideas, creativity and innovation, thus making it one of the best business and lifestyle environments in Asia.  Senior Minister GOH Chok Tong is Patron of the Singapore Season.

 

5          Dr TAN Chin Nam, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA) and Chairman of the Singapore Season Steering Committee said, “Singapore and the United Kingdom have always enjoyed close and stable economic and political relations.  The Singapore Season presents several opportunities to both countries for cultural and business exchanges.  It is more than an arts platform.  It provides an opportunity to promote economic and business interests of Singapore and UK companies, promote cultural and business networking, and create new opportunities for Singapore-UK collaboration in the global economy.  Through this initiative, we hope to promote greater understanding and co-operation, and deepen cultural ties between both countries.”

 

6       Highlighting Singapore’s achievements in the arts, the Season presents another face of Singapore in a holistic manner. It underlines Singapore’s potential as a place of creativity, ideas, and enterprise and reflects the progress the city-state has made in becoming a distinctive global city for the arts.  The Singapore Season offers companies and sponsors the chance to be associated with this unique showcasing of Singapore for corporate networking purpose and beyond. Singapore’s unique identity through the dynamic infusion of contemporary outlook, high-tech environment, and deep rooted cultural traditions, will be richly reflected in the Season. Positioned as a prototype in cultural diplomacy, this integrated national marketing approach may be repeated in other key cities in countries with significant bilateral relationships with Singapore.

 

7          LEE Suan Hiang, Chief Executive Officer of the National Arts Council (NAC) and Chairman Organising Committee of the Singapore Season in London 2005 said, “Singapore's investment in the last decade to develop our artists, audience and arts facilities have borne fruit. Our artists are winning awards and making a mark on the world stage. The Singapore Season, one of many platforms created by the Council to showcase Singapore artists to the international audiences, presents another face of Singapore - a global city driven by imagination, creativity and innovation.”

 

8          In recent years, Singapore has made significant strides in gaining recognition for cultural development in the international arts marketplace. Major investment in the arts and education in Singapore over the last decade has led to an explosion of original creative talent across all genres, along with eager young audiences.  More than 5,000 performances a year are staged at home.  No longer just an importer of the arts, Singapore has been exporting its own cutting edge talent to major arts events and venues throughout the world.  The invitation, acceptance and hosting of  Singapore arts companies by London’s leading cultural institutions and venues affirms Singapore’s artistic potential and the accomplishment of Singapore artists in bridging the cultures of East and West, the contemporary and traditional.

 

9          The Singapore Season in London 2005 is presented in association with Institute of Contemporary Arts, Peacock Theatre - Sadler’s Wells in the West End, Wigmore Hall, Barbican Cinemas and Barbican Hall.    The organisations supporting the Season are:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MINISTRY OF INFORMATION, COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS

 

 

Annexes

Annex 1: Programme Calendar

Annex 2: Programme Synopsis

Annex 3: Quotes from Partners/Sponsors

 

 

 

For media enquiries, please contact:

 

KIM May

Corporate Communications Manager

National Arts Council, Singapore

DID: (65) 6837 9574     Mobile: (65) 9680 5469      Email: kim_may@nac.gov.sg

 

Annex 1

Singapore Season in London 2005

PROGRAMME CALENDAR

25 February – 5 April

 

Main Programmes

25 February - 12 March          TheatreWorks @ ICA

                                                Institute of Contemporary Arts

 

16-18 March                            Singapore Dance Theatre

                                                Peacock Theatre, Sadler’s Wells in the West End

 

16 March                                 Signing of MOU between National Arts Council, Singapore and Arts Council, England

 

23 March                                 T’ang Quartet

                                                Presented by The Arts Club (by invitation only)

 

26 March                                 T’ang Quartet

                                                Wigmore Hall

 

31 March - 5 April                    Singapore Season Film Week

                                                Barbican Cinema 2

 

31 March                                 Talk by Maestro YEH Tsung

                                                Calligraphy Demonstration by TAN Swie Hian

                                                Singapore High Commission, London

                                                Presented by Asia House (by invitation only)

 

1 April                                      Singapore Chinese Orchestra

                                                Barbican Hall

* The orchestra will go on to perform at the Gateshead Arts Centre on 3 April.  Prior to their Barbican Concert Hall debut, the orchestra is also performing at the Budapest Spring Festival.

