CCA Events

Arts, Commentary

Guitar Ensemble strikes a chord with Esperanza: The Light of Hope
Reading Time: 5 minutes

By Tan Su (15S07A), Amanda Chang (15A03A), Qiu Jia Hui (15S03B)
Photos by Yang Yang (15S06P), Amanda Chang (15A03A) of Raffles Photographic Society

As the curtains parted, “Esperanza” itself was quite literally seen from the strings of fairy lights that illuminated the entire stage, giving rise to an almost magical atmosphere. This theme represented the hope that Raffles Guitar Ensemble (RJGE) wished to bring to the audience with their music, and we can assuredly say that they achieved what they set out to do.

guitar1

The concert kicked off with the main ensemble performing a selection of lilting tunes such as “Summers Wind” and “Coup de Couer – Les Reves du Matin”. “Summers Wind” was an uplifting and pleasant piece, which occasionally inherited mysterious undertones at times, but edged the audience into a spirit of light-hearted nostalgia with pizzicato plucking in the main melody. “Coup de Couer – Les Reves du Matin”, on the other hand, was a piece that commenced deceptively cheerfully but took its audience on a rollercoaster of emotional highs and lows. Halfway through the performance, the peaceful tones smoothly transitioned into a wistful melody with a series of deep, resonant notes, as the ensemble employed a few pregnant pauses to allow a dark and melancholic mood to settle in. This heavy mood then swelled as rapid and slightly disconcerting riffs crescendoed until the ensemble eventually burst into an abruptly ecstatic melody. The overwhelming enthusiasm in the piece was quickly tempered, as the ensemble gently brought across the final cadences of the piece. This performance truly kept the audience on the edge of their seats, engaging the dynamics of music to accentuate its mystifying nature.

All pieces by the RJGE main ensemble, including two other pieces of Ai No Kurashi and Scherzino Mexicano, were conducted by Mr Michael Gaspar, a graduate of LaSalle College of the Arts with a Diploma in Music who has picked up numerous awards in his professional career as a guitarist such as the Grand Prix awards in the Singapore Guitar Festival.

guitar2

Following the Main Ensemble, the Junior Ensemble put on a wonderful performance, made all the more impressive by the fact that it was their first time on stage. According to Mr Gaspar, the confidence level of the Year 5 batch was remarkable, seeing that the time they had to learn the pieces was very limited. Classical guitar pieces including “Calypso” and “English Country Garden” allowed the audience to unwind with their spirit-lifting and cheerful tunes. Backed up by the Year 5 batch on guitar, the impressive rendition of OneRepublic’s “Counting Stars” also put vocalists Alina Sng, Alyssa Chua, Sarah Chooi and Jaron Chong in the limelight. They took turns to display their vocal prowess to the audience, and their solid harmonies certainly did not fail to enrapture and entertain, seeing that some members of the audience were bobbing their heads along to the catchy tune. However, it was unfortunate that their vocals, perhaps a tad too powerful, drowned out the ensemble’s accompaniment. The performance, though already outstanding, could have been improved with better sound balance.

guitar3

The concert could not have been complete without guest performers from the Raffles Girls Guitar Ensemble (RGGE). Decked in elegant, flowy gowns, the ensemble worked harmoniously, greeting the audience with lively tunes such as Howl’s Moving Castle Theme – “Promise of the World”, and “Tango” which got the audience’s feet tapping. It was clear from their fluid performance that they had had months of practice under their belt and were truly passionate about their music. Their enthusiasm truly rubbed off on the audience, who thoroughly enjoyed their pieces. A highlight of the RGGE’s time on stage was “Duet” performed by Lim Jiahui and Joelle Ocampo. The two had near-perfect coordination, fingers skipping over the frets deftly with only eye contact as communication between them. The connection between the two performers in their unspoken understanding, provided the audience brief glimpses of the chemistry that guitarists share. What was even more admirable and impressive was that the pair did not have, or rather need, to refer to score sheets. What a testament to their skill and the effort that they put into the performance!

