Dear readers, thank you if you are still following me through this blog! I have recently created a website to further organise information about myself. Please do check it out! I will not be updating this blog any further since I have a blog page on the website itself. Thanks for your support all this while!
http://tanjiewei-basstrombone.weebly.com
Friday, 27 June 2014
Monday, 31 March 2014
My new voice
After a very fruitful trip to Germany which I will blog more about in another post, I have come back to Singapore with something new. And that is a Thein Universal Bass Trombone!
I was at the Thein workshop in Bremen on 25 and 26 March 2014 and I spent one afternoon finding the best setup for a new instrument and with the advice and assistance of Max Thein, we swapped leadpipes, slides, valves caps, tuning slides and bells before finally arriving at the setup I eventually decided on. It is a very simple setup which is basically an all yellow brass instrument, single bore slide, and a 9.5 inch screw bell. I have not much details on what the leadpipe, valve caps and tuning slides are exactly in terms of their measurements. All I can say is: This is my instrument, tailored for me. It plays very easily with a nice full sound and I set it up to be more on the consistent side for now. However, even though it is consistent in terms of tone colour in the pitch and dynamic range, it is not limiting and I can still put some other colours into the sound. To me, this will be a very nice instrument in the orchestra. In the future, if I do choose to have a more colourful sound or more flexibility in the sound, there were some Kruspe bells that were very promising! The screw bell was actually better for me than the normal one piece bells as they give me more focus and projection. Another added benefit of the screw bell is this:
This is without a doubt, one of the smallest trombone cases ever made. This is really gonna help me when it comes to flights because it is almost as small as a viola case! The case is made by Marcus Bonna and it was designed in consultation with Ben van Dijk. A truly amazing case.
So that's it! Now I have to put in the effort to get a closer connection to the instrument and I am confident this will serve me well for the future! A big thanks to Max Thein for the assistance and hospitality during my visit to the workshop!
I was at the Thein workshop in Bremen on 25 and 26 March 2014 and I spent one afternoon finding the best setup for a new instrument and with the advice and assistance of Max Thein, we swapped leadpipes, slides, valves caps, tuning slides and bells before finally arriving at the setup I eventually decided on. It is a very simple setup which is basically an all yellow brass instrument, single bore slide, and a 9.5 inch screw bell. I have not much details on what the leadpipe, valve caps and tuning slides are exactly in terms of their measurements. All I can say is: This is my instrument, tailored for me. It plays very easily with a nice full sound and I set it up to be more on the consistent side for now. However, even though it is consistent in terms of tone colour in the pitch and dynamic range, it is not limiting and I can still put some other colours into the sound. To me, this will be a very nice instrument in the orchestra. In the future, if I do choose to have a more colourful sound or more flexibility in the sound, there were some Kruspe bells that were very promising! The screw bell was actually better for me than the normal one piece bells as they give me more focus and projection. Another added benefit of the screw bell is this:
This is without a doubt, one of the smallest trombone cases ever made. This is really gonna help me when it comes to flights because it is almost as small as a viola case! The case is made by Marcus Bonna and it was designed in consultation with Ben van Dijk. A truly amazing case.
So that's it! Now I have to put in the effort to get a closer connection to the instrument and I am confident this will serve me well for the future! A big thanks to Max Thein for the assistance and hospitality during my visit to the workshop!
Sunday, 26 January 2014
AYO Tour 2013
My apologies for not completing this before my enlistment. It would have been a better representation of my trip had I finished writing the entire post right after I came back but sadly, I procrastinated and basically the 2nd half of this post has been written weeks and months after I came back.
Six weeks of playing orchestral music together with 96 other young musicians have now come to an end. It has been a wonderful experience. To me, getting to meet other talented musicians has been the biggest takeaway from AYO. The exchange of musical ideas, learning from one another, helping each other out, and also the fun, the laughter, the camaraderie, the joy that is being together for six weeks to prepare and perform music. We'd quickly look for the locals to take us to the best places for food and sightseeing, we'd make fun of our conductor together, we shared our life experiences with each other. All these made us closer and closer each day. It's no surprise our final concerts were among the best. However, the networking doesn't end within AYO. Through my colleagues, I have made other important connections, such as parents or friends who are talented or even professional musicians as well.
I was prepared for this but I'll say anyway, a concert tour really isn't about sightseeing. We've played 15 concerts in 9 cities in 6 countries within 3 weeks and I haven't had much time to see what I wanted to see, particularly in Japan. Our minds have just been thinking: "which program are we playing today?" Either that or we are up early in the morning to travel. It was actually hard to keep track of what day of the week it was. Sometimes our buses to the airports were so early in the morning, we hardly had time to sleep. We're actually lucky to get six hours before leaving a city; most of the time usually three to five hours. The one difference I observed about this tour compared to previous ones is that we use one whole day for travel and nothing else. In the past, they would travel to the next city and head straight for the concert hall for rehearsal and concert. After which, they would fit a free day here and there. In a way, our schedule is better in a sense that we do have the opportunity to get enough rest before the concert. Only drawback is sightseeing time becomes significantly shorter.
Anyway, I shall go through what I can recall from each city in as much detail as possible, talking about the sights and sounds, the concert hall, the audience, the food and what ever I feel like putting in. So here goes:
Hanoi (9 - 12 Aug)
The first day of our tour started with a final tutti in the morning with maestro Judd at the HKAPA. After rehearsal concluded, the orchestra headed to the airport for our first flight. There was a small struggle between me and the check-in lady who refused to let me board with my bass trombone but luckily, she called in a supervisor who was more lenient and told me to stick with the group to get priority boarding and a space for my instrument. Nice lady! And by the way, the bass trombone fitted fine in the overhead. The Airbus A320 basically only has partitions every two doors so length isn't ever going to be an issue. So, after a flight delayed by one hour, we arrived in Hanoi!
It was my first time in Hanoi and although I was excited to see what was around me, it was dark at night and we've had a long day and most of us simply wanted to get to the hotel for our dinner and have some sleep. The Hanoi Hotel, which we were booked in, was really comfortable and more spacious compared to our accommodation in Hong Kong.
I basically chose to sleep in during the mornings while in Hanoi which I now regret because it means I missed the opportunities to find the locals who could bring us around. Oh well, there's always a next time for Hanoi. There were some sights I looked up on the Internet that interested me but were a bit too far from the hotel. Anyway, what I got to see in the city from the bus trip was a city whose roads are dominated by motorcycles and also had lots of European influence in its architecture, which is no surprise because they were a colony of the French. Horns from vehicles were abundant.
AYO performed at the Hanoi Opera House, which is a 102-year old building that has very distinct French influence in its design. It was a really nice hall to look at. Typical of opera houses, it has a big stage and AYO only used the front portion. Most of the orchestra was in front of the frame of the stage but unfortunately, the brasses and timpani weren't. Here you can see a picture of the stage setup.
A shell was eventually added behind the orchestra to help with acoustics but being in a theatre, acoustics were naturally quite dry as there were not so many panels to help with reverberation. The two concerts were a bit shaky to be honest, being the first concerts on tour. After a not so long sleep, we left for the airport the next day for our two flights that will take us to Singapore!
Singapore (12 - 15 Aug)
Before I write about what happened in Singapore, I'd like to mention the flight from Hong Kong to Singapore. We had a plane that was fitted with the new economy class seats and it was quite a joy to fly in! The seat was basically what Emirates has on its planes already but this seats are actually new in the Cathay fleet. We had a big touchscreen system that was really snappy and clear and had complete seasons of our favourite shows (Big Bang Theory for me)! The seat also has a USB port to plug your iPod in and probably can also charge your phone. It was one of the more enjoyable flights I had on tour.
When we were in Singapore, I didn't actually get to bring many of my orchestra friends out for food. However, I did manage to get the double reed players in the orchestra as well as bassoon coach Giorgio Versiglia to meet some local players for lunch. I was very surprised by the fact that many of the members actually went for steamboat meals here in Singapore. It was something I did not expect because to me, steamboat is not exactly a very Singaporean dish! It did kinda make me regret not having brought them to places for more Singaporean touristy food.
Having performed in many halls around Asia by the end of the tour, I realise Esplanade's concert hall is very reverberant and it wasn't the easiest hall to play in. There was a very interesting happening backstage when Gabriel (son of soloist, Steven Isserlis) attached a GoPro to Laurel's slide for rehearsal to capture some footage for the documentary he is making about the tour. Here's a picture
To be honest, the concerts in Singapore didn't go so well. It was really quite below the standards people expect of the orchestra. It was just a shame we didn't do well. So our wakeup call on the day of departing Singapore was 0445 and to most of us, the logical thing would be to not sleep at all which is what I did! After a meal, I stayed up in my room to watch videos. So after 1.5 hours or so, it was actually time to leave!
