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SENTIRE SINGAPORE Helping the hearing and visually impaired in Singapore access and enjoy the performing arts. 2014/15 PROGRAMME
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SENTIRE!SINGAPORE!Helping!the!hearing!and!visually!impaired!in!Singapore!access!and!enjoy!the!performing!arts.!
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!2014/15!PROGRAMME!
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!MESSAGE!FROM!THE!ARTISTIC!DIRECTOR!!!
We! had! a! fantastic! inaugural! year! at! Sentire! Singapore,! with! several! guest!
performers!bringing!their!unique!blend!of!music!and!interaction!to!the!students!
at!the!Singapore!School!for!the!Deaf!(SSD).!The!students!at!the!Lighthouse!School!
also!received!the!opportunity!to!learn!more!about!the!symphony!orchestra!and!
experienced! an! unforgettable! a! concert! with! the! Braddell! Heights! Symphony!
Orchestra.!!
!
This! year,! we! decided! to! focus! on! three! ‘Cs’! –! confidence,! coordination,! and!
creativity!at!the!SSD,!while!continuing!to!organise!a!myriad!of!arts!programmes!
for! both! the! SSD! and! the! Lighthouse! School.! We! would! also! be! collaborating!
ensembles! such! as! the! Singapore! Composers! Lab! Ensemble,! the! exciting!
TravelClef,!whom!we!invited!last!year,!and!also!the!Braddell!Heights!Symphony!
Orchestra.!There!would!also!be!a!unique!online!showcase!of!works!done!by!the!
students!at!the!SSD!at!the!end!of!the!2014/15!year.!
!
Deafness! and! blindness! are! often! misunderstood.! There! is! a! common!
misconception!that!the!deaf!live!in!a!world!of!silence!and!the!blind!in!a!world!of!
darkness!and!hence!are!not!able!to!experience!and!enjoy!the!performing!arts.!At!
Sentire! Singapore,!we!believe! that! the! arts! should!be! accessible! to! all!walks!of!
life,!and!we!strive!to!bring!the!arts!to!the!hearing!and!visually!impaired!through!
several!special!projects!each!year.!
!!!Yours!truly,!!!!!!Amos!Chia!!
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Sentire!Singapore!with!the!Singapore!School!for!the!Deaf!
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SENTIRE!SINGAPORE!!
Sentire! (to# feel,# to#hear)! Singapore! is! an!on[going! initiative! to!help! the!hearing!
and!visually!impaired!in!Singapore!access,!appreciate!and!enjoy!the!performing!
arts.!
!
Sentire! Singapore! began! as! an! outreach! project! which! consisted! of! a! special!
music! workshop! and! performance! dedicated! to! the! hearing[impaired! at! the!
Singapore!School!for!the!Deaf!(SSD).!The!project,!titled!Project:SENTIRE,!was!the!
first!of!its!kind!and!was!held!in!the!multi[sensory!sound!laboratory!at!the!SSD!in!
January! 2013.! Since! its! inaugural! project,! Sentire! Singapore! has! designed! and!
organized!5!more!projects!in!2013,!and!was!also!invited!to!showcase!a!vocal!and!
soundpainting! performance! at! the! inaugural! Singapore!Association! of! the!Deaf!
(SADeaf)! gala!dinner,! in! front!of!more! than!450!distinguished!guests! including!
Mdm.!Ho!Ching.!!
!
A! philanthropic! initiative,! Sentire! Singapore! is! established! to! provide! an!
experience!as! interesting!and!satisfying!to!the!hearing!and!visually! impaired! in!
Singapore.!It!is!our!intention!to!expose!the!hearing!and!visually!impaired!to!rich!
and! varied! performing! arts! experiences! which! includes! performances! and!
collaboration,!and!to!inspire!and!nurture!creative!minds!
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! ! ! ! CO[FOUNDER!/!ARTISTIC!DIRECTOR!#!# # # # AMOS!CHIA!
!!!!!Amos!Chia!founded!Sentire!Singapore!in!October!2012!together!with!his!partner!
Elise!Li.!
!