The chemistry between performers was also demonstrated through smaller group items as performed by the different sections of the RJGE; sections took turns to charm the audience with themed, often colourful costumes, showing off their wide repertoire of songs. Examples included recent hit “Let Her Go” by Alto 1, while Prime section performed “Itsumo Nando Demo” from the movie “Spirited Away” by the widely acclaimed musical composer Joe Hisaishi. “Childhood Memories” by Alto 2 was a vivid performance featuring familiar tunes which ignited fervent chatter amongst audience members each time someone managed to identify a song. Incorporating melodies like the theme song of Doraemon allowed each member of audience to reconnect with his or her cherished childhood memories. “I Believe”, the theme song of hit Korean drama “My Sassy Girl” performed by Bass section, certainly enlivened some K-pop fans in the audience.

guitar4

Other performances included “Air On A G String” by the Executive Committee of RJGE and “One” by Yu Chen and Zong Tai. “Little Talks” by Anabelle, Wei Sheng, Alysia and Nicholas even ventured into other instruments such as conga drums, which infused a clear sense of rhythm. This definitely demonstrated the sheer versatility and talent present within the RJGE community. Watching the sections and groups perform individually also allowed the audience to engage themselves in the unique camaraderie that each performing group had developed over hours of practising together. While the pieces may not have been perfect, it was clear that the sections had given it their all. This was sufficient for those in the audience that day, and the overall atmosphere of the concert was in general a joyful one.

At 9.30pm, the curtain was brought down after a final item by the main ensemble: “Tanquillo de Cadiz”, a particularly rhythmic piece incorporating powerful strumming and strong bass tones to create a warm and lively mood- the perfect recipe for an impressive finale.

However, the concert wasn’t over just yet. As the emcees took the stage, the audience quickly caught on to the emcees’ hints at more to come, cheering the guitarists on with cries of ‘Encore!’ True enough, the guitar ensemble was ready with what was considered by most to be the highlight of the evening. After an introduction to the encore piece by Mr Gaspar and a brief prelude by the main ensemble, the rest of the ensemble drew laughter and applause when they entered decked out with ukuleles and brightly-coloured leis to line the front of the stage. The two teachers-in-charge, Mdm Low Chor Huang and Mr Winston Cheong were not spared the Hawaiian treatment either!

guitar5

With that, the ensemble began “Aloha Oe” (Farewell to Thee), a folk song by a Hawaiian princess that was adapted into English by Elvis Presley in the movie “Blue Hawaii”. “I liked how different styles of music were played on different instruments. It was a quirky but heartwarming ending,” said Xu Yanling of 15S03C. Truly, the mellow, cheerful chords of the ukulele complemented the main ensemble’s smooth harmonies, and light-hearted “Aloha!”s from the entire ensemble ended off the concert on a brilliant note.

CCA Events, Commentary, School Life

Going in Blind: Dine in the Dark 2014
Reading Time: 5 minutes

By Valerie Chee (15S07B), Michelle Zhu (15A01B), and Celine Liu (15A01E)

interact
Raffles Interact at Dine in the Dark 2014

Have you ever marvelled at how the occasional blind man or woman moved expertly through the motions of daily life with seeming ease? In all honesty, the problems faced by the visually handicapped are not usually on our minds on a regular basis. For the vast majority of us, it is a little hard to empathize with them when we are so used to taking the privilege of sight for granted, but we must remember that there exist members of our society who are consumed by a world of darkness- with difficulties and pains we may never experience.

In response to the common negligence of the visually handicapped community, Dine in the Dark 2014 sought to lend to the public a firsthand perspective on being blind, albeit for a small window of time, by challenging participants to consume an entire meal immersed in utter darkness.  As a member of the organizing team stated, the event was ‘to raise awareness for the Singapore Association for the Visually Handicapped (SAVH), because the visually handicapped is a part of society that is often neglected.’ And what better way is there to empathise with the blind than to immerse yourself in their world entirely?

Regrettably, the experiences had at lunch and dinner were inconsistent because of the windows that could not be covered up in the Evelyn Norris Hall– during lunch hours, sunlight leaked in through glass panels near the ceiling, making the dim lighting more of a strain on the eyes than an obstacle to vision. The organizing team later explained that it was quite a challenge to prepare the place because they could only look at the venue in morning, and had no time to patch it up in advance. Dinner on the other hand was touted by participants as a sui generis experience of eating in the darkness.