China (15 - 18 Aug)
Having not slept the night before, it was a horrible ride on the plane to Hong Kong. Being someone who can't actually sleep well on the plane, it was quite torturous. When we got to our buses to China, it was so much more comfortable with the extra space and less noise. I did manage to catch some shut-eye. Our flight left Singapore at 0800 and we arrived at the hotel at 2030 or so. It was really a tough day of travelling. The one consolation was that we were booked at the Hilton hotel in Zhongshan and it was a fantastic hotel with a great room! It was very comfortable and felt really luxurious and it was the kind of comfort we all craved for at the end of a long day of travel.
The concert halls in China were both theatres with big seating capacities so acoustics were not really in our favour already. Although the sound boards that they installed for our concerts probably helped project the orchestra's sound into the huge space, it didn't really help us much on stage. It was quite hard to hear sections that are far away from us and because of the dry nature of the halls, most of us were playing louder than usual which worsens the hearing situation. Also, the audience in China were pretty noisy when we were playing. All in all, it didn't make for enjoyable concerts in China.
I thought Zhongshan was a really clean city given that I was in China. It felt like a recently developed area which probably is the reason why the city is relatively clean and quiet. Dongguan on the other hand, wasn't quite so and when we got to the hotel, we were warned to look out for petty thieves when we leave the hotel. However, it was in the hotel in Dongguan that I managed to access Facebook without a VPN! Surprisingly the hotel's WiFi could allow us to connect to Facebook. Overall, it was a slightly less than average experience for my first time in China. Maybe next time I'll get better ones especially if I visit the bigger cities like Shanghai or Beijing. On the morning of 20 Aug, we boarded the buses back to Hong Kong for our flight to Taipei.
Taipei (18 - 21 Aug)
We arrived in Taipei in the evening and once checked-in at the hotel, went straight for the night markets for dinner. From the moment I left Taoyuan airport, I had a feeling I will enjoy my stay in Taipei and I really did. I went with the group that went to Ningxia market. Although I did not go to the famous Shilin market, I did get a good idea of the night market life in Taipei. The food in the market was really interesting and inexpensive as well! I can't exactly remember what I ate but I do remember I enjoyed the food there. Here are some pictures from the market:
The nice thing about being in Taipei with AYO is that we have 25 Taiwanese with us in the orchestra and all very keen to bring us visitors around. After the trip to the market, a local took us up in his car to Yangming shan. Although it was late at night and we couldn't see what the mountain actually looked like, we had a great time looking at the city lights from the top and I saw a shooting star for the first time as well! Having gone back to the hotel late, I actually overslept and woke up the next day at about 1pm and missed the chance to do more sightseeing with the others. After a quick lunch, I boarded the bus to the concert hall.
Taipei's National Concert Hall is a really nice place to look at and be in. It doesn't even look like a concert hall from the outside:
Inside, the hall is big with a spacious stage and acoustics similar to Esplanade's. An acoustic like the one in this hall really made the orchestra play with a much better sound than it has before and I felt we gave our best concerts so far. Sibelius in particular was quite a joy. The audience in Taipei were really supportive and enthusiastic as well and that helped motivate the orchestra even more to give good concerts and Mr. Isserlis also felt the support and gave six encores in all.
On the day of our departure from Taipei, a typhoon was inbound and we were all wondering if we will make it out of Taipei and if we do, will we make it to Hong Kong safely? We checked Cathay's website and our flight was delayed about two hours and all other Cathay flights arriving and departing from Taipei after ours were cancelled. In hindsight, this was probably to push passengers from later flights to ours before the airport closes and cause flight cancellations. Fortunately, we made it out of Taipei safely and landed in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong (21 - 25 Aug)
Back in familiar Hong Kong. After having spent three weeks here for rehearsals, it did feel a bit boring to be back here in fast-paced, hustling and bustling Hong Kong. This time however, we stayed at the Wan Chai area, which is much closer to the central and shopping districts. In fact, had we stayed in this hotel, The Harbourview, during the rehearsal period, we wouldn't have needed to make the daily 20-minute train ride from Chai Wan to Wan Chai and back! The hotel is right next to the APA! Anyway, on the night our arrival, our concert master brought us to this fantastic Japanese Yakiniku restaurant, Iroha, in Tsim Sha Tsui. We had a really good meal there and it was the first time I unknowingly tried food like cow's tongue and the sort.
The next day, AYO held a concert dedicated to disadvantaged children and it was the same format as the mini concert we had at the APA during our rehearsal period. It was a good time for us to test the hall as well. The Hong Kong Cultural Centre's hall is different from the other halls that we performed in. The stage is really in the centre of the hall with seating 360 degrees around the stage. This did make the hall slightly drier compared to other halls as there are less panels pushing the sound forward. As a result, this made the brass section sound quite muted from the front of the audience. It was something the brass players overcompensated for during the concerts and I believe we could have handled the situation better.
On the morning of 25 Aug, we left our hotel early in the morning as we always do but with lots of excitement as we head to our final country on our tour, Japan! It was a very exciting time for me as it was my first time to Japan and we would be spending a whole week there. At 1010 in the morning, our flight left Hong Kong for Osaka.
Osaka (25 - 26 Aug)
It was really exciting to be coming to Japan for the very first time in my life and it really didn't disappoint. From the moment I landed, I could see and feel the cleanliness, the food, the great service and the wonderful people of Japan. Once the orchestra checked in to the Hilton Osaka, I went straight to the Dolce Musical Instrument shop to try out some instruments. The bass trombones that had there were a Haag and a Throja. The Haag played very much like my own instrument but the Throja they had really impressed me.
This particular combination had a nickel silver bell and had great clarity and projection in the sound and it was quite easy to play. This has made me consider going to the Throja factory in Berlin if given the chance.
It really felt like a very short time in Osaka though. We flew in one day and we were leaving the next. After a one night stay, we checked out of the hotel, had lunch and took the subway to NHK Osaka Hall. We played a really nice concert there which had a similar interior as the National Concert Hall in Taipei. It meant we could let the hall do some of the projecting for us and we could play with our very best sound. In the end, it really came out very well during the concert and it was very satisfying.
After the concert, we packed up and prepared for our overnight trip by coach to Kamakura.
Kamakura (26 - 29 Aug)
The overnight bus ride wasn't too bad. I did manage to get some rest despite not being able to lie down. I woke up to find that we reached the morning rest stop. It seemed to be one somewhere high in the hills so it was quite cold despite being in summer. Apparently I did see Mt. Fuji along the way; however it was just a silhouette because we were so far away. Nevertheless, we arrived in Kamakura at about 9am and went for our sightseeing tour in this historic city.
Kamakura used to be the capital of Japan, way back during the times of the samurai. As a result, there are many temples in the area and we visited one with a big bronze Buddha statue. Although it used to be the capital of Japan, it is nowhere near the size and complexity of the urban city that we know of, such as Tokyo. After that we went to the Kamakura Geijutsukan, the concert hall in Kamakura, for our lunch and the meetup with our host families. AYO had very nicely organised home stays for us and it was a really great experience living with a Japanese family for two nights. My family was the Watanabe family and they have 5 children!! They felt really like a modern family that likes to have outings and basically live a more modern lifestyle compared to what other orchestra members experienced. For example, where most Japanese (I believe) have their meals at home on low tables and kneel on tatami mats, my host family has a normal table with benches and there aren't many rooms with the traditional sliding doors (only their master bedroom has). They also can speak English really well! After meeting up, my host family actually brought us on a trip to downtown Tokyo for an Onsen bath (which was great!) and shopping as well.
The next day was the concert in the Kamakura Geijutsukan. This concert is really very nicely designed and maintained despite being a smaller city! The acoustics were really nice and the orchestra did fit in very comfortably.
After the afternoon concert, my host family brought me to have really awesome 100 yen sushi followed by a trip to Yokohama where we had some fun at the theme park. I had a really great time and I'm really grateful that they brought me to other places in Japan given my short time here.
The next day, the orchestra is due to leave for Tokyo and so it was time to part ways with our host families who have all been very hospitable and took very good care of us whilst we stayed with them. After a farewell ceremony, we walked to the train station to catch our train to Shinjuku, Tokyo.
Tokyo (29 - 31 Aug)
Our last stop on tour and it starts off with a train ride into the busiest part of Tokyo where we will be staying and performing, Shinjuku. Shinjuku station was huge and it took some time for us to navigate to the correct exit and make our way to the hotel. Again, we stayed at a Hilton and after checking in, we went to look for some ramen to eat and we did find a shop which does sell really good ramen!
After lunch, the orchestra walked to Tokyo Opera City for our rehearsal. The concert hall is really spectacular with a pyramid-shaped interior and the acoustics were really nice to work with. Again, the orchestra felt very comfortable in this setting and we played some of our best music here.
The concerts in Tokyo were really successful and with the final chord of our encore, Nimrod from Elgar's Enigma Variations, the 2013 AYO tour has come to an end. It was an emotional moment for the orchestra; after having spent three weeks preparing two concert programs and another three performing them on tour, it was time to part ways. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with this amazing group of musicians and also for the opportunity to travel to many major cities in Asia for the first time. Working with the low brass section wasn't that easy to be honest but eventually we did learn how to fit into each other's playing and make our parts work as best as possible. I am thankful for all the experience and knowledge gained during this six weeks.
