30 August 2021

On Monday, 30 August, the members of the String Orchestra and Wind Band arrived in school at 9am, dressed in our formal black orchestra attire which brought back fond memories of our past performances over the years. After warming up, we started our rehearsals under the guidance of our conductor, Mr Lim’s guidance. At about 10:30am, we made our way from the music room to the Oldham Chapel with our instruments, scores and music stands. A buzz of excitement began as we walked through the chapel doors and were greeted by stage lights, professional recording equipment and crew from the renowned production company, MSM Productions, who had painstakingly set everything up while we were practising earlier.

Taking our places on stage while taking care to maintain safe distancing, Mr Lim led us through a quick warm up before we started recording our first piece, La La Land. The recording producer, Mr Dominik Streicher, gave us detailed instructions and advice throughout the recording process so that we could achieve the best possible sound and effect. We had to record certain sections of the piece and even specific bars numerous times in order to get the perfect recording. After a short lunch break, we continued recording our next two pieces, Hoe Down and the first movement of Vivaldi’s Winter. For the next few hours, strains of harmonious music wafted through the air as we played our hearts out, relishing in the precious opportunity to create such exhilarating music together. It was almost 5pm when we finally finished recording our last piece, Kiki’s Delivery Service.

Next up was the Wind Band. After undergoing the unmasked video production pre-requisite for pre-event testing the day before, we were finally able to physically practise together as one ensemble for the first time since the Heightened Alert period. While we were able to continue with practice via online Zoom sessions, it was a great relief and joy to finally perform together with our fellow musicians face-to-face.

We made our way to Oldham Chapel after the String Orchestra, taking some time to settle down and warm up once more. Under the careful baton of Ms Samantha Choong, as well as Mr Streicher’s guidance, we were proud to perform Tropical Trombones and Music from Aladdin, a medley of the aforementioned Disney film.

Although we were exhausted by the time recording ended at around 7pm, there was a great sense of pride and satisfaction among the entire Philharmonic Orchestra, knowing that the music we created would touch the hearts and souls of many.

Larissa Chan, 4 SVM