After the screening of a video that introduced us to the difficulties faced by the blind, the event began in earnest with a game that involved drawing a face and a house in the darkness. Being unaccustomed to the lack of vision, even the simplest things were a challenge. Passing pencils and paper around the table resulted in more fumbling than one would expect, and the cacophony of voices without the presence of visual cues was bewildering as we struggled to pick out the voice of our facilitator. Eventually, someone discovered that the key to this activity was not lifting the pencil from the paper, but not before the rest of us floundered our way through drawing disproportionate faces and misshapen houses. When our ‘masterpieces’ were returned to us at the end of the event, it was evident that any semblance of aesthetic ability we may possess had been severely hindered by the experience of visual impairment. In one sense, this became a source of hilarity, but from a more subdued perspective, the activity allowed us to acknowledge that the disability to perform even simple, everyday tasks is just one of the major difficulties faced by the visually handicapped.

strings
System of strings that were used by the servers to find their way

And with that, appetizer was served– potato salad that came in a handy little box. The servers delivered the food to participants using a simple system of tapping the shoulder of one individual at the table, and then requesting participants to pass on the dishes till everybody had their food. Later, we found that the servers were able to find their ways to each table by the use of strings suspended slightly above head level in a grid over the hall. Tags were strategically attached on the parts of the strings next to each table so that servers used their sense of touch to determine when they had reached their assigned tables.

For the participants, eating posed little significant challenge on its own, but as we quickly got accustomed to the feeling of only tasting- and not seeing- our food, the emcees introduced the bands who would be providing the background music for the meal. Much of the following two hours was filled with seamless transitions from ballad pieces to upbeat tracks, as members from Raffles Rock and various bands set the atmosphere for a relaxing and enjoyable dining experience, removing the tension from having to function in complete darkness. At the very least, it was a unique and novel experience of ‘watching’ live performances without actually seeing the performers. The rest of the meal went smoothly, as we were served with a main course of tomato-based pasta, followed by chocolate mousse dessert.

Needless to say, taking notes in the dark was no easy task. Besides having to come up with innovative ways of making sure my lines didn’t overlap, I caught the darkness lulling me in, making me forget what I’d committed to paper. By this point, we’d grown accustomed to the dark, many of us choosing simply to close our eyes in favour of the constant straining. The second game was a fairly easy one, with a variety of objects such as lemons and coins being passed around, teaching us to make use of our other senses instead of relying on sight alone.

blackness
The only type of photos that could be taken through most of the event

Having been in darkness for nearly two hours, there was a collective gasp as the lights came back on, the return to normalcy stinging painfully. Gradually, laughter and voices filled the hall as we reoriented ourselves to the light. For most participants, the event was a worthwhile one, with everyone interviewed saying that they would come for Dine in the Dark again. According to one participant, eating in the dark was “strange but fun”, although “not so much if you do that every day– [it] makes everything a lot messier and harder”. At the end of the day, while most participants enjoyed the unique experience that is Dine in the Dark, the takeaway from was certainly far more meaningful than just another night out with friends. As organizing team member Hannah Goh said, “We just hope that they are able to empathize more with the visually handicapped that they see around them, and be able to provide more help and support for these people.”

CCA Events, Commentary, School Life

Crossing – H2 Art Batch of 2013’s Last Hurrah
Reading Time: 5 minutes

By Joyce Er (15A01A)
Photos by Seet Yun Teng

crossing 1

Last Friday was a night for the arts. Despite sheeting rains, throngs of Rafflesians swarmed the amphitheatre in anticipation of The Poetry of Movement, while Raffles Photography Society’s Anamorphosis and Raffles Art Club’s Up had taken over the adjacent walkways. In a corner of Block A, a warm glow unfurled from the usually disused art exhibition space. This was Crossing, a joint showcase by the most recent batch of graduated art students encapsulating their progress at a point when they are about to embark on their respective university educations.

A significant turnout for the art alumni’s collaborative exhibition
A significant turnout for the art alumni’s collaborative exhibition

Although the space was only meant to open at 7.30pm, a steady stream of alumni and students from other schools began trickling in beginning from 6pm. Walking in, William Batara Jeremiah Samosir was seen animatedly talking to two J2 art students about his coursework boards: “That’s the good thing about art – you can never have something perfect.”

Seet Yun Teng articulated its significance thus, “For us, this showcase tracks our progress, letting us see where we are now. It’s a milestone in our lives, tracking how far we’ve come and where we’re going, which is very important especially for those of us who might not be going down an art path in future. For our batch, it’s like closure.” Of the ten students, four will be attending a fine arts education, including Yun Teng and William. Two others hope to study architecture.

Pursuing something as demanding as art demands a great deal of passion, which these alumni did not lack. Asked what her most valuable takeaway from JC art was, Yun Teng said, “What I like is that art here really opens the mind up and encourages experimentation and independent work, which you don’t really see in other schools […] Art here showed me that it is possible to do art beyond JC. There’s a perception that it’s not possible to study art at a higher level, but my time in art convinced me that this is really what I want to do for the rest of my life.” Yun Teng is currently interning at the National Arts Council.