And so with that, we had our final dinner at the hotel, took lots of pictures and waited for morning to come and take the buses to Narita airport for our flights home. My AYO journey is done.
Six weeks of playing orchestral music together with 96 other young musicians have now come to an end. It has been a wonderful experience. To me, getting to meet other talented musicians has been the biggest takeaway from AYO. The exchange of musical ideas, learning from one another, helping each other out, and also the fun, the laughter, the camaraderie, the joy that is being together for six weeks to prepare and perform music. We'd quickly look for the locals to take us to the best places for food and sightseeing, we'd make fun of our conductor together, we shared our life experiences with each other. All these made us closer and closer each day. It's no surprise our final concerts were among the best. However, the networking doesn't end within AYO. Through my colleagues, I have made other important connections, such as parents or friends who are talented or even professional musicians as well.
I was prepared for this but I'll say anyway, a concert tour really isn't about sightseeing. We've played 15 concerts in 9 cities in 6 countries within 3 weeks and I haven't had much time to see what I wanted to see, particularly in Japan. Our minds have just been thinking: "which program are we playing today?" Either that or we are up early in the morning to travel. It was actually hard to keep track of what day of the week it was. Sometimes our buses to the airports were so early in the morning, we hardly had time to sleep. We're actually lucky to get six hours before leaving a city; most of the time usually three to five hours. The one difference I observed about this tour compared to previous ones is that we use one whole day for travel and nothing else. In the past, they would travel to the next city and head straight for the concert hall for rehearsal and concert. After which, they would fit a free day here and there. In a way, our schedule is better in a sense that we do have the opportunity to get enough rest before the concert. Only drawback is sightseeing time becomes significantly shorter.
Anyway, I shall go through what I can recall from each city in as much detail as possible, talking about the sights and sounds, the concert hall, the audience, the food and what ever I feel like putting in. So here goes:
Hanoi (9 - 12 Aug)
The first day of our tour started with a final tutti in the morning with maestro Judd at the HKAPA. After rehearsal concluded, the orchestra headed to the airport for our first flight. There was a small struggle between me and the check-in lady who refused to let me board with my bass trombone but luckily, she called in a supervisor who was more lenient and told me to stick with the group to get priority boarding and a space for my instrument. Nice lady! And by the way, the bass trombone fitted fine in the overhead. The Airbus A320 basically only has partitions every two doors so length isn't ever going to be an issue. So, after a flight delayed by one hour, we arrived in Hanoi!
It was my first time in Hanoi and although I was excited to see what was around me, it was dark at night and we've had a long day and most of us simply wanted to get to the hotel for our dinner and have some sleep. The Hanoi Hotel, which we were booked in, was really comfortable and more spacious compared to our accommodation in Hong Kong.
I basically chose to sleep in during the mornings while in Hanoi which I now regret because it means I missed the opportunities to find the locals who could bring us around. Oh well, there's always a next time for Hanoi. There were some sights I looked up on the Internet that interested me but were a bit too far from the hotel. Anyway, what I got to see in the city from the bus trip was a city whose roads are dominated by motorcycles and also had lots of European influence in its architecture, which is no surprise because they were a colony of the French. Horns from vehicles were abundant.
AYO performed at the Hanoi Opera House, which is a 102-year old building that has very distinct French influence in its design. It was a really nice hall to look at. Typical of opera houses, it has a big stage and AYO only used the front portion. Most of the orchestra was in front of the frame of the stage but unfortunately, the brasses and timpani weren't. Here you can see a picture of the stage setup.
A shell was eventually added behind the orchestra to help with acoustics but being in a theatre, acoustics were naturally quite dry as there were not so many panels to help with reverberation. The two concerts were a bit shaky to be honest, being the first concerts on tour. After a not so long sleep, we left for the airport the next day for our two flights that will take us to Singapore!
Singapore (12 - 15 Aug)
Before I write about what happened in Singapore, I'd like to mention the flight from Hong Kong to Singapore. We had a plane that was fitted with the new economy class seats and it was quite a joy to fly in! The seat was basically what Emirates has on its planes already but this seats are actually new in the Cathay fleet. We had a big touchscreen system that was really snappy and clear and had complete seasons of our favourite shows (Big Bang Theory for me)! The seat also has a USB port to plug your iPod in and probably can also charge your phone. It was one of the more enjoyable flights I had on tour.
When we were in Singapore, I didn't actually get to bring many of my orchestra friends out for food. However, I did manage to get the double reed players in the orchestra as well as bassoon coach Giorgio Versiglia to meet some local players for lunch. I was very surprised by the fact that many of the members actually went for steamboat meals here in Singapore. It was something I did not expect because to me, steamboat is not exactly a very Singaporean dish! It did kinda make me regret not having brought them to places for more Singaporean touristy food.
Having performed in many halls around Asia by the end of the tour, I realise Esplanade's concert hall is very reverberant and it wasn't the easiest hall to play in. There was a very interesting happening backstage when Gabriel (son of soloist, Steven Isserlis) attached a GoPro to Laurel's slide for rehearsal to capture some footage for the documentary he is making about the tour. Here's a picture
To be honest, the concerts in Singapore didn't go so well. It was really quite below the standards people expect of the orchestra. It was just a shame we didn't do well. So our wakeup call on the day of departing Singapore was 0445 and to most of us, the logical thing would be to not sleep at all which is what I did! After a meal, I stayed up in my room to watch videos. So after 1.5 hours or so, it was actually time to leave!
China (15 - 18 Aug)
Having not slept the night before, it was a horrible ride on the plane to Hong Kong. Being someone who can't actually sleep well on the plane, it was quite torturous. When we got to our buses to China, it was so much more comfortable with the extra space and less noise. I did manage to catch some shut-eye. Our flight left Singapore at 0800 and we arrived at the hotel at 2030 or so. It was really a tough day of travelling. The one consolation was that we were booked at the Hilton hotel in Zhongshan and it was a fantastic hotel with a great room! It was very comfortable and felt really luxurious and it was the kind of comfort we all craved for at the end of a long day of travel.
The concert halls in China were both theatres with big seating capacities so acoustics were not really in our favour already. Although the sound boards that they installed for our concerts probably helped project the orchestra's sound into the huge space, it didn't really help us much on stage. It was quite hard to hear sections that are far away from us and because of the dry nature of the halls, most of us were playing louder than usual which worsens the hearing situation. Also, the audience in China were pretty noisy when we were playing. All in all, it didn't make for enjoyable concerts in China.
I thought Zhongshan was a really clean city given that I was in China. It felt like a recently developed area which probably is the reason why the city is relatively clean and quiet. Dongguan on the other hand, wasn't quite so and when we got to the hotel, we were warned to look out for petty thieves when we leave the hotel. However, it was in the hotel in Dongguan that I managed to access Facebook without a VPN! Surprisingly the hotel's WiFi could allow us to connect to Facebook. Overall, it was a slightly less than average experience for my first time in China. Maybe next time I'll get better ones especially if I visit the bigger cities like Shanghai or Beijing. On the morning of 20 Aug, we boarded the buses back to Hong Kong for our flight to Taipei.
Taipei (18 - 21 Aug)
We arrived in Taipei in the evening and once checked-in at the hotel, went straight for the night markets for dinner. From the moment I left Taoyuan airport, I had a feeling I will enjoy my stay in Taipei and I really did. I went with the group that went to Ningxia market. Although I did not go to the famous Shilin market, I did get a good idea of the night market life in Taipei. The food in the market was really interesting and inexpensive as well! I can't exactly remember what I ate but I do remember I enjoyed the food there. Here are some pictures from the market:
The nice thing about being in Taipei with AYO is that we have 25 Taiwanese with us in the orchestra and all very keen to bring us visitors around. After the trip to the market, a local took us up in his car to Yangming shan. Although it was late at night and we couldn't see what the mountain actually looked like, we had a great time looking at the city lights from the top and I saw a shooting star for the first time as well! Having gone back to the hotel late, I actually overslept and woke up the next day at about 1pm and missed the chance to do more sightseeing with the others. After a quick lunch, I boarded the bus to the concert hall.
Taipei's National Concert Hall is a really nice place to look at and be in. It doesn't even look like a concert hall from the outside:
Inside, the hall is big with a spacious stage and acoustics similar to Esplanade's. An acoustic like the one in this hall really made the orchestra play with a much better sound than it has before and I felt we gave our best concerts so far. Sibelius in particular was quite a joy. The audience in Taipei were really supportive and enthusiastic as well and that helped motivate the orchestra even more to give good concerts and Mr. Isserlis also felt the support and gave six encores in all.
