6 Sep 2025
Sat, 11am & 2pm
Esplanade Concert Hall
Young Spacefarer’s Guide to the Orchestra
Programme
Singapore Symphony Orchestra
Lien Boon Hua conductor and music consultant
Terrance Tan director and scriptwriter
Tan Rui Shan actor (Luna)
Liew Ai Wen actor (Helena/Sola)
Zulfiqar Izzudin Bin Zainudin actor (Dad/Terra)
Petrina Dawn Tan set and prop designer
Shawne Kho Yzelman assistant set and prop designer
Tan Jia Hui costume designer
Tan Yi Kai lighting designer
What We’re Playing Today!
Mass Rapid City Sulwyn Lok
Introduction and Waltz No. 1 from Music of the Spheres Strauss
Excerpts from Carnival Overture Dvoˇrák
Excerpts from Serenade for Strings Tchaikovsky
The Imperial March from Star Wars Suite Williams
Excerpts from Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun Debussy
Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Britten
Duration: approximately 1 hour (no intermission)
Post-show Meet-and-Greet
Come meet Luna, Sola and Terra at the foyer after the concert!
Post-concert survey (for audiences attending the 11am show)
Hello! Singapore Symphony Orchestra
We’re the Singapore Symphony Orchestra – you can call us the SSO! An orchestra is made up of many musicians playing different instruments like violins, cellos, flutes, trumpets, horns and percussion – all together. Did you know that the word “symphony” means “sounding together”? That’s what the SSO does, playing music by great composers such as Mozart and Beethoven. We usually play in a concert hall, like the beautiful Victoria Concert Hall, our home. Our big concerts are held at the Esplanade Concert Hall which can seat 1,800 people. We want to show everyone how enjoyable classical music is, so sometimes we have concerts near your home, or at the Singapore Botanic Gardens – you can enjoy fresh air and nature while listening to beautiful music!
LIEN BOON HUA conductor and music consultant
Hi kids, I’m Boon Hua!
I’m a conductor from Singapore — I wave my arms so musicians know when and how to play together! When I was about your age, I got my start in music playing in school bands and the Singapore National Youth Orchestra, and I fell in love with the amazing sound of an orchestra. Now I lead concerts with wonderful orchestras all over the world, including our very own Singapore Symphony Orchestra and the Singapore Chinese Orchestra! I especially love working with new composers from this part of the world and helping their music come alive on stage. Each concert is an adventure — full of colourful sounds, surprises, and fun. So come join me — classical music has so many secrets waiting for you to discover!
TERRANCE TAN
director and scriptwriter
Hello, I’m Terrance!
I’m a theatre director - that’s someone who tells people what to do on stage to tell a story! I learnt to do that at Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT) as a Directing resident. I directed many fun shows: Fatimah and Her Magic Socks (Esplanade), Pink Fong Baby Shark, and The Monster in the Mirror (Gateway Arts). The last one was really silly and funny, but also a really important show about mental health. I hope you enjoy the show!
TAN RUI SHAN as Luna actor
Hi everyone, I’m Rui Shan! I’m an actress and choreographer—that means I love pretending to be all kinds of people and moving in fun, wiggly ways! You might’ve seen me in shows like The Dragon’s Dentist and Us (Esplanade’s PLAYtime!) or Oddsocks (Five Stones Theatre). I’m so excited you’re here with us today—because we’re about to go on a magical adventure filled with music, stories, and wonder!
LIEW AI WEN as Helena / Sola actor
Hello big ones and little ones!
I’m Ai Wen, and I will be sharing a story with you today! Did you know that I love to sing, dance and act? I love it so much that I decided to learn more about it at Lasalle College of the Arts. After graduating in 2022, I’ve been performing on many stages! You might have seen me in Esplanade PlayTime’s Fatimah and The Magic Socks, or SRT’s Mandarin production of Three Little Pigs, or The Theatre Practice’s A HA! — 8 Minutes of Light. I hope you have a wonderful, musical, funsical time with us here at Young Spacefarer’s Guide to the Orchestra!
ZULFIQAR IZZUDIN BIN ZAINUDIN as Dad / Terra actor
Hello everyone, my name is Zul!
Welcome to our concert! Apart from performing, I teach spin and pilates to keep adults fit and strong! I have been performing since I was a very young boy. I enrolled into actor workshops such as Young & Wild by Wild Rice. Some of my notable performances include a musical called “Monster in the Mirror” by Bitesize Theatre and a play called “I & You” by Gateway Theatre. I’m looking forward to meeting all you and let’s have some fun!
