Dion TohThink of “local music” and you’d be forgiven for having Gentle Bones’ mug seize your visual cortex, or Shigga Shay’s rapping latch on in your head. This near-monopolization of the term unconsciously conjures images of young’uns and bubbling indie talents rocking on stages. But it’s not quite the definition of local music if you ask music aficionados.
Local music is more than the indie rockers and rappers especially privy to our youthful readers but if one looks, or listens, hard enough, you would find gems aplenty, such as the Singapore Lyric Orchestra Children’s Choir (SLOCC).
There was an exceptionally high wattage of prepubescent presence at the concert hall that night, where the turnout comprised mostly of schoolmates cheering on their own in a charming show of solidarity amongst children. Christened “After The Rain” and focusing mostly on water-themed songs, the performance celebrates our beloved H2O as a “primary source of life”, and began aplomb with the talents not only making up the ensemble for the choir, but also doubling up as hosts with placards to read from.
Their first song, “3 Little Fishes” sets the tune for the performance immediately. With synchronized movements and miming with little touches of antics, these were different from the stoicism of the otherwise gentle shimmying we’d get from an adult choir. We were treated to songs that, while unfamiliar, tested the vocal ranges of the children. From the upbeat and beatific “Waltzing Matilda” to the complex and exquisite rendition of “Ikan Kekek”, the children impressively swam through (sometimes as fish) and hit notes in songs of multiple languages. This culminated in a familiar tune – a Little Mermaid medley that proved just a bit too much for the ensemble as they faltered slightly in the more complicated prose before an intermission.
Even so, while entertaining and lively, most of the songs chosen were light and frothy and just as easily forgotten as enjoyed.
But this was not a precursor to what the 2nd portion of the performance was like.
Starting with “Where Go The Boats” a song they’d performed 2 years ago, the 3 choirs in attendance, SLOCC joined by Bedok South Secondary School, Geylang Methodist Secondary School and Yishun Secondary School, rotated throughout the 2nd half. The performance then concentrated on quick melodies like “The Daffodils” by Kelly Tang, an arrangement that sweetly blended the piano’s notes with the soaring vocals of the choir, the soothing “Moon River” and “Loi Krathong”.
But the real treat was saved for the last as the ensemble came together to form a sort of mega-choir consisting of at least 100 over cherubic voices. Then, they broke out into their last 3 songs of the day: “Bridge over Troubled Water”, “Candle on the Water”, and in a fitting crescendo that ended the finale and left audiences satisfied, “The Water is Wide”.
Perhaps supporting local music need not mean a night in the mosh pit, but rather an afternoon in the seats of an arena – amongst music-loving children.