On the day of our departure from Taipei, a typhoon was inbound and we were all wondering if we will make it out of Taipei and if we do, will we make it to Hong Kong safely? We checked Cathay's website and our flight was delayed about two hours and all other Cathay flights arriving and departing from Taipei after ours were cancelled. In hindsight, this was probably to push passengers from later flights to ours before the airport closes and cause flight cancellations. Fortunately, we made it out of Taipei safely and landed in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong (21 - 25 Aug)
Back in familiar Hong Kong. After having spent three weeks here for rehearsals, it did feel a bit boring to be back here in fast-paced, hustling and bustling Hong Kong. This time however, we stayed at the Wan Chai area, which is much closer to the central and shopping districts. In fact, had we stayed in this hotel, The Harbourview, during the rehearsal period, we wouldn't have needed to make the daily 20-minute train ride from Chai Wan to Wan Chai and back! The hotel is right next to the APA! Anyway, on the night our arrival, our concert master brought us to this fantastic Japanese Yakiniku restaurant, Iroha, in Tsim Sha Tsui. We had a really good meal there and it was the first time I unknowingly tried food like cow's tongue and the sort.
The next day, AYO held a concert dedicated to disadvantaged children and it was the same format as the mini concert we had at the APA during our rehearsal period. It was a good time for us to test the hall as well. The Hong Kong Cultural Centre's hall is different from the other halls that we performed in. The stage is really in the centre of the hall with seating 360 degrees around the stage. This did make the hall slightly drier compared to other halls as there are less panels pushing the sound forward. As a result, this made the brass section sound quite muted from the front of the audience. It was something the brass players overcompensated for during the concerts and I believe we could have handled the situation better.
On the morning of 25 Aug, we left our hotel early in the morning as we always do but with lots of excitement as we head to our final country on our tour, Japan! It was a very exciting time for me as it was my first time to Japan and we would be spending a whole week there. At 1010 in the morning, our flight left Hong Kong for Osaka.
Osaka (25 - 26 Aug)
It was really exciting to be coming to Japan for the very first time in my life and it really didn't disappoint. From the moment I landed, I could see and feel the cleanliness, the food, the great service and the wonderful people of Japan. Once the orchestra checked in to the Hilton Osaka, I went straight to the Dolce Musical Instrument shop to try out some instruments. The bass trombones that had there were a Haag and a Throja. The Haag played very much like my own instrument but the Throja they had really impressed me.
This particular combination had a nickel silver bell and had great clarity and projection in the sound and it was quite easy to play. This has made me consider going to the Throja factory in Berlin if given the chance.
It really felt like a very short time in Osaka though. We flew in one day and we were leaving the next. After a one night stay, we checked out of the hotel, had lunch and took the subway to NHK Osaka Hall. We played a really nice concert there which had a similar interior as the National Concert Hall in Taipei. It meant we could let the hall do some of the projecting for us and we could play with our very best sound. In the end, it really came out very well during the concert and it was very satisfying.
After the concert, we packed up and prepared for our overnight trip by coach to Kamakura.
Kamakura (26 - 29 Aug)
The overnight bus ride wasn't too bad. I did manage to get some rest despite not being able to lie down. I woke up to find that we reached the morning rest stop. It seemed to be one somewhere high in the hills so it was quite cold despite being in summer. Apparently I did see Mt. Fuji along the way; however it was just a silhouette because we were so far away. Nevertheless, we arrived in Kamakura at about 9am and went for our sightseeing tour in this historic city.
Kamakura used to be the capital of Japan, way back during the times of the samurai. As a result, there are many temples in the area and we visited one with a big bronze Buddha statue. Although it used to be the capital of Japan, it is nowhere near the size and complexity of the urban city that we know of, such as Tokyo. After that we went to the Kamakura Geijutsukan, the concert hall in Kamakura, for our lunch and the meetup with our host families. AYO had very nicely organised home stays for us and it was a really great experience living with a Japanese family for two nights. My family was the Watanabe family and they have 5 children!! They felt really like a modern family that likes to have outings and basically live a more modern lifestyle compared to what other orchestra members experienced. For example, where most Japanese (I believe) have their meals at home on low tables and kneel on tatami mats, my host family has a normal table with benches and there aren't many rooms with the traditional sliding doors (only their master bedroom has). They also can speak English really well! After meeting up, my host family actually brought us on a trip to downtown Tokyo for an Onsen bath (which was great!) and shopping as well.
The next day was the concert in the Kamakura Geijutsukan. This concert is really very nicely designed and maintained despite being a smaller city! The acoustics were really nice and the orchestra did fit in very comfortably.
After the afternoon concert, my host family brought me to have really awesome 100 yen sushi followed by a trip to Yokohama where we had some fun at the theme park. I had a really great time and I'm really grateful that they brought me to other places in Japan given my short time here.
The next day, the orchestra is due to leave for Tokyo and so it was time to part ways with our host families who have all been very hospitable and took very good care of us whilst we stayed with them. After a farewell ceremony, we walked to the train station to catch our train to Shinjuku, Tokyo.
Tokyo (29 - 31 Aug)
Our last stop on tour and it starts off with a train ride into the busiest part of Tokyo where we will be staying and performing, Shinjuku. Shinjuku station was huge and it took some time for us to navigate to the correct exit and make our way to the hotel. Again, we stayed at a Hilton and after checking in, we went to look for some ramen to eat and we did find a shop which does sell really good ramen!
After lunch, the orchestra walked to Tokyo Opera City for our rehearsal. The concert hall is really spectacular with a pyramid-shaped interior and the acoustics were really nice to work with. Again, the orchestra felt very comfortable in this setting and we played some of our best music here.
The concerts in Tokyo were really successful and with the final chord of our encore, Nimrod from Elgar's Enigma Variations, the 2013 AYO tour has come to an end. It was an emotional moment for the orchestra; after having spent three weeks preparing two concert programs and another three performing them on tour, it was time to part ways. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with this amazing group of musicians and also for the opportunity to travel to many major cities in Asia for the first time. Working with the low brass section wasn't that easy to be honest but eventually we did learn how to fit into each other's playing and make our parts work as best as possible. I am thankful for all the experience and knowledge gained during this six weeks.
And so with that, we had our final dinner at the hotel, took lots of pictures and waited for morning to come and take the buses to Narita airport for our flights home. My AYO journey is done.
Thursday, 22 August 2013
AYO on tour
My apologies for not updating this blog! It has been really busy on tour and I wish I could update at every city I'm at but it's not really likely.
Firstly, I am enjoying the travels! I have now seen Vietnam (Hanoi), China (Zhongshan & Dongguan) and Taiwan (Taipei) for the first time in my life. I didn't spend so much time outside the hotel in Hanoi, partly because I didn't seek someone to take me around and partly because I was practising before rehearsals. Since I did not actually see much of Hanoi, I can't give a fair point on how I feel about the city. I honestly didn't really like the tour in China. I don't hate it, I just didn't enjoy myself. The only upside was the stay at the Hilton hotel and that the city streets were relatively clean in both cities. The halls were actually theatres, audience were noisy and the general feel of the places weren't really comfortable. In stark contrast, I really enjoyed Taipei! From the first outing on the first day, I felt Taipei was a place I'm going to enjoy and it was! The food is great, people are nice, city is clean, hall is really nice and most things are quite inexpensive! The audience at both concerts were also really supportive and it made the concerts very enjoyable! Now the orchestra is back in Hong Kong for one charity concert and the two standard programs that we prepared.
I would like to talk about flights for a bit. So far every time I went to check in with my case intact, it has been questioned by the check in officer who insists I should check in my instrument in the Cronkhite until they get a supervisor who is more lenient and will let me board with the instrument. So far I have taken seven flights and I have not once been questioned by the cabin crew. My case has also successfully been in the overhead compartment on every single flight. I usually sit with a horn player and it has been dicey but the case's ability to separate the two parts has allowed us to store both our cases (she uses an MB5 case) in the same overhead bin! So what I have been doing nowadays is to separate the case and hand my slide to another trombonist while I check in. So for useful information, a Cronkhite 2-piece bass trombone case can be carried on the following: B777, A320, A330 and B747 (biggest bins so far). Generally I would pick the seats on the sides for wide-body aircraft (two aisles) as the bins are bigger on the sides and of course, do yourself a favour and pick seats at the back of the plane because those tend to board first. Other than that, the service on Cathay Pacific has so far been decent. Sometimes I wish the cabin crew smile more during actual service and not just during boarding and arrival. The entertainment system on the new economy class is absolutely fantastic and may have a shot at beating Emirates but I'm not completely sure because I haven't experienced the best of Emirates. The Cathay system is completely touchscreen and has the complete new seasons of the Big Bang Theory and other popular shows and movies. The system is also really snappy so less waiting and it accommodates the standard 3.5mm earphone plug! The new seat itself is very comfortable and it was nice to have it on the 3.5 hour journey to Singapore from Hong Kong. Other than that, we've been getting the shell seats and old seats which are ok for short flights but I can imagine they are a bit too cramp on long flights.
