As the end of 2021 draws near, Chamber Music and Arts Singapore (CMAS) celebrates its eventful year and six-month mark as a newly registered charity by staging Beethoven250 in January 2022, a belated celebration of Beethoven’s 250th birthday, with the presentation of his complete 10 Sonatas for piano and violin over a marathon of four epic formal evening concerts and two fun interactive concerts for children, featuring Italian pianist Luca Buratto and local concert violinist Tang Tee Khoon.
Formerly known as Tang Tee Khoon Grand Series, a Concert Series that originated from a debut recital presented by local concert violinist Tang Tee Khoon in 2009 on a J.B. Guadagnini violin loaned to her by the National Arts Council in Singapore, the collective of artists embarked on a new chapter as CMAS, a non-profit Company Limited by Guarantee in July 2020, that has since achieved charity-status in June 2021.
With an ambition to bring the best music and musicians to varied communities, CMAS believes in using music to cultivate compassionate understanding and connection between people, in the hopes to inspire the love of music in all. It also seeks to be a space where musicians and artists can develop and grow.
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2021 – Year in Review
Despite the pandemic, 2021 has been a fruitful year for CMAS because of its multiple activities working with various communities. This includes welcoming beneficiaries from MINDS Caregiver Support Services into CMAS’ virtual creative sphere, The Glasshouse, its collaboration with Pasir Ris-Punggol Town grassroot organisations as part of the Mental Wellness Series for residents, and more.
Working in collaboration with numerous local and international freelance musicians and illustrators, CMAS also released its first-ever short documentary, ‘Notes of Truth’, as well as two VR360 experiences featuring works of the great classical composers Grieg and Debussy.
Image source: Chamber Music and Arts Singapore
The organisation also continued its various programmes for youths, such as the Internship Programme, for students from secondary and tertiary education institutions who are keen on acquiring hands-on experience in arts project management, the Secondary School Music Experience Programme that provide students with the opportunity to attend masterclasses, closed-door open rehearsals and evening concerts led by internationally-acclaimed musicians, as well as the Young Artist-in-Residence Programme for young talents to develop their musicianship and performance ability through close study with international artists.
Between May and July this year, CMAS successfully wrapped up its latest run of the Internship Programme with students from Henry Park Primary School and Nanyang Girls’ High School.
Founder and Artistic Director of CMAS, Tang Tee Khoon shares, “When the pandemic struck, no one knew it would change our lives completely. At that time, my thought was if the pandemic lasts six or nine months, let’s at least use this time to make a difference – even if it is small, and we are only able to help a handful of freelancers. Even though developing the virtual creative sphere was a highly ambitious project, the fact that we succeeded meant that not only could we continue to support the quality work of musicians and artists, we could connect with different communities around us to wonderful inspiring creative experiences with chamber music, all whilst still being physically distanced!”
Looking ahead to 2022
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To kickstart the new year, CMAS will return with a LIVE project at the Esplanade in January. Titled Beethoven250 LIVE @ Esplanade, audiences will be given the opportunity to journey through Beethoven’s complete 10 Sonatas for piano and violin in chronological order, in which each of the four intimate evening concerts will feature two to three Sonatas.
Additionally, young ones can look forward to a morning of fun and learning with CMAS’ engaging animateur and internationally-acclaimed classical chamber musicians in the Concerts for Children.
On top of Beethoven250, CMAS is also preparing other activities for 2022, so do keep a lookout for more updates as the charity continues to work to bring timeless music and arts to different communities in Singapore, in a bid to reach and serve a wider range of beneficiaries.
More images of CMAS’ upcoming programmes can be found here. For more information, kindly visit our website or reach out to June Tan, Public Relations Executive Manager at +65 8522 9002 or contact@chambermusicarts.com.