When!Amos!was!a!composition!student!in!London,!he!was!inspired!to!compose!
pieces!of!music!and!organize!performances!which!both!the!hearing!and!visually!
impaired!could!experience!as!satisfying!as!anyone!else!would.!This!eventually!led!
to! the! idea! for! the! creation! of! a! special! project,! Project:SENTIRE,! where! the!
hearing[impaired! would! be! introduced! to! various! genres! of! music! and! the!
various! instruments! of! an! orchestra.! Project:SENTIRE! was! extremely! well[
received,!and!at!the!urging!of!Elise!Li,!Sentire!Singapore!was!formed!to!continue!
to!help!the!hearing!and!visually!impaired!access!and!enjoy!the!performing!arts!in!
Singapore.!!
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Amos!is!currently!affiliated!with!the!famed!Mariinsky!Theatre!as!an!apprentice!of!
Leonid! Korchmar! and! also! a! graduate! conducting! student! at! the! N.A.! Rimsky[
Korsakov!St.!Petersburg!State!Conservatory.!He!has!also!received!several!awards!
including! the!Platinum!Award! (Solo!Piano)! for! a!perfect! score!at! the! inaugural!
Singapore!Performers’!Festival,!the!Trinity!College!of!Music!Scholarship!and!both!
the! 2nd! and! 3rd! FJ! Benjamin[Singapore! Symphony!Orchestra! Bursary! Award! in!
2013!and!2014.!!
!http://amoschia.com!!!!!!!!!!
! ! ! ! CO[FOUNDER!/!ASSOCIATE!DIRECTOR!!! ! ! ! ELISE!LI!
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!!!The! idea!of!an!on[going!charitable! initiative! is! the!brainchild!of!Elise!Li,!who!is!
currently!a!scholar!at!the!Singapore!Management!University.!!
!
Elise! was! the! Arts! and! Cultural! Director! of! the! Temasek! Junior! College! (TJC)!
Students’!Council,!and!the!organiser!of!Project!Bag!to!School!2011,!during!which!
her! team! collaborated! with! TOUCH! Community! Services! to! provide!
underprivileged! children! with! a! basic! schooling! kit.! Having! a! passion! for!
volunteerism!and!the!arts,!Elise!wanted!to!create!a!platform!where!the!hearing!
and!visually!impaired!would!be!able!to!enjoy!all!forms!of!performing!arts!such!as!
music!and!dance.!!
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! ! ! ! MUSIC!DIRECTOR!! ! ! ! LIEW!KONGMENG!!
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Local! composer! Liew! Kongmeng! was! a! volunteer! at! Sentire! Singapore’s!
inaugural! project! in! January! 2013,! and!was! subsequently! invited! back! to! head!
the!music!programme!as!the!music!director.!!
Kongmeng!was!recently!awarded!the!top!prize!at!the!3rd!Goethe!Institut!Young!
Composers! in! Southeast! Asia! Competition! (Bangkok,! Thailand)! and! was! also!
selected! to! represent! Singapore! as! a! finalist! in! the! upcoming! 2014! Asian!
Composers!League!Festival!Young!Composers!Competition!(Tokyo,!Japan).!!
In!2011,!Kongmeng!was!awarded!a!full!scholarship!to!study!composition!with!Ho!
Chee!Kong!at!the!Yong!Siew!Toh!Conservatory!of!Music,!the!music!faculty!of!the!
National! University! of! Singapore,! where! he! is! currently! a! third! year! student.!
Prior!to!this!he!was!also!awarded!the!Music!Elective!Scholarship!in!2007!by!the!
Ministry! of! Education! to! study! music! at! the! pre[university! level! at! Temasek!
Junior! College.! He! has! also! participated! in! lessons! and! masterclasses! with!
composers! Chaya! Czernowin,! Steven! Takasugi,! Allain! Gaussin,! Dieter! Mack,!
Chong! Kee! Yong,! Jonas! Baes,! Koji! Nakano,! Cristopher! Butterfield,! Owen!
Underhill,! Joel! Hoffman,! Michael! Asmara,! Hoh! Chung! Shih,! Tan! Su! Lian! and!
Charles!K.!Hoag.!!
In! 2013,! Kongmeng! spearheaded! the! first! vocal! ensemble! at! the! Singapore!
School! for! the! Deaf.! In! less! than! 3! months,! Kongmeng! trained! the! hearing!
impaired!to!use!their!voices!to!sing!at!an!assigned!pitch,!and!the!vocal!ensemble!
was! invited! to! perform! at! the! SADeaf! gala! dinner! at! the! Marina! Bay! Sands!