The music on tour so far has been pretty average at the most. I have not really felt like the orchestra has done a fantastic job at all for the concerts we have played so far and I seriously doubt we will actually play a musically fulfilling concert. There are way too many technical deficiencies and a lack of effort in taking care of those deficiencies. As such, I do feel what I have been getting most out of this experience is the networking with other musicians (some of which are not in AYO!) and the travelling which I have been enjoying (even though I don't actually like the city) because I love seeing the world and getting an idea of what each city and country is like. After Hong Kong, we have 6 days in Japan starting on Sunday! Till the next time, bye!
Firstly, I am enjoying the travels! I have now seen Vietnam (Hanoi), China (Zhongshan & Dongguan) and Taiwan (Taipei) for the first time in my life. I didn't spend so much time outside the hotel in Hanoi, partly because I didn't seek someone to take me around and partly because I was practising before rehearsals. Since I did not actually see much of Hanoi, I can't give a fair point on how I feel about the city. I honestly didn't really like the tour in China. I don't hate it, I just didn't enjoy myself. The only upside was the stay at the Hilton hotel and that the city streets were relatively clean in both cities. The halls were actually theatres, audience were noisy and the general feel of the places weren't really comfortable. In stark contrast, I really enjoyed Taipei! From the first outing on the first day, I felt Taipei was a place I'm going to enjoy and it was! The food is great, people are nice, city is clean, hall is really nice and most things are quite inexpensive! The audience at both concerts were also really supportive and it made the concerts very enjoyable! Now the orchestra is back in Hong Kong for one charity concert and the two standard programs that we prepared.
I would like to talk about flights for a bit. So far every time I went to check in with my case intact, it has been questioned by the check in officer who insists I should check in my instrument in the Cronkhite until they get a supervisor who is more lenient and will let me board with the instrument. So far I have taken seven flights and I have not once been questioned by the cabin crew. My case has also successfully been in the overhead compartment on every single flight. I usually sit with a horn player and it has been dicey but the case's ability to separate the two parts has allowed us to store both our cases (she uses an MB5 case) in the same overhead bin! So what I have been doing nowadays is to separate the case and hand my slide to another trombonist while I check in. So for useful information, a Cronkhite 2-piece bass trombone case can be carried on the following: B777, A320, A330 and B747 (biggest bins so far). Generally I would pick the seats on the sides for wide-body aircraft (two aisles) as the bins are bigger on the sides and of course, do yourself a favour and pick seats at the back of the plane because those tend to board first. Other than that, the service on Cathay Pacific has so far been decent. Sometimes I wish the cabin crew smile more during actual service and not just during boarding and arrival. The entertainment system on the new economy class is absolutely fantastic and may have a shot at beating Emirates but I'm not completely sure because I haven't experienced the best of Emirates. The Cathay system is completely touchscreen and has the complete new seasons of the Big Bang Theory and other popular shows and movies. The system is also really snappy so less waiting and it accommodates the standard 3.5mm earphone plug! The new seat itself is very comfortable and it was nice to have it on the 3.5 hour journey to Singapore from Hong Kong. Other than that, we've been getting the shell seats and old seats which are ok for short flights but I can imagine they are a bit too cramp on long flights.
The music on tour so far has been pretty average at the most. I have not really felt like the orchestra has done a fantastic job at all for the concerts we have played so far and I seriously doubt we will actually play a musically fulfilling concert. There are way too many technical deficiencies and a lack of effort in taking care of those deficiencies. As such, I do feel what I have been getting most out of this experience is the networking with other musicians (some of which are not in AYO!) and the travelling which I have been enjoying (even though I don't actually like the city) because I love seeing the world and getting an idea of what each city and country is like. After Hong Kong, we have 6 days in Japan starting on Sunday! Till the next time, bye!
Wednesday, 7 August 2013
AYO day 19 and my musical journey so far
It has been a routine so far. Wake up at 7, wash up, head to the APA, breakfast, warm up, morning rehearsal, lunch, afternoon rehearsals, dinner and head back to hotel for almost 3 weeks now. Imagine a normal orchestra rehearsal you have in music school or in an amateur orchestra and multiple that by 3 for one day. The orchestra here goes through 17 days of that within a three week span! So imagine the brass players, we do have a lot of waiting but we have to stay alert! It can be very mentally draining. Today, we get a refreshing change when Steven Isserlis, cello soloist with us on the tour, arrived for rehearsal!
An even bigger surprise was when Joshua Bell, who happens to be in HK right now, decided to turn up for our rehearsal! Made for a really superstar-studded day!
Now, I'd like to write about the musical advice I've received being here in the orchestra. The conductors here do demand a lot of precision and it was quite a struggle for all of us initially to meet their demands but we're getting much closer each rehearsal. Precision not just in rhythm and pitch, but also in following all the text in the score. It feels like a really anal, perfectionist attitude to it. Every single dynamic marking, articulation, tempo, mood is scrutinised by the conductors and I do agree with this way of interpreting! We have to interpret a piece according to what the composer has written! We should not rewrite the piece. Any nuances we'd like to make should be done according to the composer's intention!
Maestro James Judd has also tried to instil a very singing way of playing the music which is great! He really makes us not play any note without intention and I believe that's what we should always aim for! Every note should have a purpose, an energy. Accents are very good targets to aim for when building a phrase. Whole bars can be pickups to an accent! Even the brasses are challenged to make our parts sound alive and musical even though it's very much accompaniment. We might always be thinking we should be really stable and in time and in tune but we have to get beyond those and start making music! It should never be boring!
Well that's all I can recall for now. 1 more full day of rehearsal followed by a morning rehearsal on Friday and off to Hanoi we go!
An even bigger surprise was when Joshua Bell, who happens to be in HK right now, decided to turn up for our rehearsal! Made for a really superstar-studded day!
Now, I'd like to write about the musical advice I've received being here in the orchestra. The conductors here do demand a lot of precision and it was quite a struggle for all of us initially to meet their demands but we're getting much closer each rehearsal. Precision not just in rhythm and pitch, but also in following all the text in the score. It feels like a really anal, perfectionist attitude to it. Every single dynamic marking, articulation, tempo, mood is scrutinised by the conductors and I do agree with this way of interpreting! We have to interpret a piece according to what the composer has written! We should not rewrite the piece. Any nuances we'd like to make should be done according to the composer's intention!
Maestro James Judd has also tried to instil a very singing way of playing the music which is great! He really makes us not play any note without intention and I believe that's what we should always aim for! Every note should have a purpose, an energy. Accents are very good targets to aim for when building a phrase. Whole bars can be pickups to an accent! Even the brasses are challenged to make our parts sound alive and musical even though it's very much accompaniment. We might always be thinking we should be really stable and in time and in tune but we have to get beyond those and start making music! It should never be boring!
Well that's all I can recall for now. 1 more full day of rehearsal followed by a morning rehearsal on Friday and off to Hanoi we go!
Friday, 2 August 2013
AYO week 1
It's a bit late to post about the first week of AYO but nonetheless, I shall!
After a couple of nights with little sleep, I woke up at 5am on 20 July to head to the airport. It was a great feeling knowing that in a matter of hours, I would be making music in an orchestra once again. After meeting the others at the airport, we went for check-in. This check-in was the first time I encountered resistance against carrying my instrument on into the cabin. Nevertheless we negotiated and we were on our way. I was seated away from the others but I won't be complaining because I had a pair of seats to myself! The rear section was half-occupied and that made for a very nice flight!
After disembarking we joined the very long immigration lines at HKIA and at the lines we bumped into the other musicians from Shanghai and Osaka I believe. After clearing immigration and luggage claim, we were met by the other musicians and AYO staff who were waiting and after a short wait, we were on our coach to the hotel. On the way we passed by the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, which would be our rehearsal venue for the next three weeks. Upon arriving at the hotel, we were briefed on our stay and then handed our room keys. The rooms here at Y-Loft are very decent. The only complaint I have so far is that the wifi gets cut off every once in a while. The hotel is connected by covered bridge to the shopping mall and the MTR station. Everyday, we have to take a 20 minute train ride to the rehearsal venue. That night, we had a full orchestra dinner and we met our faculty members who will coach us for three weeks. I had too much tea and couldn't sleep well for another night! zzz
So, next day, with little sleep, I went for the first sectional and man did I play like crap! Haven't practised much and lips were in bad shape with not enough sleep. Was really a nightmare. Anyway, we did some exercises together and practised Nimrod for the opening ceremony. Monday was the opening ceremony with speeches by VIPs and the orchestra playing Nimrod, following the tradition of the orchestra. After a catered lunch, sectionals continued for the concert pieces. The schedule everyday consists of three rehearsal sessions: 0930-1200, 1300-1530 and 1545-1815. Usually the first session is for sectionals and the afternoon sessions are for tuttis.
Right, that's all I can think of and recall of the first week. I'll do a post soon on the musical things I have learnt here which are plenty and very useful (for me at least!). So far now, goodbye!
