SOUNDS FROM A
DISTANT WORLD
11 December 2021, Pasir Panjang Power Station
Nestled between modern industries, a cold, rustic brick building once roaring with energy, now hides in plain sight. The world around her has transformed with time, but the time within seems to have stopped long ago as she stands, dormant, waiting to be rediscovered. This season, let the Voices of Singapore Ladies Choir take you through a world reimagined. Let our sounds transcend through the towering pillars and beams that line the Pasir Panjang Power Station, like monuments, like a testament that even she has stood the test of time.
MUSIC DIRECTOR'S FOREWORD
Dear friends and guests,
For the past two years, Voices of Singapore has organized projects that uplift the spirit of our nation and our people, organizing projects that seek to build strength and bring hope to all in the midst of the global pandemic. We’ve seen countless lives change and transform before our very eyes through singing. From our virtual choirs to our events and festivals that were held at beautiful halls, we’ve built communities around the vision that singing together can help unite a nation.
Tonight, we explore something completely different by making music in a historic space that has never heard the sounds of a choir - a unique heritage unlike any other. Completed in 1952, it is credited as one of the nation’s first engines of power before being decommissioned in the 1980s. This was the perfect space for the Voices of Singapore Ladies Choir to have their first concert since their rebranding. Having not sung in a live concert in 2 years, we found significance in making music at a place where new energy of a nation first began.
This concert is part of VOS' “Towards a Brighter World” project, where besides the concert, the different choirs in VOS have recorded a series of thought-provoking music videos that bring hope to listeners and address global issues through the reflection of some of the world’s most powerful choral music.
It is my hope that the cold, rustic and industrial backdrop of the power station that is juxtaposed with the warm and emotional singing of the Voices of Singapore Ladies Choir would signify the transcendence of culture and art through time. All proceeds from the ticket sales go to helping our community outreach programmes for 2022. Thank you for helping us to build a Singing Singapore. And our warmest welcome to the Pasir Panjang Power Station.
Darius Lim,
VOS Artistic Director