 

Associated Events

14-20 March                            Singapore Food Festivals

                                                Swissotel The Howard & Covent Garden West Piazza

 

15 March                                 Singapore Conference

                                                Millennium Hotel, London Mayfair (by invitation only)

 

15 March                                 Singapore Evening – The Edge

                                                The Old Truman Brewery

 

16 March                                 Naming of ‘Uniquely Singapore’ Yacht

                                                St Katharine’s Docks

 

 

 

Season website: www.singaporeseason.com

Annex 2

 

Singapore Season in London 2005

PROGRAMME SYNOPSIS

 

 

MAIN PROGRAMMES

 

TheatreWorks @ ICA

Institute of Contemporary Arts

INSOMNIA Season: Transcending jetlag from Phnom Penh. Bangkok. Jakarta. Singapore

Curated by Ong Keng Sen

25 February - 12 March 2005

Various Times

Opening night Guest of Honour:

LIU Thai Ker, Chairman, National Arts Council, Singapore

 

Often controversial, and definitely one of Singapore’s most strident voices across traditions and cultures, ONG Keng Sen is theatre director, festival curator and cultural communicator. Committed to the development of a new Asian identity for the 21st century through intercultural collaborations with other Asian artists and through talks and projects staged throughout Asia, the US and Europe, Keng Sen will embark on his first major London season at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) (following on from the ICA’s previous seasons of arts in Beijing and Taipei).  He will devise Insomnia, a programme of films, installations, video, music, talks, performances and clubnights, presented by artists and arts collectives largely from Singapore and Southeast Asia and across many disciplines.

 

Other highlights also include The Continuum – Beyond the Killing Fields (25-27 February) and The Global Soul – the Buddha Project (10-12 March), both presented by Keng Sen’s acclaimed TheatreWorks.  The Continuum, a documentary performance based on Pol Pot’s massacre of the royal court dancers of Cambodia, is performed with shadow puppets, music, dance, Khmer language and English.  The Global Soul is a meditation about travel—time travel, travels in our imagination, travels in our heart, travels to find the meaning of life, travel in our memory, normal travel for business, for leisure - and features a multi-national cast of dancers, musicians and performers. 

 

 

 

 

 

Singapore Dance Theatre

Peacock Theatre, Sadler’s Wells in the West End

16-18 March 2005

7:30pm

Guest of Honour: GOH Chok Tong, Senior Minister, Republic of Singapore

 

Programme Sponsor: Singapore International Foundation

 

Singapore Dance Theatre, the Republic’s national contemporary dance company founded in 1988 by GOH Soo Khim, will bring a triple bill programme of works by Asian and Australasian artists for its UK debut.

 

Birds of Paradise is an abstract work by the late GOH Choo San set to Alberto Ginastera’s Concerto for Harp and Orchestra and was originally created for The Washington Ballet in 1979.  Born in Singapore, Choo San developed his choreographic talent abroad – in the US and Europe – and, although he died young at the age of 39 in 1987, his ballets are still performed by companies throughout the world.

 

The Lost Space is a work created by the Indonesian choreographer Boi Sakti which contrasts and explores the problems of urbanisation and modernisation with a more rural traditional way of life.  The choreographic language of the work is inspired by traditional Minangkabau martial arts, or silat, movements. The works of Sumatran-born Boi Sakti have been staged by companies in more than 20 countries throughout Europe, the US, Asia and Australasia.

 

The final work on the triple bill is Maninyas by Australian choreographer Stanton Welch.  Originally created for San Francisco Ballet in 1996, it is set to Australian composer Ross Edward’s Maninyas – Concerto for Violin and Orchestra and is a series of pas de deux and pas de trois for 10 dancers.

