Pop singers, award-winning filmmakers contribute to opening of the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre

SINGAPORE —The Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC) will celebrate its official opening with an eight-day Cultural Extravaganza, kicking off on May 20 with a performance helmed by filmmaker Royston Tan.
Chua Thian Poh, chairman of the SCCC, said that the S$110 million, 11-storey centre on Straits Boulevard aims to document the multi-faceted nature of Chinese culture in Singapore, while promoting innovative ideas.
“The large-scale performances (in the SCCC’s opening celebrations) will ... combine the past and present culture of Singapore,” he said in a media preview at the SCCC yesterday. A total of 13 performances are scheduled for the Cultural Extravaganza.
Tan’s show, Voyage, is a multimedia musical that will incorporate 3D projection mapping and holographic imagery. The music is based on traditional Chinese folk songs as well as rhymes, arranged by Teng Ensemble.
Tan said: “The diverse, vibrant Chinese culture in Singapore is something I have always held close to my heart.” He added that he hopes his mixed-media showcase “preserves and passes on traditional aspects of our Singapore Chinese culture, while at the same time (presenting) these art forms and values in more innovative ways”. 
The 90-minute show will feature Mediacorp actor Desmond Tan, whose part in the show includes a traditional drumming performance; veteran actress Li Yinzhu; and “getai princess” Lee Pei Fen.
Royston Tan, who is also the artistic director of the Cultural Extravaganza, will also present a specially commissioned series of short films from local filmmakers such as Eva Tang, Kirsten Tan and Boo Jun Feng. It will showcase “a different side of Singapore” as the filmmakers explore their Chinese roots, said Tan.
Fan Dong Kai, artistic director of the Chingay Parade, who also shares the title of artistic director for the cultural extravaganza with Tan, will helm the closing show.
His Sing concert shines a spotlight on local Chinese music — Mandarin music icons and pop artistes will perform locally composed songs that span the 1980s to the present day. The line-up includes pioneering xinyao performers Liang Wern Fook and Pan Ying, who will feature alongside current names such as Gentle Bones, Tay Kewei, Alfred Sim, and rapper Kevin Lester (aka The Lion City Boy). Xinyao songs are typically folksy guitar ballads composed and performed by youths in Singapore. 
“The concert aims to (lend) a fresh perspective to the development of Chinese music in Singapore,” said Fan.
Chua said: “It is exciting to have so many of our local talents on board as torchbearers, looking at traditional Chinese art forms in fresh ways for audiences both young and old.”
The Cultural Extravaganza will include workshops on puppetry,  Chinese opera, and performances by local arts and cultural groups.
Other cultural centres dedicated to specific ethnic groups include the Malay Heritage Centre, which reopened in 2012 after a 16-month makeover exercise; and the Indian Cultural Centre, which opened in 2015. The three centres focus on the history, traditions and contemporary art of the main ethnic groups in Singapore.

The SCCC Cultural Extravaganza will be held from May 20 to 27. For information on ticketing and programme details, visit www.singaporeccc.org.sg