Singapore turns 52 this year! That’s 52 years of independence on our sunny little island!
This year, VOX was invited to perform for the National Day Observance Ceremony at the official place of residence and office of the President of Singapore:
The Istana
This is also our current President – Dr Tony Tan’s last National Day serving as our head of state before he steps down. It was therefore a great honour for us to be performing for him as well as for our country’s leaders.
VOX performed pieces arranged by First Violinist and Music Director of Vocalise, Lester Kong (far-left in image above). Guests from the President and Prime Minister’s offices were treated to a selection of crossover melodies starting with an adorable arrangement combining This Old Man and 小人物的心声.
One could not help but feel a warm, fuzzy feeling when looking at the sea of red and white that filled the room with guests wearing our country’s national colours for this special occasion
VOX also performed a medley of familiar theme songs from our local tv dramas – including The Price of Peace (和平的代价), Good Morning, Sir! (早安老师), The Unbeatables (双天至尊), The Little Nyonya (小娘惹)，and The Awakening (雾锁南洋).
The morning ended off with a heartfelt piece entitled Home with Bach – a crossover arrangement featuring Home (one of Singapore’s favourite National Day songs) as well as Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1.
Every performer hopes to be recognised for their efforts in honing their craft, and we could not have been more honoured and excited to receive compliments by our ministers as well as members of the audience for VOX’s performance that morning.
Here’s a video nugget of all that went on that day (featuring Lester Kong’s arrangement of This Old Man and 小人物的心声 )
VOX and Vocalise would like wish everyone a Happy National Day, and may our tiny red dot continue to flourish for many many years to come!
For more photos and videos, head over to our Instagram and Facebook pages: