By Andrea Ng (22S06B) and Mandy Wong (22S03C)

Imagine this: you are standing in a vast field, cool air rippling through your hair. Ahead of you are towering mountains that seem to go on and on, their contours highlighted by faint sunlight. The wind picks up speed gradually, accompanied by the rustle of grass stalks as they collide against one another, leaving you with an unparalleled feeling of freedom and excitement.

While we are unable to head to such scenic places right now, we can certainly picture them in our minds with the help of music—and RJCO helps us do just that. On 29 April, Chinese Orchestra headed down to SCO Concert Hall for their SYF showcase, where they performed a piece on an online broadcast. The piece in question was 七彩之和 II.《黄·山之歌》(The Seven Colours of Harmony Movement II “Yellow · Song of the Mountains”). Inspired by the Korean diaspora in China, the piece reflects distinctive elements of traditional Korean music, notably through its free and unrestrained tunes. 

By Chung Thong En (22S06N) and Sophie Goh (22S07B)

In other years, it would have been a performance to a buzzing audience comprising classmates, teachers and journalists. On the 28th of April 2021, it was a much emptier, but no less daunting SOTA concert hall that Raffles Institution Guitar Ensemble (RJGE) faced for their biennial Singapore Youth Festival (SYF).