After a couple of nights with little sleep, I woke up at 5am on 20 July to head to the airport. It was a great feeling knowing that in a matter of hours, I would be making music in an orchestra once again. After meeting the others at the airport, we went for check-in. This check-in was the first time I encountered resistance against carrying my instrument on into the cabin. Nevertheless we negotiated and we were on our way. I was seated away from the others but I won't be complaining because I had a pair of seats to myself! The rear section was half-occupied and that made for a very nice flight!
After disembarking we joined the very long immigration lines at HKIA and at the lines we bumped into the other musicians from Shanghai and Osaka I believe. After clearing immigration and luggage claim, we were met by the other musicians and AYO staff who were waiting and after a short wait, we were on our coach to the hotel. On the way we passed by the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, which would be our rehearsal venue for the next three weeks. Upon arriving at the hotel, we were briefed on our stay and then handed our room keys. The rooms here at Y-Loft are very decent. The only complaint I have so far is that the wifi gets cut off every once in a while. The hotel is connected by covered bridge to the shopping mall and the MTR station. Everyday, we have to take a 20 minute train ride to the rehearsal venue. That night, we had a full orchestra dinner and we met our faculty members who will coach us for three weeks. I had too much tea and couldn't sleep well for another night! zzz
So, next day, with little sleep, I went for the first sectional and man did I play like crap! Haven't practised much and lips were in bad shape with not enough sleep. Was really a nightmare. Anyway, we did some exercises together and practised Nimrod for the opening ceremony. Monday was the opening ceremony with speeches by VIPs and the orchestra playing Nimrod, following the tradition of the orchestra. After a catered lunch, sectionals continued for the concert pieces. The schedule everyday consists of three rehearsal sessions: 0930-1200, 1300-1530 and 1545-1815. Usually the first session is for sectionals and the afternoon sessions are for tuttis.
The orchestra members do have fantastic technique but many lack the skill of being able to count and be rhythmic which is such a pity! To me, rhythm is the backbone of music and if we don't play rhythmically, there isn't a structure to the music! It didn't give me a really good impression of the many players (who mostly come from the same country). All I can hope for is that they'll wake up their ideas and actually practise their counting, rhythm and pulse!
Of course, there are many fantastic ensemble players such as those in the horns, trumpets and the strings are actually pretty good!
The two sets of repertoire are rehearsed on alternate days. For the low brass, there isn't much to play, especially for Beethoven and Brahms and so we do spend a lot of time not playing. However, this schedule of rehearsing almost everyday makes me realise how mentally draining it is to just sit in rehearsal and constantly be alert and listening! I do hope the orchestra can progress quickly and have the technical stuff dealt with soon!
As for being a tourist in HK, I haven't been doing much! Haha =X So far all I have done is ate the local food, some of which are really good but most are average or something I'll only eat once and also visited places like View 62 where there's an observation lift that allows us to see most of HK island, Stanley Bay where we had really good pizza and some quiet moments by the sea and walking around Tsim Sha Tsui and Tai Koo. A full orchestra BBQ at the Grand Hyatt as well as a movie with other musicians made for a very enjoyable weekend!
Monday, 1 July 2013
Just a quick update of what I have been doing for the past few weeks in which I have not updated my blog.
Firstly, the Slide That concert. It was last Wednesday on 26 June and I must say it did exceed my expectations of what the concert will turn out to be! Some things could have been more well thought out but overall I was really glad to hear positive feedback from most of the audience! We did a first half of instrumental music followed by a second half of pop music with singers and a rhythm section. It was rewarding working for this concert, not just on the trombone but I helped out with the slideshow of pictures as well. It did add a nice touch to the program. Much of the credit should go to Laurel for putting together pretty much everything else. The stage team for the lots of help in setting up the stage, Boon Hua for listening to our rehearsals and fine tuning our playing to make it that bit better. Kudos to all who performed and I hope to be playing again some time soon! Hopefully with more original trombone music! Hehe.
Secondly, the pair of concerts that I attended. I attended OMM's Tchaikovsky's Fourth concert and TPO's Rite of Spring concert. The OMM concert started of with Mozart's 40th symphony and I must say it really isn't the orchestra's forte. Lots of issues with impulse made it difficult for the orchestra to fit into one another's lines and made the music sound clumsy. The Tchaikovsky was a bit better but being in SOTA's hall, balance did suffer a bit. But there was fine playing nonetheless and much to enjoy. TPO's Rite of Spring was played to a sold-out hall at Esplanade and with good reason. The concert was a collaboration between TPO and the Arts Fission company which is a well-known local dance group. The dancing was very well choreographed and the orchestra's playing, although not spectacular, was enjoyable and both art forms did fit in to one another very nicely. Although the main dancers were very energetic youths who did put up a very good performance showcasing violent moves that symbolise the sacrifice that is depicted in the piece, there was a great community effort to involve old folks as well and their part of the show was very well done as well. Kudos to all performers!
Other than that, I attended Edward and Adeline's wedding on Saturday. I wish them both a very healthy and loving life ahead.
July is here and that means my cruise holiday on the 7th as well as the big trip to AYO is coming up very soon! Excitement is building up in me and I really can't wait to be sitting in an orchestra once more, listening to a conductor demanding and squeezing every last bit of effort from the musicians. Lots of new people to meet and new places to visit as well so I'm really hyped up and I can't wait! FOr now that's all and goodnight!
Firstly, the Slide That concert. It was last Wednesday on 26 June and I must say it did exceed my expectations of what the concert will turn out to be! Some things could have been more well thought out but overall I was really glad to hear positive feedback from most of the audience! We did a first half of instrumental music followed by a second half of pop music with singers and a rhythm section. It was rewarding working for this concert, not just on the trombone but I helped out with the slideshow of pictures as well. It did add a nice touch to the program. Much of the credit should go to Laurel for putting together pretty much everything else. The stage team for the lots of help in setting up the stage, Boon Hua for listening to our rehearsals and fine tuning our playing to make it that bit better. Kudos to all who performed and I hope to be playing again some time soon! Hopefully with more original trombone music! Hehe.
Secondly, the pair of concerts that I attended. I attended OMM's Tchaikovsky's Fourth concert and TPO's Rite of Spring concert. The OMM concert started of with Mozart's 40th symphony and I must say it really isn't the orchestra's forte. Lots of issues with impulse made it difficult for the orchestra to fit into one another's lines and made the music sound clumsy. The Tchaikovsky was a bit better but being in SOTA's hall, balance did suffer a bit. But there was fine playing nonetheless and much to enjoy. TPO's Rite of Spring was played to a sold-out hall at Esplanade and with good reason. The concert was a collaboration between TPO and the Arts Fission company which is a well-known local dance group. The dancing was very well choreographed and the orchestra's playing, although not spectacular, was enjoyable and both art forms did fit in to one another very nicely. Although the main dancers were very energetic youths who did put up a very good performance showcasing violent moves that symbolise the sacrifice that is depicted in the piece, there was a great community effort to involve old folks as well and their part of the show was very well done as well. Kudos to all performers!
Other than that, I attended Edward and Adeline's wedding on Saturday. I wish them both a very healthy and loving life ahead.
July is here and that means my cruise holiday on the 7th as well as the big trip to AYO is coming up very soon! Excitement is building up in me and I really can't wait to be sitting in an orchestra once more, listening to a conductor demanding and squeezing every last bit of effort from the musicians. Lots of new people to meet and new places to visit as well so I'm really hyped up and I can't wait! FOr now that's all and goodnight!
Saturday, 1 June 2013
Why I chose to study music and some advice if you'd like to do so
First of all, I'd like to turn the clock back and look on the decisions that I made that put me where I am today.
When I was about to go to secondary school, I had a pretty strong belief that I don't want to study in junior college (here in Singapore that's where you study 2 years and take the GCE 'A' Levels). I wasn't really the studious kind who could stare at books or articles for an extended period of time. That still stands today. So I was pretty set on going to polytechnic, where after 3 years of mixed hands-on and theoretical studies, one gets a diploma.
At about the same time, I started getting interested in planes and I had a Flight Simulator on my computer and I would simulate flying a commercial flight, learning as much about what actually goes on in a flight and so on. So as a result, my aim was to do some form of aviation course in polytechnic and also take a pilot license at the youth flying club.
While all these were happening, I was still very happily playing the trombone in the band (something I've done since 9 years old) and enjoying band as an activity. It did feel like home to me. However, I didn't really consider becoming a musician then. It wasn't until after I went to Hong Kong with the band on an exchange that changed my decisions altogether. When the band was in Hong Kong, we exchanged with one of the youth bands there and they had a trumpet soloist, who currently plays in the HK Sinfonietta, who played the Arutiunian trumpet concert with the youth band accompanying. At that time I was just amazed at how he played. The band also played very well and it was probably at that time when exposed to such good music playing that something inside me told me, yes this is what I want to do, to play music at the highest level.
I had one more year of secondary school after we came back from Hong Kong. That means 'O' Levels and time away from the band. However, sometime in early in the year I decided to audition for the Philharmonic Youth Winds. I'd ask the teachers for the band room key almost everyday and would practise for an hour pieces that my band director had helped me pick. So I went to my first audition, not expecting much because I didn't know what the standard was. At the end of it, I was offered to join the band but on probation so that encouraged me quite a bit. I played my first concert at the Esplanade with with them and I really enjoyed myself. That gave me more intent to pursue music as a career.