 

 

 

T’ang Quartet

Wigmore Hall

26 March 2005

7:30pm

Guest of Honour:   Michael TEO, Singapore High Commissioner to the United Kingdom

 

The quartet will also perform at a private concert for The Arts Club on 23 March 2005, 7:00pm

 

The T’ang Quartet launched their professional career in 1999 and have achieved their goal of breaking new ground in Singapore by extending the pleasure and appreciation of classical music to a larger audience, as well as setting new standards of artistic achievement.  Having marketed themselves as a ‘boy band’ of the classics, they have established a huge fan base and opened up their music to young audiences.  Trained individually in London and Moscow and all former members of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, T’ang have already won many prestigious awards in the US, Europe and Asia.  They tour internationally and have a special affiliation with the Tanglewood Festival in America.  “T’ang” signifies the golden age of the arts in Asia - the T’ang Dynasty.  The name is also an acronym of the players’ last names: NG Yu Ying and ANG Chek Meng (violins), and brothers Lionel and Leslie TAN (viola and cello respectively).

 

Their UK debut concert will feature a range of classical and contemporary work by composers Erwin Schulhoff, Bright Sheng and Shostakovich.

 

1) Erwin Schulhoff - Quartet No. 1 (1924)

2) Bright Sheng - Quartet No. 3 (1993)

3) Dmitri Shostakovich - String Quartet No. 9 E flat major Opus 117 (1964)

 

Total: 70 minutes

 

 

 

Singapore Season Film Week

Barbican Cinema 2

Curated by Lena St George-Sweet MBE, British Council

31 March - 5 April 2005

Various Times

Opening night Guest of Honour:

Dr BALAJI Sadasivan, Senior Minister Of State, Ministry Of Information, Communications And The Arts, & Ministry Of Health, Republic of Singapore

 

Programme Sponsor: Singapore Film Commission

 

Singapore Season Film Week will be a showcase of diverse award-winning works by Singaporean film-makers.  These include I Not Stupid by Jack NEO as the opening film, 12 Storeys by Eric KHOO, Forever Fever by Glen GOEI and Eating Air by Kelvin TONG and Jasmine NG.

 

 

Programme

 

 

4.30 pm

7.30 pm

31 March (Thu)

-

I Not Stupid by Jack Neo (opening film)

 

 

 

1 April (Fri)

-

12 Storeys by Eric Khoo

 

 

 

2 April (Sat)

Homerun by Jack Neo

Forever Fever by Glen Goei

 

 

 

3 April (Sun)

Chicken Rice War by CheeK

Eating Air by Kelvin Tong and Jasmine Ng

 

 

 

 

4 April (Mon)

-

Mee Pok Man by Eric Khoo

 

 

 

5 April (Tue)

-

Rice Rhapsody by Kenneth Bi

 

 

 

Singapore Chinese Orchestra

Barbican Hall

1 April 2005

7:30pm

Guest of Honour:   Dr BALAJI Sadasivan, Senior Minister Of State, Ministry Of Information, Communications And The Arts, & Ministry Of Health, Republic of Singapore

 

Maestro Tsung YEH will give a talk and TAN Swie Hian will do a calligraphy demonstration at Singapore High Commission, London, 31 March, 6:30-7:30pm.  Presented by Asia House.  By invitation only.

 

The Singapore Chinese Orchestra is Singapore’s only national Chinese orchestra and, under the baton of its music director Tsung YEH, aspires to bring contemporary orchestral Chinese music to ever-widening audiences.  Playing on traditional Chinese instruments they will perform European premiere of a specially commissioned work by Michael NYMAN and a multi-media concerto devised by, and performed with, TAN Swie Hian.  Swie Hian is a philosopher and artist whose range of work includes painting, sculpture, calligraphy, printmaking, poetry and writing.  As his pen sways to live music, he rhythmically trails arabesques of black ink into slowly recognisable forms to the patter of the pipas and shrills of the sheng.

 

 

Barbican Hall Programme

 

1)合奏 Orchestra (with cuts)  (15 minutes)

《后土》Hou Tu  -   唐建平 TANG Jian Ping

 

2)二胡与乐队 Erhu and Orchestra   (10 minutes)

《卧虎藏龙》选段   Selection from “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”  - 谭盾  TAN Dun

            - 卧虎藏龙Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Bar 1-6)

            - 永恒誓言 Eternal Vow (Bar 1-44)

            - 丝路奇遇 Silk Road: Encounters

            - 永别     Farewell (Bar 45-end)

 

二胡独奏 Erhu Solo：许文静 XU Wen Jing

 

 

(Comments by Michael NYMAN & Tsung YEH before the commencement of Melody Waves - Concerto for Orchestra)

 

