Singapore Symphony Orchestra plays its first concert

The idea of establishing a professional symphony orchestra in Singapore was envisaged by Goh Keng Swee during his term as deputy prime minister.^[1] Under his patronage, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) was inaugurated in 1979 with 41 musicians, performing its first in a series of three concerts at the Singapore Conference Hall on 24 January.^[2]

Under the leadership of music director and conductor Choo Hoey, the SSO built up a large performing repertoire, with a strong emphasis on 20th-century music.^[3] In 1980, the Singapore Symphony Chorus was established to perform symphonic choral music with the orchestra.^[4] From 1980 to 2002, the SSO made its home at Victoria Concert Hall.^[5]

The SSO toured regularly and established itself as one of Asia's leading orchestras.^[6] In 1994, the orchestra made its Paris debut by performing at the Salle Pleyel concert hall there. It received great praise for its performance, and also made French music history by being the first Southeast Asian orchestra to perform in Paris.^[7] In 1995, renowned Finnish conductor Okko Kamu was appointed principal guest conductor of the SSO.^[8]

China-born conductor Lan Shui was appointed as the SSO's second music director in 1997.^[9] The orchestra continued to tour extensively in Asia, Europe and North America, and signed a recording contract with Scandinavian label BIS.^[10] Its performances and recordings of music by contemporary Asian composers have garnered the orchestra a worldwide reputation for music that blends the musical styles of both the East and the West.^[11]

The SSO has a comprehensive outreach programme, regularly presenting its popular Familiar Favourites and open air concerts under the direction of assistant conductor Lim Yau.^[12] In October 2002, the SSO performed at the inaugural concert held at the concert hall of the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, which has become the orchestra's new performing home.^[13]

References
1. Of ‘barbarous music’ and the need to form a full-time orchestra. (1973, February 23). The Straits Times, p. 20; Happy birthday SSO! (1980, January 20). The Straits Times, p. 15. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
2. Moment of calm before the debut. (1979, January 26). The Straits Times, p. 15. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
3. An orchestra born without a tradition. (1994, October 8). The Straits Times, Life!, p. 2. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
4. Born to sing – non-stop for one-and-a-half hours. (1980, June 13). The Straits Times, Section 2, p. 3. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
5. Tan, S. L. (1980, October 2). First night at the new Vic. The Straits Times, p. 1; Sim, M. (2002, August 1). Bye Victoria, hello Esplanade. The Straits Times, Life! p. 3. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
6. Wong, R. (1994). Singapore symphony (pp. 16–17). Singapore: Landmark Books. Call no.: RSING 784.2095957 WON.
7. The SSO bowls over Paris. (1994, March 7). The Straits Times, Life! p. 2. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
8. Phan, M. Y. (1995, June 29). Finnish to be SSO’s first principal guest conductor. (1995, June 29). The Straits Times, Life! p. 7. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
9. Choi, L. (1997, December 1). Flamboyant Shui Lan whips SSO into shape. Sunday Times, Sunday Plus, p. 12. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
10. Hong, X. (2005, January 13). America, here we come. The Straits Times, Life! p. 4; Yap, S. (2007, December 6). Taking China by storm. The Straits Times, Life! p. 4; Wee, L. (1999, December 1). Take home the soldier, hear him fight with mice. (1999, December 1). The Straits Times, Life! p. 3. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
11. SSO’s Sound of Asia series is here to stay. (2000, September 7). The Straits Times, Life! p. 6; Tan, S. E. (2001, February 1). More fusion than rojak. (2001, February 1). The Straits Times, Life! p. 4; The Straits Times, Life!, 13 Jan 2005, p. 4. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
12. Hung, T. (1988, May 31). The night Mozart beat the fireworks. The Straits Times, Section Two, p. 23; Hung, T. (1991, February 6). Familiar and fun. The Straits Times, Life! p. 5; Wong, R. (1994). Singapore Symphony (p. 15). Singapore: Landmark Books. Call no.: RSING 784.2095957 WON.
13. Tan, S. E. (2002, October 14). Concert Hall stars in debut. The Straits Times, Life! p. 9; Tan, S. E. (2002, October 5). Big change for SSO at new home. (2002, October 5). The Straits Times, Life! p. 5. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.