Singapore.!!
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!SENTIRE'SINGAPORE'–'BHSO'OUTREACH'PROGRAMME'
!Sentire!Singapore!is!pleased!to!present!a!new!outreach!programme!in!
collaboration!with!the!Braddell!Heights!Symphony!Orchestra!(BHSO).!!
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The!outreach!programme!will!offer!the!young!students!at!the!Lighthouse!School!
and!the!Singapore!School!for!the!Deaf!the!opportunity!to!experience!the!
performing!arts!in!an!intimate!setting!through!performances!and!interactive!
sessions!with!the!members!of!the!BHSO.!!!!
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More!information!will!be!announced!on!our!website!
http://sentiresingapore.wordpress.com/!!
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INSTILLING!
CONFIDENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SEPTEMBER!–!OCTOBER!2014!!'2nd'SOUNDPAINTING'WORKSHOP'with'the'SINGAPORE'COMPOSERS'LAB'(SCL)'ENSEMBLE'!!
Sentire! Singapore,! together! with! the! SCL! Ensemble,! is! organising! the! 2nd!
soundpainting!workshop!where!the!students!of!the!Singapore!School!for!the!Deaf!
(SSD)! make! use! of! their! knowledge! of! basic! soundpainting! gestures! to! lead! a!
semi[professional! ensemble.! During! this! dedicated! workshop,! the! students!
would!improvise!music!while!taking!on!the!mantle!of!the!leading!Soundpainter!or!
conductor.!Every! student!would!get! the!opportunity! to! lead! the! ensemble,! and!
hence!achieving!greater!confidence!through!leadership!and!performance,!and!at!
the!same!time!enjoy!the!performing!arts.!
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Established! in!2013!by!Sentire!Singapore’s!music!director!Liew!Kongmeng,! the!
SCL!Ensemble! is! the!resident!ensemble!at! the!Singapore!Composers!Lab!and! is!
made! up! of! the! finest! young! musicians! with! a! passion! for! new! music! in!
Singapore.!!
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COORDINATION!TRAINING!
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JANUARY!–!MARCH!2015!!'TravelClef'–'Singapore'School'for'the'Deaf'(SSD)'Ukulele'Workshops''!
Following! the! success! of! the! TRAVELCLEFxSSD! event! in! August! 2014,! Sentire!
Singapore!has!decided!to!invite!the!team!at!TravelClef!to!the!SSD!once!more!and!
provide!more! ukulele! training! for! the! students! at! the! SSD.! The! SSD!would! be!
receiving! their! very! own! ukuleles! and! a! small! ensemble! would! be! formed.!!
During! the! workshops,! the! students! would! strum! and! perform! the! music! to!
several!popular!songs!and!tunes!while!the!instructors!sing!along.!!
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By!following!the!beat!to!the!music!and!performing!together!with!their!peers,!the!
students!of!the!SSD!would!be!able!to!hone!their!hand[eye!coordination,!improve!
their! attentiveness! to! cues! in! performance! and! at! the! same! time,! enjoy! the!
performing!arts.!
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INSPIRING!
CREATIVITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
JUNE!–!AUGUST!2015!!'SOUNDLESS’'SOUNDSPACE'''Soundless’#Soundspace!would!be!the!culmination!of! the!2014[15!programme
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS!We!would!like!to!express!our!deepest!and!sincere!gratitude!to!the!following!
individuals!and!organizations!for!their!support!and!collaboration!with!Sentire!
Singapore!2014[15!
Singapore!Association!for!the!Deaf!!
Singapore!School!for!the!Deaf!!
Lighthouse!School!!
Braddell!Heights!Symphony!Orchestra!
TravelClef!
Singapore!Composers’!Lab!Ensemble!
Ms.!Judy!Lim!Director,!Singapore!Association!for!the!Deaf!!
Mr.!Adrian!Tan!Music!Director,!Braddell!Heights!Symphony!Orchestra!!
Mr.!Ernest!Toh!Administrator,!Singapore!School!for!the!Deaf!
Mrs.!Barbara!D’Cotta,!Vice[principal,!Singapore!School!for!the!Deaf!!
Mr.!Benjamin!Kwan!and!his!team!at!TravelClef!
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