3)合奏 Orchestra  (20 minutes)

《Melody Waves》Melody Waves  -  (Commission) Michael NYMAN

 

 

~~~ 休息 Intermission ~~~

 

4) 笛子与乐队 Dizi and Orchestra  (25 minutes 3sec)

《神曲》Divine Melody  -  瞿小松 QU Xiao Song

独奏 Soloist ：尹志阳 YIN Zhi Yang

(TAN Swie Hian’s painting process of “The Celestial Web” will be projected stroke by stroke on screen throughout the piece)

 

5)书法协奏曲 Calligraphy Concerto (with cuts)  (13 minutes)

《沁园春》- 壶口黄河 The Yellow River at Hukou - In the Metre of Qin Yuan Chun

罗永晖作曲、陈瑞献词   Composed by LAW Wing Fai, Poetry by TAN Swie Hian
书法挥毫 Calligraphy ： 陈瑞献TAN Swie Hian

(‘Live’ onscreen video display of Mr Tan’s calligraphy)

 

 

The orchestra will also perform at the Gateshead Arts Centre on 3 April.  Prior to their Barbican Concert Hall debut, they will perform at the Budapest Spring Festival.

 

 

 

 

 

 

ASSOCIATED EVENTS

 

Singapore Food Festivals

14 - 19 March Swissotel The Howard

19 - 20 March Covent Garden West Piazza

Various Times

 

Naming of the “Uniquely Singapore” yacht

16 March St Katharine's Dock

3pm

 

It is a well known fact that Singaporeans have a passion for all things culinary.  With our unique heritage and location at the crossroads of the great East-West trade routes, it is no wonder that our cosmopolitan city boasts a fascinating and exciting range of authentic local cuisines, which evolved through the years from recipes handed down from generations of migrant settlers.  Everyone who visits the island state cannot help but be exposed to the exotic aromas and mouth-watering tastes of favourites like char-grilled Satay, Hainanese Chicken Rice, Curry Laksa, Popiah and Chilli Crabs, and now Singapore is taking its culinary fare to the rest of the world.

 

 

 

From 14 to 19 March, Swissôtel The Howard will present the Singapore Food Festival.  Chef Chang will specially prepare a variety of mouth-watering dishes from Singapore’s unique culinary heritage.

 

From 19th to 20th March visitors to London’s Covent Garden will be able to appreciate the delights of Singapore cuisine at the Singapore Flavours Festival.   Part of the Singapore Season, Singapore Flavours will be a unique opportunity for visitors to Covent Garden to embark on a gastronomical journey of the Lion City’s famous “street food” as a variety of hawkers whip up mouth-watering delights. A variety of Singaporean local fare will be available to members of the public from 12pm to 8.00pm over the two-day period.

 

Also moored at St Katharine’s Docks will be ‘Uniquely Singapore’, the yacht which will represent Singapore in the Clipper 05-06 Round the World Yacht Race.  On 16th March, one of the highly-anticipated events of the Singapore Season, ‘Uniquely Singapore’ will be officially named by Singapore’s Senior Minister Mr. Goh Chok Tong and will proudly take its maiden voyage on the River Thames. This state of the art, 68 foot yacht will be docked in St Katharine’s Dock in all its glory, supporting the Singapore Season.

 

A cultural and culinary experience, the Singapore Food Festivals at Swissotel the Howard and Covent Garden, and ‘Uniquely Singapore’s’ presence will together showcase to the rest of the world the sophisticated blend of the modern world and rich cultures that is Uniquely Singapore.

 

The Singapore Food Festival is presented by Raffles International Hotels & Resorts.  Singapore Flavours Festival and the naming of the ‘Uniquely Singapore’ yacht is presented by the Singapore Tourism Board.

 

 

 

Singapore Conference

Millennium Hotel, London Mayfair

15 March 2005

9:00am – 1:00pm

 

Co-organisers: Singapore Economic Development Board, International Enterprise Singapore, Monetary Authority of Singapore and Ministry of Information, Communications & the Arts, Republic of Singapore. 

 

The Singapore Conference is an exclusive gathering for captains of industry to meet and interact with keynote speaker – Mr GOH Chok Tong, Senior Minister, Republic of Singapore.  Participants will also have the opportunity to interact with a panel of prominent industrialists and government leaders to discuss Singapore’s new positioning and role in global business.

 

 

 

Mr HO Kwon Ping, Chairman, Mediacorp & Executive Chairman, Banyan Tree Resorts will be moderating the panel discussion.  Panellists include:

 

§         Dr LEE Boon Yang, Minister for Information, Communications & the Arts, Republic of Singapore;

