A dream come true

By Corrie Tan, Published in Lifestyle, 5 January 2012

On the night of his 14th birthday, Darrell Ang had a dream. The details of that dream are now hazy but when he woke, he knew that he had to become a conductor. And become one he did.

Ang, now 32, says of the profession: 'It's not something that you think you want to do or that you think you plan to do. If it happens, it happens; if it doesn't, it doesn't.

'It's not like - you go into university and you study, and when you graduate you can apply for this job or that job. It doesn't work that way, in my opinion. You don't choose to be a conductor - it chooses you.'

He is speaking to Life! over the telephone from London, a city he frequents because of his orchestral commitments in Europe. This year, he will be taking up a new post as the music director of L'Orchestre de Bretagne, an accomplished orchestra in Brittany, France, which was established in 1989. Ang, who was selected from 164 candidates, will be the youngest person and the first Asian ever appointed to this post.

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By Marc Rochester, Published in Lifestyle, Dec 8, 2011

A NEW BEGINNING - Singapore National Youth Orchestra/Darrel Ang
Esplanade Concert Hall
Wednesday, Dec 7, 2011

Celebrating its 10th birthday in the presence of President Tony Tan, the Singapore National Youth Orchestra put on a show which would have been the envy of many professional orchestras.

It kicked off with some gorgeous string in Vaughan Williams' Tallis Fantasia, while wind and percussion were given their 15 minutes of fame, the latter in a newly commissioned work by Singaporean composer Chen Zhangyi.

A masterly performance of Mahler's First Symphony was very much the highlight of the concert, Darrel Ang driving these young players to extraordinary heights of excellence in a performance of exceptional colour, vibrancy and, ultimately, excitement.

By Christopher Lim, Published in The Business Times, April 22, 2011

Many international classical musicians perform here, but concerts alone don’t help to grow the pool of young artists here even though they provide valuable exposure. Masterclasses and mentorship programmes are more educational for aspiring performers, and Canadian violinist Lara St John and Hungarian pianist Adam Gyorgy are here to do just that.

St John was brought in by specialty chemicals company LANXESS as part of its mentorship partnership with the Singapore National Youth Orchestra (SNYO) called LANXESS SNYO Classic. She kicked off her stint on Monday with a lecture demonstration attended by 165 students from 63 schools. Masterclasses ran on Tuesday and Wednesday, and will continue tomorrow and Monday. She also played Tchaikovsky’s violin concerto last night at the Esplanade Concert Hall with the SNYO in her Singapore debut.

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By Magdalen Ng, Published in Straits times Online, March 24, 2011

Hwa Chong Institution student Rachel Ho has been practising the flute for an hour a day. But she now realises that is not enough, after a study trip to Italy to learn from renowned flautist Andrea Griminelli.

The 16-year-old says: 'This is really a wake-up call. I've been busy with junior college life but I really have to practise harder and longer from now.'

She was one of three students from the Singapore National Youth Orchestra (SNYO) who spent a week in the Italian city of Reggio Emilia, Griminelli's hometown. There, they had daily workshops with the flautist at the Conservatory of Reggio Emilia and also attended a recital by their mentor.

The other two musicians on the trip were Jasper Goh, 19, who recently graduated from Temasek Polytechnic with a diploma in law and management, and Tu Sijing, 17, a fourth-year student at the School Of The Arts.

The trip is part of the LANXESS SNYO Classic programme, a three-year initiative jointly developed by global speciality chemicals company LANXESS and the orchestra.

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