MusICian

yup, this post is long overdue. i was just _______ (insert usual string of excuses).

InTempo 2008 (15th March) came and went. the hell week also came and went. at the end of it, everything was really worthwhile, and i was rewarded with a fantastic bout of music making, amongst some of the most musical musicians on Planet Earth (pun with full intention).

i think you can ask anybody in NUS Wind Symphony, and they will tell you that it is probably the best concert they have ever played; in their lives. in our first concert with Mr Leonard Tan, we played Danse Diabolique, Kirkpatrick Fanfare, Miss Saigon Selections, Bayou Breakdown and Hymn to the Infinite Sky (just some of the pieces). in our second, we scaled the Alps in Soaring Over The Ridges and Poema Alpestre. in our third, we visited the Star Wars Trilogy. in our fourth, and our 40th Anniversary of existence, we traveled through space, landing on Planet Earth.

each concert grew on the success of the last, and each concert became better. our learned audience got to appreciate us better each time, and our seasoned audience have watched us grow in numbers and in sound. each concert brought about a different level of maturity in sound and musicality, and such is the legacy Mr Leonard Tan has set for us.

this concert is the best i have ever played in, and Planet Earth was at its very most emotional. i started the concert with Crescent and Five Stars, telling myself i have to set the concert ablaze immediately. it was over before i knew it, and martin was up next with Folk Song Suite. Mr Tan then took the stage with a soulful Finlandia, before unleashing a fun-filled Cartoon.

and then the 2nd half was unstoppable.

albeit mistakes in some parts, Planet Earth was so intense, so emotional, so overbearing that in so many of the parts, i almost broke down in tears! the entire Wind Symphony joined together in the 3rd movement and poured their souls into the music, bringing that magical piece alive in a way we’ve never experienced before. it was at that exact moment many would have realised why we have devoted so much of our time to music-making; exactly for moments like this, where we could just die right there and not feel any regrets!

i was totally on the verge of tears while cloud beside me quietly wept, overwhelmed by the emotional intensity (the only thing that stopped me was the fact that i was on stage; i had to fight back my tears really hard).

when we ended the piece in an intense release, the applause from the audience was extraordinary; a mini-standing-ovation from the VIPs and a few others! and i thought i would never ever see a standing ovation in Singapore! tell me, why should i regret making music at this level?

after the concert, before we could recover from the high, huili and i rushed down to the airport to catch our flight to Jakarta! it was our mini-honeymoon, since i had to travel down to Jakarta to attend my diploma award ceremony for the ABRSM performing diploma i finally passed last year. and the 2 days and nights we had there were truly awesome! good food, good rooms, good ceremony, good leisure activities, but we didn’t do much sightseeing due to lack of time and knowledge of infrastructure. we had room-service-breakfast on the day we left! it was really cheap, and the servings were huge O.o

a few days after coming back from the trip, huili and i mysteriously fell ill together, showing the same symptoms. she has recovered since, but i am still mysteriously ill. even now i feel nauseous, and i threw up this morning. i feel something is not right with me; i’ve really gotta see a doctor tomorrow morning to check it out. SYF is in 2 weeks, i really can’t afford to be sick now.

ok, also about time i got to sleep. really thank all my students who came to the concert, hope you have truly enjoyed listening to these emotionally intense stuff. really thank all my friends who came, whom i didn’t get a chance to speak to because i was in a hurry. really thank all in NUSWS for being part of this incredible music-making process, and for enduring my off-days on the podium. really thank the clarinet section for trusting me with sectionals, working hard in getting the notes right, and always being present for sectionals and practices. really thank huili dear for always being so supportive, and for the wonderful mini-honeymoon that i’m sure we will never forget!

and really must thank my mom and dad, who patiently sat through almost all of my concerts, appreciating quietly my one passion that keeps me alive every day