§         Dr Vivian BALAKRISHNAN, Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth & Sports and Senior Minister of State for Trade & Industry, Republic of Singapore;

§         Sir Peter MIDDLETON, Former Chairman, Barclays Bank PLC; and

§         Mr SIM Wong Hoo, Chairman & CEO, Creative Technology.

 

Up to four other industry panellists from the United Kingdom and Singapore will be joining them.

 

The Conference is by invitation only.

 

 

 

Singapore Evening – SINGAPOREdge

The Old Truman Brewery

15 March 2005

7:00 -10:30pm

Guest of Honour: GOH Chok Tong, Senior Minister, Republic of Singapore

Dress code: Lounge Suit

 

Major Sponsor: BAE Systems

Associate Sponsor: Dairy Farm Singapore

 

The Singapore Evening will provide an insight into Singapore’s design and creative community. It is designed as a seamless multi-sensory experience: from the arts to architecture, product design to interior design, film to new media and cuisine to fashion.

 

Guests will include friends and partners of Singapore from the business, government and the creative fields.  Held at The Old Truman Brewery, located in London’s new creative hub, the Evening will present excellent networking and client servicing opportunities.

 

For sponsorship and table bookings, please contact Ms Lindy Chia at +65 6837 9579 or email lindy_chia@nac.gov.sg. A table for 10 is priced at SGD 7,000 or GBP 2,200.

 

The Evening is presented by DesignSingapore Council, National Arts Council, Singapore and Creative Industries Singapore as part of the Singapore Season (www.singaporeseason.com) in London.

 

For interviews with Singapore creatives involved in the Evening, please contact Elaine Khoo at elaine_khoo@mica.gov.sg.

Annex 3

 

Singapore Season in London 2005

 

PARTNER/SPONSOR QUOTES

 

 

British Council, Singapore

“The British Council is delighted to be supporting the Singapore Season in London.

We put an increasing emphasis in our work on building mutual understanding between the UK and Singapore, so it is important to us that people in the UK have an updated perception of Singapore as well as the converse. We are especially pleased to be joint sponsor of the piece commissioned from the UK composer Michael Nyman for the Singapore Chinese Orchestra as a way of bringing our two cultures together in music.”

 

- Les Dangerfield

Director, British Council, Singapore

 

 

International Enterprise Singapore

“IE is proud to be associated with the inaugural Singapore Season. The inaugural event promises to showcase the many facets of Singapore creativity and emotion - the same ingredients that inspire business excellence of firms venturing overseas.”

 

- Mr Lee Yi Shyan

Chief Executive Officer, International Enterprise Singapore

 

 

Singapore Economic Development Board

"The Singapore Economic Development Board is happy to support the Singapore Season in London as it will showcase Singapore as more than an excellent business location ....that we have a vibrant arts and cultural milieu with creativity and new ideas that make Singapore a great place to live and work.  This in turn will also enhance Singapore's attractiveness as hub for global business."

 

- Mr Ko Kheng Hwa

Managing Director, Singapore Economic Development Board

 

 

Singapore International Foundation

Programme Sponsor for Singapore Dance Theatre

 

“Singapore Season is an ideal cultural diplomacy platform for SIF to make friends for Singapore. It provides a good networking opportunity to foster closer ties between Singaporeans and the British community which we hope will materialise in collaborations on any front, be it political, economic, civic society or the arts. We will also take the opportunity to draw together Singaporeans living overseas to keep their links with Singapore alive.”

 

- Dr Tan Tay Keong

Executive Director, Singapore International Foundation

 

 

Singapore Tourism Board

"The STB is pleased to be a part of the Singapore Season, which we believe will be an effective platform to promote the unique experiences awaiting visitors in Singapore. We hope to engage our European visitors, especially those in the United Kingdom, through the range of arts and lifestyle events lined up."

 

- Mr Lim Neo Chian

Deputy Chairman & Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board