A love for opera

This year has been a significant year for milestone anniversaries. And we’re not just talking about celebrating Singapore’s Golden Jubilee. The world of the arts has seen some important birthdays, too. The National Arts Council’s Noise Singapore mentorship programme turned 10 this year; as did The Esplanade’s da:ns Festival. The Substation celebrated its 25th birthday recently; and this week, so does the Singapore Lyric Opera (SLO).

As a going concern, the SLO, with its main objective to promote and present Western opera, may not have had much attention as other practitioners of Western classical music and its various permutations. But fans will tell you that its place in the local music scene is warranted — the SLO doesn’t only perform “fan favourites”, it also presents operas not frequently performed in the Asia-Pacific region.

Since its inaugural performance of Mozart’s Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute) in 1991, the SLO has been quite active: It has an annual season of performances and it also does regular showcases and outreach programmes such as the free Opera In The Park at the Botanic Gardens (it has played to more than 30,000 since that began seven years ago).

Notable SLO productions have included Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage Of Figaro, 2006), Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber Of Seville, 2007), La Boheme (2010), Salome (2011), and Cosi Fan Tutte (2014).

And the SLO has also since branched out with performing groups under its wing, such as the Singapore Lyric Opera Children’s Choir, the Opera Chorus and the SLO Orchestra.

Not bad for a format that isn’t always on the top of people’s minds when you mention the phrase “Singapore’s music scene”.

Which is why members of the SLO aren’t taking their 25th birthday lightly. Take Nancy Yuen, the Hong Kong-born soprano who is perhaps best known for her role in Madama Butterfly. But she’s more than a performer: Earlier this year, she was appointed the first honorary artistic director of the SLO.

As such, she is helping to helm this year’s gala concert, which happens this Friday. The show will see 20 excerpts from some of the lyric opera’s oeuvre.

“The programme includes the very first opera SLO presented in 1990, The Magic Flute, the most recent production of Pagliacci and Turandot, together with all time favourites, such as La Traviata and Madama Butterfly; as well as SLO’s own commission, Leong Yoon Pin’s Bunga Mawar,” she told TODAY.

There will also be appearances by SLO Chorus, Children’s Choir with music by the SLO Orchestra.

Yuen said that it was fortituous that the SLO celebrates turning 25 this year. “With SG50, Singapore is in a celebratory mode ... This makes us feel extra excited and proud to move forward, through strengthening the company in the hopes of continuing to achieve new heights,” she said.

“Being a Singaporean, I have always wanted to contribute in whatever way I can, to give back to the society. It is appropriate, though daunting, to take up this task. In collaboration with the Artistic Committee, we are working out future performance plans for the company. I am hoping to have the first SLO Young Artist Programme and the ASEAN Voice Competition in 2016,” said Yuen, who was previously nurturing Singapore’s young voices as the head of vocal studies at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts from 2003 to 2010.

Yuen said one of the initiatives is to bring operas to schools, community centres, libraries and even shopping malls. “This is to introduce this niche art form to more people,” she explained.

For the soprano, who started her opera career in August 1988, the challenges of being a singer still remains the same. “Keeping the voice and mind in tip-top condition!” she said. “Opera singing is still viewed as a pastime by some people, as Singapore has yet to have enough job opportunities in opera to generate an industry. As a result, it is difficult to gain the respect that one has in other parts of the world when one mentions that one is an opera singer.”

Nevertheless, Yuen said that she is still as passionate about her job. “The music, drama, emotions, movements and raw passion! Each and every performance is different and unique. I have a positive and curious mind, I enjoy and welcome all surprises by performers in all productions.”

Still, for audiences who are perhaps unfamiliar with opera and are thinking of attending the SLO gala concert, Yuen had some tips for making sure you get the fullest experience. “It is always good to familiarise oneself with the music and the story of the opera before attending a performance. Nowadays, it’s only a click away to get access to the recordings of past performances,” she said. ADDITIONAL TEXT BY CHRISTOPHER TOH

SLO’s 25th anniversary Gala Concert is on Friday, 7.30pm, at the Esplanade Concert Hall. Tickets fromSISTIC.