Different by Bards Of Neverland

Bards of Neverland, a string quartet comprising young musicians, are abandoning the traditional concert hall for their debut recital.

Instead, they are trying out something different – as the title of their recital suggests – by playing at The Green Room, located within Pasir Panjang Power Station, in this late-night and immersive presentation.

All four members – David Loke, 32; Cho Hang Oh, 30; Martin Peh, 31; and Yang Shuxiang, 35 – are alumni of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music and have been mentored under Lionel Tan, a founding member of T’ang Quartet.

Look forward to classics by German composer Felix Mendelssohn and German-British composer Max Richter, as well as two original compositions by Loke.

His composition, Lost Touch, is by no means a conventional piece of classical music.

Loke says: “Lost Touch is a piece that was written primarily about anxiety. Our unofficial track name was ‘Where’s My Phone’. The track evokes a senseless breathlessness, increased heart rate and sweatiness that all of us experience when we can’t find our mobile phone and we think we’ve lost it.”

Where: The Green Room, Pasir Panjang Power Station, 27 Pasir Panjang Road
MRT: Labrador Park
When: Dec 8, 9.30pm (doors open at 7.30pm)
Admission: $58 (adults) and $38 (students), including booking fees
Info: str.sg/if65

Voices – A Festival Of Song

The 11th edition of Voices – A Festival Of Song, the Esplanade’s celebration of vocal music, takes place from Dec 7 to 10.

Audiences can look forward to performances by two renowned international acts at the Esplanade Concert Hall.

German vocal ensemble Die Singphoniker are set to regale concertgoers with their warm voices in their Christmas concert on Dec 8 at 7.30pm. The male a cappella group have performed in more than 1,300 concerts in 29 countries and recorded multiple award-winning CDs.

Those in search of gospel tunes will not want to miss the London Community Gospel Choir’s performance on Dec 10 at 5pm. The group have been dubbed by the British media as “the nation’s favourite choir”.

There are also free performances throughout the festival. Check out two at the Emmanuel & Sons piano shop: a nostalgic cabaret celebrating Singapore’s golden age of amusement parks (Dec 8, 7.15 and 8.15pm) and bite-size recitals by The Opera People (Dec 9, 5.15, 6.15 and 7.15pm)

Where: Various locations at Esplanade, 1 Esplanade Drive
MRT: City Hall/Esplanade
When: Dec 7 to 10, various timings
Admission: Both free and ticketed programmes
Info: str.sg/if6S

No Strings Attached by Paper Monkey Theatre

A mini puppetry festival organised by the bilingual theatre group Paper Monkey Theatre will take place at the Asian Civilisations Museum on Dec 9 and 10.

The festival is recommended for three- to 10-year-olds and each ticket will give you access to three shows that explore the magical world of puppets.

Shows include Paper Monkey Theatre’s The Big Bully, which depicts a hungry bully snatching food from other kids; Malaysian performer Anthony Lee’s Bunny’s Adventure, about a brave and adventurous bunny; and Thai puppeteers Ta Lent Show Theatre’s Safari, which combines mime and object theatre to talk about wildlife.

In addition to the shows, there are also paid workshops which are separately ticketed. Two fringe shows are free for the public.

Where: Ngee Ann Auditorium, Asian Civilisations Museum, 1 Empress Place
MRT: Clarke Quay/City Hall
When: Dec 9 and 10, 2 to 4pm; workshops are from 4.15 to 5pm
Admission: $35 for three performances in two hours; $10 for workshops; fringe shows are free
Info: papermonkey.com.sg/no-strings-attached-2023