Following my 'O' Levels I started to look through websites of professional musicians, particularly trombone players to find any useful articles that would help me understand the profession better. I then decided that I wanted to become an orchestral musician because I really liked playing in a group and from the orchestral recordings I have, I found I've acquired a liking for them. My first CDs contained music of Beethoven and I really enjoyed the emotion that came through from those pieces. I discovered IMSLP while trying to look for full scores of the works I was listening to and tried to follow it. I was really hooked onto music after my 'O' Levels.
I then took the audition to be admitted into the music preparatory course in NAFA and from then on, I worked hard and tried to gain as much orchestral experience as possible and today, I've been notified that I have met the graduation requirements for the diploma with a cumulative GPA of 3.25. Not really impressive but I'm really happy with my final semester grades and more importantly, how much I've seen myself progress through the 3 years in NAFA. Overall, I'm very satisfied.
If you'd like to study music at NAFA, particularly if you're a school band player who wants to head straight to NAFA right after secondary school, here's some advice. The most important thing is this: do not treat your music education as leisure. Too often I see music students who treat their music education as their CCA, as if it's some kind of fun activity with no professionalism at all. If you or your parents are paying money for you to study music full time, you are expected to get a job out of it and if you don't take your education seriously, how can anyone take you seriously? Studying music is not cheap, one has to buy scores, method books, instruments, accessories, etc. So take your education seriously. If you want a job at the end of it, work and study like you want one!
Next, have an end occupation in mind before entering. Is it being an orchestral musician, or wind band musician, school band director, general music teacher, music therapist or something else? Having the end occupation in mind gives you more reason to study music and it helps provide some motivation. Also, you'd start finding out more about that particular occupation and finding out who are the leading (insert occupation) in that field, what are the well-known institutions, etc. You'd also start networking earlier to hopefully put you in the market for jobs.
Finally, gain as much experience as you can in the local scene. Your education in school should be complemented with external engagements that help you get a closer feel of what it's like in the real world. If you want to be an orchestral or wind band performer, get out there and take as many opportunities to play for the local orchestras and wind bands. However, word of caution. Always think about value of yourself. If a project doesn't pay you, you need to ask yourself, is it worth playing? Will you get a good experience playing for the project? These are things that are more relevant the better your skills are but it's worth thinking about for every project you're offered.
So that's it. I hope you enjoy the article and find it useful. Do comment or write to me if you'd like to discuss the article or have some questions!
When I was about to go to secondary school, I had a pretty strong belief that I don't want to study in junior college (here in Singapore that's where you study 2 years and take the GCE 'A' Levels). I wasn't really the studious kind who could stare at books or articles for an extended period of time. That still stands today. So I was pretty set on going to polytechnic, where after 3 years of mixed hands-on and theoretical studies, one gets a diploma.
At about the same time, I started getting interested in planes and I had a Flight Simulator on my computer and I would simulate flying a commercial flight, learning as much about what actually goes on in a flight and so on. So as a result, my aim was to do some form of aviation course in polytechnic and also take a pilot license at the youth flying club.
While all these were happening, I was still very happily playing the trombone in the band (something I've done since 9 years old) and enjoying band as an activity. It did feel like home to me. However, I didn't really consider becoming a musician then. It wasn't until after I went to Hong Kong with the band on an exchange that changed my decisions altogether. When the band was in Hong Kong, we exchanged with one of the youth bands there and they had a trumpet soloist, who currently plays in the HK Sinfonietta, who played the Arutiunian trumpet concert with the youth band accompanying. At that time I was just amazed at how he played. The band also played very well and it was probably at that time when exposed to such good music playing that something inside me told me, yes this is what I want to do, to play music at the highest level.
I had one more year of secondary school after we came back from Hong Kong. That means 'O' Levels and time away from the band. However, sometime in early in the year I decided to audition for the Philharmonic Youth Winds. I'd ask the teachers for the band room key almost everyday and would practise for an hour pieces that my band director had helped me pick. So I went to my first audition, not expecting much because I didn't know what the standard was. At the end of it, I was offered to join the band but on probation so that encouraged me quite a bit. I played my first concert at the Esplanade with with them and I really enjoyed myself. That gave me more intent to pursue music as a career.
Following my 'O' Levels I started to look through websites of professional musicians, particularly trombone players to find any useful articles that would help me understand the profession better. I then decided that I wanted to become an orchestral musician because I really liked playing in a group and from the orchestral recordings I have, I found I've acquired a liking for them. My first CDs contained music of Beethoven and I really enjoyed the emotion that came through from those pieces. I discovered IMSLP while trying to look for full scores of the works I was listening to and tried to follow it. I was really hooked onto music after my 'O' Levels.
I then took the audition to be admitted into the music preparatory course in NAFA and from then on, I worked hard and tried to gain as much orchestral experience as possible and today, I've been notified that I have met the graduation requirements for the diploma with a cumulative GPA of 3.25. Not really impressive but I'm really happy with my final semester grades and more importantly, how much I've seen myself progress through the 3 years in NAFA. Overall, I'm very satisfied.
If you'd like to study music at NAFA, particularly if you're a school band player who wants to head straight to NAFA right after secondary school, here's some advice. The most important thing is this: do not treat your music education as leisure. Too often I see music students who treat their music education as their CCA, as if it's some kind of fun activity with no professionalism at all. If you or your parents are paying money for you to study music full time, you are expected to get a job out of it and if you don't take your education seriously, how can anyone take you seriously? Studying music is not cheap, one has to buy scores, method books, instruments, accessories, etc. So take your education seriously. If you want a job at the end of it, work and study like you want one!
Next, have an end occupation in mind before entering. Is it being an orchestral musician, or wind band musician, school band director, general music teacher, music therapist or something else? Having the end occupation in mind gives you more reason to study music and it helps provide some motivation. Also, you'd start finding out more about that particular occupation and finding out who are the leading (insert occupation) in that field, what are the well-known institutions, etc. You'd also start networking earlier to hopefully put you in the market for jobs.
Finally, gain as much experience as you can in the local scene. Your education in school should be complemented with external engagements that help you get a closer feel of what it's like in the real world. If you want to be an orchestral or wind band performer, get out there and take as many opportunities to play for the local orchestras and wind bands. However, word of caution. Always think about value of yourself. If a project doesn't pay you, you need to ask yourself, is it worth playing? Will you get a good experience playing for the project? These are things that are more relevant the better your skills are but it's worth thinking about for every project you're offered.
So that's it. I hope you enjoy the article and find it useful. Do comment or write to me if you'd like to discuss the article or have some questions!
Tuesday, 28 May 2013
So almost 3 weeks have passed since my recital. I must admit I have eased my foot off the pedal and have been enjoying the free time and free mind so far. But I think I shall not stay that way too long. I have planned some work for myself to do and I should get on with them!
I've just about completed my A1 course in German. Really glad it's done. It has been about one year since I started. It was tough in the beginning but it's starting to fall into place now. My German teacher is flying back to Germany to visit her family for a month so lots of work she has set for me.
Slide That! rehearsals are under way and it's great to be playing again. We have set repertoire for the upcoming concert. More details to be settled but the first half will include pretty varied repertoire. Only thing now is that attendance might be a problem so I hope everyone will do their part.
An article is coming up on why I studied music and some advice for the student (particularly wind band players) who is thinking of coming to NAFA to further their studies. Stay tuned for that!
I've just about completed my A1 course in German. Really glad it's done. It has been about one year since I started. It was tough in the beginning but it's starting to fall into place now. My German teacher is flying back to Germany to visit her family for a month so lots of work she has set for me.
Slide That! rehearsals are under way and it's great to be playing again. We have set repertoire for the upcoming concert. More details to be settled but the first half will include pretty varied repertoire. Only thing now is that attendance might be a problem so I hope everyone will do their part.
An article is coming up on why I studied music and some advice for the student (particularly wind band players) who is thinking of coming to NAFA to further their studies. Stay tuned for that!
Sunday, 19 May 2013
Life as a music student at NAFA
I'm done with my recital! So that's it, 3 years of my Diploma in Music Performance gone by. It has been a fulfilling journey so far and I feel in the mood to share my experience of how the course is like.