William’s evocative installation was a heartfelt commentary on the feeling of displacement from being in a foreign country, and parental love.
William’s evocative installation was a heartfelt commentary on the feeling of displacement from being in a foreign country, and parental love.

Similarly, for William, art was clearly something both tied to the self and indispensable: “Art is a language in itself, you use it to express things language can’t really express. It’s like a religion and a philosophy […] a real and total reflection of your life and experience. And I think art is meant to be shared.”

A closeup of one of the hundred memories, printed on tissue paper, making up Seet Yun Teng’s coursework.
A closeup of one of the hundred memories, printed on tissue paper, making up Seet Yun Teng’s coursework.
Tan Yan Yong’s coursework, entitled Course, was a maze installation featuring quirky larger-than-life illustrations of the inhabitants of the gastrointestinal tract.
Tan Yan Yong’s coursework, entitled Course, was a maze installation featuring quirky larger-than-life illustrations of the inhabitants of the gastrointestinal tract.
Chia Yu Xuan’s installation drew on the properties of temples to create an immersive spiritual experience.
Chia Yu Xuan’s installation drew on the properties of temples to create an immersive spiritual experience.

Share it they did. The artworks on display at the exhibition that day spanned a wide range of materials, from oil on canvas to mixed media to illustration to video to installation, and grappled with various subject matters ranging from social identity to spirituality. Since a coursework concept is developed over the span of up to a year, many of these artworks were extremely personal, offering an insight into the artists’ worldviews and what they held dear to their hearts. Yun Teng’s work, An Open Call for Memories, was a ten-month process. She collected memories from over a hundred people in pictures and text which they either wished they remembered or wanted never to forget. The images were printed on tissue paper to symbolise fragility, mounted on the interior of a Styrofoam space, backlit with small lights and the anecdotes painstakingly handwritten in gaps in the Styrofoam. The resultant immersive installation was a cosy space suffused with warmth, allowing one to literally get a glimpse of the fragile, precious memories of all contributors. Said Yun Teng: “It’s a very personal work for me, but at the same time it’s very universal because it speaks to a wider audience.”

Eugene Tan’s Die-abetic Me photoseries
Eugene Tan’s Die-abetic Me photoseries

In addition to their coursework, each artist also displayed samples of work they have done since graduation, which were more experimental in nature. William featured Clouds ‘n’ Thoughts, a popular ongoing instagram-based project dedicated to illustrating pithy quotes that anyone can submit here. Another student, Ahmad Nazaruddin, submitted a glass and charcoal-on-paper work addressing the prickly subject of religion. Eugene Tan, whose trompe l’oeil triptych oil painting drew considerable interest from exhibition-goers, also submitted a photoseries exploring the sinister nature of seemingly innocuous candy, aptly titled Die-abetic Me. Having been liberated from the constraints of the A Level system, each of them evidently seized the chance to explore their interests and take more risks. When comparing each artist’s past courseworks to their present experiments, one can clearly see how their skills and conceptualisation abilities have progressed since their graduation, as well as their flexibility in dealing with a diverse range of topics of interest.

Four of ten exhibiting artists, and their teachers. Left to right: Ms Amanda Poh, Miss Julie Lee, Seet Yun Teng, Ahmad Nazaruddin, Tan Yan Yong, William Batara Jeremiah Samosir.
Four of ten exhibiting artists, and their teachers. Left to right: Ms Amanda Poh, Miss Julie Lee, Seet Yun Teng, Ahmad Nazaruddin, Tan Yan Yong, William Batara Jeremiah Samosir.

Mr Chia Wei Hou, their teacher and mentor throughout their H2Art journey, commented on the artworks exhibited, “Overall, their coursework was very high in standard, but the works that they do now are very organic – in a way they’re more engaged and open. There’s the sense that there is no longer a need to come up with a solution [to a question]… They’re full of potential, and I hope they can use their knowledge and make a difference in whatever they do and continue the passion. This exhibition is site and context-specific, so before we take it all down, I hope that as many people can see it as possible.” Yun Teng said, “Not everyone could make it, but I’m proud we put it together.”

