By Cherie Khoo (26S03B) and Choo Zi Xuan (25S03E)

On the 30th of April, the air was hot and sticky, the sky above overcast. The high humidity, a nightmare for wooden instruments, was like an ominous warning. And yet, spirits remained cool—if Raffles Symphonic Band’s accomplished players felt any stress about the upcoming Singapore Youth Festival, it did not show on their faces. 

Silence filled the bus as it pulled away from the school, the reality of their final SYF performance starting to set in. Their conductor had ordered this quiet as a way to help them center themselves before the performance—no distractions, no chatter. Each band member found their own space, some tuning in to recordings of their pieces, others turning their attention to their scores. 

A short ride later, the bus arrived at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre. With a total of four bands scheduled to perform in the afternoon session, the building was buzzing with excitement, full of performers’ friends and family mingling in the atrium. We parted ways with RSB as they headed toward their designated reporting area, while we set off in search of seats in the auditorium. 

Finally, the doors opened for the last performance of the afternoon. some of our fellow Rafflesians streamed in, eager to support their classmates and juniors. 

At first, the set piece, Overture No. 2 for Wind Band by Kelly Tang, started off like a beautiful, magical Disney tune. However, it was so much more intricate: with a clever interplay of thematic motifs and rhythmic juxtapositions, Overture No. 2 painted a kaleidoscopic scene of music achieved by coherence amidst contrast.

The piece was over much too soon. A resounding final note played, its last vibrations lingering in the air. Moments later, polite applause ensued as the audience sat in eager anticipation of the band’s choice piece.

Phillip Sparke’s The Unknown Journey kicked off with a loud, jarring blast from the whole band, a stark contrast to the set piece. It transitioned rapidly between different moods—from suspenseful to cinematic, and then to a festive dance—before finally returning to its dissonant opening. Vaguely reminiscent of Ravel’s La Valse, which served as a source of inspiration for the composer, the piece was volatile, its perpetual motion driving the music in constantly changing directions.

For an apt finale, the piece ended as abruptly as it started—truly an unpredictable, unknown journey. Reflecting on the process of preparing for such a challenging piece, RSB’s student conductor, Renee Chong, revealed that the preparation had been extremely rushed, factoring in how their choice piece was significantly harder than that of most schools. Furthermore, the band had only reached full capacity by the end of February, and the Grade 6 level piece was a difficult standard jump for most of the band members. 

The applause and cheering after the performance truly matched the energy that RSB had poured into both their pieces. Clearly, their commitment and passion for music had resonated with the audience, yet behind this fifteen minute performance was almost three months of hard work. As Okkar Aung, the band major of RSB, aptly put it: “台上三分钟, 台下十年功”—ten years of practice for three minutes (or in their case, fifteen minutes) on the stage.

In the few months leading up to SYF, the band members had dedicated countless hours to practices and rehearsals, often having an average of four sessions per week. Some sections even went the extra mile, organising practices in their own time to fine-tune their sound. Additionally, the selection of a university level choice piece further challenged them, pushing each member far beyond their comfort zones.

However, the preparation was not the only challenge. Fighting stage fright was a common sentiment among the band members, with many, if not all, feeling the pressure of performing—every performance was a battle in itself. Okkar’s parting words to the band? “As musicians, the most important thing we can take away from this is training ourselves to be stronger mentally”, he noted.

After the short few months spent fervently rehearsing for SYF, it had finally come to an end. Reflecting on their journey thus far, both Okkar and Renee mentioned how, with this being their last SYF, there was a mix of emotions—gratitude towards their fellow band members, pride in their progress over such a short period of time, and a sense of bittersweetness as it all came to a close. Renee, in particular, shared:

Finally, the blood, sweat and tears they had put into learning, rehearsing, and perfecting their pieces had truly paid off. The band’s dedication to music was evident, with them bringing home the Certificate of Distinction in this year’s SYF. Congratulations to the Raffles Symphonic Band on this well-deserved accomplishment!

Interested in hearing more delightful performances from Raffles Symphonic Band? Check out their upcoming concert, A Tempo XXXII, which will be happening on the 31st of May, 7 p.m., at the Y14 Albert Hong Hall!