Entering the course, I already had set my sights on becoming an orchestral player. It was something I wanted to do from the moment I said to myself that I want to become a musician. However, experience and knowledge wasn't on my side. I knew very little of the repertoire, I have never played in an orchestra before NAFA. As I entered my first year, I think I was quite lucky to be able to play in orchestra straight away. It wasn't easy, and I had to come to terms with the precision needed. Technique was also in the way; I was very far from being consistent and intonation was always a struggle. But I kept the mentality of working hard, I knew I had to. Also, when I was in my first year, I had a senior who got me to come to school in the mornings to do exercises together and that's something that developed into a habit for me. Music theory was a slight struggle but I pulled through as I had classmates who had learnt the stuff before and I could always seek help from them. Aural was also a struggle especially pitch and throughout my three years it would be something I would quite unknowingly, become better at, although not fantastic even now! Between the first and second semester of first year, I took many projects and I really learnt quite a bit from there. More orchestral experience (especially etiquette) was gained during the break. After an uneventful second semester, the second year came. A change in the syllabus after the signing of the RCM agreement meant our academic syllabus especially for theory changed quite a lot. We now had to do both piano and actual theory in less contact hours per week. That was a big struggle as I have absolutely zero skill on piano; I just know which key plays what pitch. So for one year under this program, I did struggle quite a lot but again I pulled through somehow. A very influential trip to Italy really opened up my mind as to what the industry is about. Standing in the circle of big name players, playing for them, learning from them and hearing them play for one whole week was really big inspiration for me. I found I approached music almost completely differently when I came back. I paid a lot more attention to what really matters, playing whats on the page, bringing the notes to life. At this point I gained a lot more confidence in my playing. I would know when I put on a bad representation of myself and when I didn't, I'd know I should take it to the next level. Positive feedback was always an encouragement for me to further my standards. In the second semester, Mr. Lim Yau was appointed head of orchestral studies and he too really opened my mind a lot. His thought out way of dealing with the orchestra and improving its standards can be very easily seen today. Under him, I gained even more understanding of how an orchestra functions and what are the demands we can expect out there. Overall, it was a really fruitful year in school. Following that, I took the challenge of playing 2nd trombone in OMM for 6 months. Playing tenor itself was a challenge, but playing 2nd really opened up even more of my perspectives as to how important the part is and that it takes a lot of sensitivity to play the part correctly. As I got more comfortable on the tenor, I'd push myself even further to make myself a better 2nd trombone player. The need to constantly be listening to the 2 players either side of me, adjusting sound, intonation and articulation was kinda forced upon me and I'm glad for it because it's something we should all be doing as high-level musicians but it might not be apparent to us unless in cases like playing 2nd trombone. Had lots of fun on tour with OMM and looking back, my confidence grew and grew as I started to know more through knowledge gained in school and experience gained from being actively playing. At this point, with this knowledge and experience, I start to wonder how some people can get through music school with the attitudes they carry. They don't seem to have a goal to aim for nor do they seem very keen or motivated to working hard towards achieving something truly useful. It begins to dishearten me what kind of people we have here who are supposed to be representatives of the music scene here. Of course there are really good examples, but to me they are far outnumbered by the others. I really did find the school dry of initiative, of creative juices and encouragement. I'd see myself trying to help but I did feel that I lacked support. Perhaps it was because I didn't try hard enough and it's probably stuff I should continue working at and putting even more effort into. Third year did feel a bit of a routine. A trip to Holland gave even more inspiration, taught me a lot about phrasing, how to practise more efficiently and network as well. My first professional audition came and even though I didn't win the freelance position, it gave me really valuable experience as to how I should prepare for an audition. A change in teacher in the second semester did mix things up a bit but it was refreshing to be learning from someone else and have insights I wouldn't get had my previous teacher stayed. I won my first big audition under him (AYO), and although not professional, I consider it to be of high level. There was one module I didn't really like and it was Instrumental & Vocal Teaching. To me, the outreach part in the second semester didn't really help me at all and didn't seem to fit what the module should be about. I was glad when we finished it off. After that, all I had to do was focus on the exams and recital and they went through quite smoothly, save the history exam. Recital was quite a nice experience, most things went to plan. And so, poof! Here we are! Yes I know slightly over a week has passed since but most times I'm trying to enjoy life, exercising, playing more games, watching more TV. These were things I didn't do while I was focusing on my studies. It didn't seem like sacrifices to me because I enjoyed mostly what I was doing in school. I definitely enjoy playing my instrument and it really kept me going all these years. I really do not regret going down this road. It is not easy, it requires a lot of hard work, patience, humility and dedication but in the end, it is enjoyable if you can combine those.
So yup, that was a very brief summary of my life as a music student at NAFA. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to write to me on Facebook! I'll try to keep updated throughout the holidays with my activities. That's all for now, goodnight!
Entering the course, I already had set my sights on becoming an orchestral player. It was something I wanted to do from the moment I said to myself that I want to become a musician. However, experience and knowledge wasn't on my side. I knew very little of the repertoire, I have never played in an orchestra before NAFA. As I entered my first year, I think I was quite lucky to be able to play in orchestra straight away. It wasn't easy, and I had to come to terms with the precision needed. Technique was also in the way; I was very far from being consistent and intonation was always a struggle. But I kept the mentality of working hard, I knew I had to. Also, when I was in my first year, I had a senior who got me to come to school in the mornings to do exercises together and that's something that developed into a habit for me. Music theory was a slight struggle but I pulled through as I had classmates who had learnt the stuff before and I could always seek help from them. Aural was also a struggle especially pitch and throughout my three years it would be something I would quite unknowingly, become better at, although not fantastic even now! Between the first and second semester of first year, I took many projects and I really learnt quite a bit from there. More orchestral experience (especially etiquette) was gained during the break. After an uneventful second semester, the second year came. A change in the syllabus after the signing of the RCM agreement meant our academic syllabus especially for theory changed quite a lot. We now had to do both piano and actual theory in less contact hours per week. That was a big struggle as I have absolutely zero skill on piano; I just know which key plays what pitch. So for one year under this program, I did struggle quite a lot but again I pulled through somehow. A very influential trip to Italy really opened up my mind as to what the industry is about. Standing in the circle of big name players, playing for them, learning from them and hearing them play for one whole week was really big inspiration for me. I found I approached music almost completely differently when I came back. I paid a lot more attention to what really matters, playing whats on the page, bringing the notes to life. At this point I gained a lot more confidence in my playing. I would know when I put on a bad representation of myself and when I didn't, I'd know I should take it to the next level. Positive feedback was always an encouragement for me to further my standards. In the second semester, Mr. Lim Yau was appointed head of orchestral studies and he too really opened my mind a lot. His thought out way of dealing with the orchestra and improving its standards can be very easily seen today. Under him, I gained even more understanding of how an orchestra functions and what are the demands we can expect out there. Overall, it was a really fruitful year in school. Following that, I took the challenge of playing 2nd trombone in OMM for 6 months. Playing tenor itself was a challenge, but playing 2nd really opened up even more of my perspectives as to how important the part is and that it takes a lot of sensitivity to play the part correctly. As I got more comfortable on the tenor, I'd push myself even further to make myself a better 2nd trombone player. The need to constantly be listening to the 2 players either side of me, adjusting sound, intonation and articulation was kinda forced upon me and I'm glad for it because it's something we should all be doing as high-level musicians but it might not be apparent to us unless in cases like playing 2nd trombone. Had lots of fun on tour with OMM and looking back, my confidence grew and grew as I started to know more through knowledge gained in school and experience gained from being actively playing. At this point, with this knowledge and experience, I start to wonder how some people can get through music school with the attitudes they carry. They don't seem to have a goal to aim for nor do they seem very keen or motivated to working hard towards achieving something truly useful. It begins to dishearten me what kind of people we have here who are supposed to be representatives of the music scene here. Of course there are really good examples, but to me they are far outnumbered by the others. I really did find the school dry of initiative, of creative juices and encouragement. I'd see myself trying to help but I did feel that I lacked support. Perhaps it was because I didn't try hard enough and it's probably stuff I should continue working at and putting even more effort into. Third year did feel a bit of a routine. A trip to Holland gave even more inspiration, taught me a lot about phrasing, how to practise more efficiently and network as well. My first professional audition came and even though I didn't win the freelance position, it gave me really valuable experience as to how I should prepare for an audition. A change in teacher in the second semester did mix things up a bit but it was refreshing to be learning from someone else and have insights I wouldn't get had my previous teacher stayed. I won my first big audition under him (AYO), and although not professional, I consider it to be of high level. There was one module I didn't really like and it was Instrumental & Vocal Teaching. To me, the outreach part in the second semester didn't really help me at all and didn't seem to fit what the module should be about. I was glad when we finished it off. After that, all I had to do was focus on the exams and recital and they went through quite smoothly, save the history exam. Recital was quite a nice experience, most things went to plan. And so, poof! Here we are! Yes I know slightly over a week has passed since but most times I'm trying to enjoy life, exercising, playing more games, watching more TV. These were things I didn't do while I was focusing on my studies. It didn't seem like sacrifices to me because I enjoyed mostly what I was doing in school. I definitely enjoy playing my instrument and it really kept me going all these years. I really do not regret going down this road. It is not easy, it requires a lot of hard work, patience, humility and dedication but in the end, it is enjoyable if you can combine those.
So yup, that was a very brief summary of my life as a music student at NAFA. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to write to me on Facebook! I'll try to keep updated throughout the holidays with my activities. That's all for now, goodnight!
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