Commentary, Sports

Striking Down All Obstacles: RI ‘A’ Div Bowlers Pocket Gold and Silver
Reading Time: 4 minutes

Written by Shikhar Gupta (15S06M) and Lorraine Fong (15A01C)

Photos by Isaac Siaw (15S03Q)

bowling0

Lift, breathe, swing, release. Strike.

The electric atmosphere at Orchid Bowl in Orchid Country Club was unmistakable for anything but the pride of the various supporters for their schools, and there was never a moment when the cheering stopped. With the 34th Council pouring on the support, the A-Division bowlers of Raffles Institution bowled their way to strong finishes.

Boys

Surprisingly, the boys were not always in command, as one would surmise looking at their performance on 29th April at Orchid Bowl. They had been trailing Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC) for the first two days of the tournament, but pushed hard to claim the lead on the third day. Following that they gave no quarter on the final day, and cruised to victory, claiming the overall school champions spot.

The Boys’ team takes home the overall schools’ championship title
The Boys’ team takes home the overall schools’ championship title

Speaking to Press, team captain Jevarn Li said “I’m really happy and proud. We lost to ACJC last year by one point, and I am proud that we managed to win it back by a larger margin.”

Both he and his teammates were clearly elated at their success. The team comprising Marcus Seah, Ian Siow, Ng Kai Xiang and Jevarn came in first for the Team event, Jevarn and Marcus came in 2nd runner’s up for the Doubles event, and Jevarn clinched the overall all events gold with a 29 pin lead.

bowling2

Girls

The girls also performed strongly, however they missed out on top spot for overall schools, losing narrowly to the ACJC girls. They had taken the lead on the first day, but after ACJC had wrested it back on the next, they were left playing catch-up.

Cheritta Low, captain of the RI female bowling squad reflected, “We trained very very hard this year, it seemed very promising, but luck wasn’t on our side. However, I am very proud of my team for persevering through trainings, and throughout the four days of the tournament and never giving up.”

bowling3
Team members Jamie, Rebecca, Clarie and Limin huddle together to encourage and spur each other on during the tournament

The team of Joey Yeo, Kristin Quah, Cheritta Low and Darolyn Tan came in first for the team event, but their performance was not enough to take the overall girls’ champions position. Also a national bowler, Joey Yeo performed spectacularly. She and Jamie Lim came in first and first runner’s up for the Singles event, respectively.

In the Doubles event, the pairs of Joey and Kristin, placed first, while Darolyn and Cheritta came in second. Not only did Joey win the high game award for two separate events, scoring pinfalls of 248 and 247 during the Singles and Team event, she also clinched the overall girls gold with a 326 pin lead in what was a seemingly effortless performance.

From left to right: Darolyn, Cheritta, Joey and Kristin proudly accept their gold trophies for the team event
From left to right: Darolyn, Cheritta, Joey and Kristin proudly accept their gold trophies for the team event

Clearly the star of the show, Joey Yeo felt satisfied with her performance, and thanked the team for their never ending support, camaraderie, and perseverance. The bowling teacher-in-charge, Mr Lee Chee Keong was also happy with both the boys’ and girls’ performances. When asked to sum up his feelings about the tournament, his reply was simply “Good job.”

When asked about the future of RI Bowling, Cheritta was pensive. “Seeing a lot of our juniors train for the past half a year or so, I’ve seen them improve a lot and I am very proud of them. And though we placed 2nd, there is still a chance to fight. There is no definite ‘winner’ or ‘loser’, it can only go up from here,” she said.

All five teams were also buoyed by the constant support by the Rafflesian councilors,who themselves were enjoying the action. One of the supporters even wanted in on it, saying that “everyone [wanted] to bowl, because it [was] so fun.” The bowlers never forgot the supporters even throughout the whole four hours of the final day, acknowledging their cheers constantly.

Amidst all the feelings about the game, Rebecca Wong felt wistful that her competitive days were probably over. “I’ll probably and hopefully continue [bowling] as a leisure sport, and it’s so sad as this is our last major competition,” she told Press.

Framing it up: RI Bowling poses for the camera with their awards lined up before them
Framing it up: RI Bowling poses for the camera with their awards lined up before them

The fight is not yet over for Joey, Cheritta, Jevarn and Kai Xiang, though. The four of them ride high on confidence into the Masters Finals, to be held on the 3rd of May at Orchid Bowl. The event will be starting at 8 AM, so do hop by to offer your support if you can! All of us here at Raffles Press would like to congratulate everyone, and the best of luck to those competing this Saturday.