11 July 2005 | 25 May 2005 | 14 July 2004 | 22 January 2003
First time Singapore is hosting international conference for wind bands
Singapore, 25 May 2005 - It will be a wonderful week of music from 10 - 16 July 2005 as some 2,000 members of the best wind bands and ensembles gather in Singapore for the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE) International Conference.
It is the first time the event is being held in South East Asia, and a first for Singapore as host of an international conference for wind bands. The 12th WASBE International Conference will be held at Esplanade, Theatres on the Bay and Suntec Singapore from 10 - 16 July 2005. It will bring together wind band conductors, composers, performers, publishers, teachers, instrument makers and wind music enthusiasts for a week of interaction. They will be learning and sharing their experiences through a series of lectures, plenary sessions, workshops, master classes and listening sessions where composers will showcase new works.
Organising this historic event is the WASBE Singapore Chapter and the National Institute of Education (NIE) with the support of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and National Arts Council (NAC), Lee Foundation, Hong Leong Foundation, a.r.t.s fund and the National Youth Council.
The theme of this year's conference is "A Confluence of Arts", to show the harmonious interaction of diverse cultures, not just in Singapore but also all participating countries through the common medium of wind bands and ensembles.
Dr Lee Tian Tee, President of WASBE Singapore, said: "We have put together a programme where delegates will experience musical and cultural practices of various traditions. This will be a rare opportunity for those interested to interact, via direct engagement, with musicians from diverse backgrounds."
It will also be a full week of treats for lovers of music as 14 world-class wind bands perform at the Esplanade Concert Hall. Hailing from 10 countries in Europe, North America and Asia, among them are the world-renowned Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra, which performed two sold-out concerts in Singapore in 2002, and the Boston Brass, famous for bridging the gap between classical formality and mass appeal. An inspiring rendition can also be expected from the International Youth Wind Orchestra, an ensemble of about 50 outstanding young musicians, aged 18 to 25, who have auditioned successfully to participate in this biennial conference programme.
Sharing the opening day spotlight will be the Singapore Chinese Orchestra and the recently formed Singapore Youth Wind Orchestra, comprising the best youth wind players in Singapore. The full list of philharmonic, military and symphonic bands is in Appendix 1.
Besides the conference, there will also be an exhibition of music services and products. Exhibitors include instrument coordinators, music distributors and overseas music institutions from around the world. Free talks, workshops and autograph sessions with composers will take place during the exhibition, which will be co-located with the 17th PALA presentation from 14 - 16 July at Suntec Singapore. PALA is the biggest exhibition in Southeast Asia of professional audio, lighting, AV, music, broadcast and projection equipment.
To bring the appreciation of wind music to the Singapore heartlands, WASBE Singapore is laying on another first: an Outreach programme with 23 bands - 13 foreign and 10 local - performing in various parts of the island. Venues include Singapore Botanic Gardens, Bukit Batok Community Club Amphitheatre, Nee Soon East Community Club, Republic Polytechnic, Tampines East Festival Park, Bukit Panjang Plaza and HarbourFront Centre.
Most of the bands in the Outreach programme comprise students from primary school to college level. The foreign bands hail from Hong Kong (seven), Taiwan (four) and one each from China and Israel. The Singapore bands are from secondary schools, junior colleges and polytechnic as well as the Singapore Armed Forces.
Coordinating four different, simultaneous events is no simple task. Speaking for his committee of volunteers, most of whom hold full-time jobs, Dr Lee said: "Despite short lead time, with the help of the STB, Singapore won the bid in December 2000 to host the 12th WASBE Conference. The Singapore Chapter of WASBE was founded in 2001 under the patronage of then Minster for Education Mr Teo Chee Hean. Our current Patron, Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, continues to show avid support for the Chapter's quest to promote symphonic bands and ensembles as a serious and distinctive medium of musical expression and cultural heritage in Singapore and Southeast Asia. It is such support that spurs us to do our best."
Concert tickets are now on sale through SISTIC (www.sistic.com.sg). Student concession tickets and bulk orders are also available at a reduced rate.
For more information on the conference, concerts, exhibition and Outreach programme, please visit the website, www.wasbe2005.com or email: Sing.Moh.Li@wasbe.org.sg
For further media information, please contact:
Ms Melanie Lee
Email: melanie.lee@wasbe.org.sg
Mobile number: (65) 9749-6469
WASBE is the only non-profit international organisation for wind band conductors, composers, performers, publishers, instrument makers and friends of wind music. It is dedicated to enhancing the quality of wind ensemble playing around the world and encouraging members to explore new and different repertoire from a variety of musical cultures. WASBE membership is open to all individuals, institutions and industries interested in symphonic wind bands and wind ensembles as serious and distinctive mediums of musical expression and cultural heritage. WASBE has a membership of over 1,000 individuals and organisations in more than 50 countries throughout the world.
The 14 bands performing are:
- International Youth Wind Orchestra
From USA and Canada
- The Boston Brass (USA) *
- University of Florida Wind Symphony (USA)
- Pacific Symphonic Wind Ensemble (Canada)
From Europe
- Stadtharmonie Zurich Oerlikon-Seebach (Switzerland)
- JungeBlaser Philharmonie Von Nordrhein-Westfalen
(North Rhine - Westphalia Youth band) (Germany) - Frysk Fanfare Orchestra & JungeBlaser Philharmonie (The Netherlands) *
From Asia
- Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra (Japan)
- Hong Kong Wind Philharmonia (Hong Kong)
- Chinese Youth Corps Wind Orchestra (Taiwan)
- Senzoku Gakuen College of Music Wind Ensemble (Japan)
- Singapore Armed Forces Band (Singapore)
- West Winds, Band of the Bukit Batok Community Club (Singapore)
- Singapore Youth Wind Orchestra & Singapore Chinese Orchestra (Singapore)
- Republic of Korea Navy Symphonic Band (Korea)
* The Frysk Fanfare Orchestra (The Netherlands) and Boston Brass (USA) will be performing in the same concert.