THE ORCHESTRA
Strings
FIRST VIOLIN
(Position vacant) Concertmaster, GK Goh Chair
David Coucheron Co-Principal Guest Concertmaster
Kevin Lin Co-Principal Guest Concertmaster
Kong Zhao Hui1 Associate Concertmaster
Chan Yoong-Han2 Assistant Principal
Cao Can*
Duan Yu Ling
Foo Say Ming
Jin Li
Kong Xianlong
Cindy Lee
Karen Tan
William Tan
Wei Zhe
Ye Lin*
Zhang Si Jing
Wilford Goh3
SECOND VIOLIN
Sayuri Kuru Associate Principal
Nikolai Koval*
Hai-Won Kwok
Renyu Martin Peh^
Margit Saur
Shao Tao Tao
Wu Man Yun*
Xu Jueyi*
Yin Shu Zhan*
Zhao Tian
Bobirjon Eshpulatov 3
Ikuko Takahashi3
Woodwinds
FLUTE
Jin Ta Principal, Stephen Riady Chair
Evgueni Brokmiller Associate Principal
Roberto Alvarez
Miao Shanshan
PICCOLO
Roberto Alvarez Assistant Principal
OBOE
Rachel Walker Principal
Simon Emes 3 Guest Principal
Pan Yun Associate Principal
Carolyn Hollier
Elaine Yeo
COR ANGLAIS
Elaine Yeo Associate Principal
VIOLA
Manchin Zhang Principal, Tan Jiew Cheng Chair
Guan Qi Associate Principal
Gu Bing Jie* Assistant Principal
Marietta Ku
Luo Biao
Julia Park
Shui Bing
Janice Tsai
Dandan Wang
Yang Shi Li
Patcharaphan Khumprakob 3
CELLO
Ng Pei-Sian Principal, The HEAD Foundation Chair
Yu Jing Associate Principal
Guo Hao Assistant Principal
Chan Wei Shing
Christopher Mui
Jamshid Saydikarimov
Song Woon Teng
Wang Yan
Wu Dai Dai
Zhao Yu Er
DOUBLE BASS
Yang Zheng Yi Acting Principal
Karen Yeo Assistant Principal
Po-Yu Fang
Victor Lee
Jacek Mirucki
Wang Xu
CLARINET
Ma Yue Principal
Li Xin Associate Principal
Liu Yoko
Tang Xiao Ping
BASS CLARINET
Tang Xiao Ping Assistant Principal
BASSOON
Guo Siping Principal
Liu Chang Associate Principal
Christoph Wichert
Zhao Ying Xue
CONTRABASSOON
Zhao Ying Xue Assistant Principal
Brass
HORN
Austin Larson Principal
Gao Jian Associate Principal
Jamie Hersch Associate Principal
Marc-Antoine Robillard Associate Principal
Bryan Chong^
Hoang Van Hoc
TRUMPET
Jon Paul Dante Principal
David Smith Associate Principal
Lau Wen Rong
Nuttakamon Supattranont
Percussion
TIMPANI
Christian Schiøler Principal
Mario Choo
PERCUSSION
Jonathan Fox Principal
Mark Suter Associate Principal
Mario Choo
Lim Meng Keh
Derek Koh3
Sng Yiang Shan3
Julia Tan3
TROMBONE
Allen Meek Principal
Damian Patti Associate Principal
Samuel Armstrong
BASS TROMBONE
Wang Wei Assistant Principal
TUBA
Tomoki Natsume Principal
HARP
Gulnara Mashurova Principal
Vanessa Jazzy 3
* With deep appreciation to the Rin Collection for their generous loan of string instruments.
^ Musician on annual contract
1 Kong Zhao Hui performs on a J.B. Guadagnini of Milan, c. 1750, donated by the National Arts Council, Singapore, with the support of Far East Organization and Lee Foundation.
2 Chan Yoong-Han performs on a David Tecchler, Fecit Roma An. D. 1700, courtesy of Mr G K Goh.
3 Guest Musician
Musicians listed alphabetically by family name rotate their seats on a per programme basis.
Jointhedotstoreveal yourspaceship,and drawyourselfinit!
My name is and my favourite instrument is the
5 Fun Facts about The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra
by Benjamin Britten
What’s an Orchestra?
An orchestra is like a big musical team that plays classical music together! It consists of four different instrument families – the strings, woodwinds, brasses and percussion. Want to know more? Check out our Orchestra Guide (grab your copy from the Main Foyer on level 1 or Circle 2 on level 3!) and discover the instruments that make up each instrument family!
Twisting the tune!
Britten had fun with Purcell’s theme –he changed the speed, added musical embellishments and even switched up the rhythm! Each version (called a variation) shows off a different instrument.
Meet the composer!
Benjamin Britten was a super talented musician from England! He played the piano, conducted orchestras, and wrote lots of music. He composed this exciting piece in 1945 when he was just 32 years old. Can you imagine writing music for a whole orchestra?
A Borrowed Melody?
Britten borrowed a catchy tune from another famous English composer named Henry Purcell. This tune comes from the music that he wrote for a play called Abdelazer. Listen closely at the beginning to hear the theme, then follow along as each instrument family takes a turn!
A Fantastic Finale!
Britten ends the piece with a fugue, where all the instruments each play the melody and they start to fit together like a puzzle! The brass section starts off with Purcell’s theme, and then other instruments join in. It all builds up to a big, exciting finish with everyone playing together!
by
Presented
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