Planet Earth

[Unofficial Publicity Material] by Nick

If you ask me, I thought that last night was the most spectacular and amazing concert I ever played in. To be playing Planet Earth with NUS wind symphony for our 40th anniversary is a honour that I will never forget.

Last night would not have been possible without the help of so many people.

To my section especially for their hard work, I cannot be thankful enough. Coming on time for sectionals , enduring my nonsense and being the best section mates anyone could ask for, thank you Yong Kiat, Siseng, Wei Ping, Derek , Erina, Hui Shan, Alan and Gabriel( Our Emcee).


Tuba Section@ NYDC from Yokes

The Exco and Pearl also deserves a great pat on the back for settling the logistics of the show piece by piece. All of them did great in their respective jobs.

Who can forget also the effort put in by the entire 102 strong band? It's you guys who made the show possible!

Not forgetting the person who directed this entire show- our conductor, Mr. Leonard Tan. Without you, there might not have been a Planet Earth. Thank you being so ever patient with us. In the whole of the 2 years in NUSWS I have never seen him lose his temper. It is you that brought us to where we are today.

The concert was over in a blink of an eye. But when I think about it. It is really the whole process of learning the piece together in the 14 rehearsals that I thought really matters.

"40 hours for our 40th anniversary" is a phrase coined by Mr. Tan for our rehearsals. It is simple and yet amazingly powerful.

So what did I think about while playing Planet Earth ? A lot of things ran through my mind.

I thought about the Besana Trip I went with the Band. About the standing ovation we had there and wondering specifically if we were about to receive one today. I thought about the many ups and downs of university life, about the friendships lost and about the new ones forged. I thought about helping Huijuan with the exhibtion stuff the night before and all the hard work everyone put in. I thought about my grandparents, who couldn't be in the audience today; about how they would feel seeing me up there with such a big band. But mostly, I thought about my parents, who I realised at the of the of the concert, were sitting in the second row for being so supportive of my band activities since secondary school. With them too were my cousin and his girlfriend.

And as I sang Gaia's hymn in preparation for the grandiso part it became crystal clear why music is so powerful. Even though we sang in an entirely different tongue, I felt a solemn silence in the whole of UCC. Music has the power to heal and to unite.

But what really choked me up was at the end of the performance as we turned to face the audience, there were already people on their feet - a small standing ovation. And although my parents were not among there, they might as well have been as the lights came up and I saw their smiling faces.

~~~

InTempo 2008

Saturday, 15th March 2008
UCC Hall, 5pm

Conductor, Mr Leonard Tan
Tickets: $12 (NOT inclusive of Gatecrash charges)

Celebrating its 40th Anniversary, NUS Wind Symphony, brings you a memorable music experience from the past and present. Be enthralled with a range of orchestral colours and electronic sounds as the band brings you the Singapore's premiere of Johann de Meij's new award-winning Symphony No. 3 - Planet Earth, a monumental 50-minute symphony

Repertoire
Stars and Crescent - Gerry Soliano
Finlandia - Jean Sibelius
English Folk Song Suite Movt 1 - Vaughan Williams
Cartoon - Paul Hart
Planet Earth - Johann de Meij [Official concert poster] by Huijuan