SAF BAND PAYS TRIBUTE TO ITS PIONEERS
// Report by Teo Jing Ting
// Photos by Chua Soon Lye
It was a musical extravaganza where the audience whooped and cheered after every segment and were constantly bobbing their heads and tapping their feet to the lively tunes.
From popular Coldplay pieces, to classic songs like "Hey Jude", to a moving rendition of the locally composed "City of Dreams", the Band entertained the crowd throughout the night.
The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Central Band was performing at the annual SAF Family Concert, held at the Esplanade Concert Hall on 21 Dec. The concert was an appreciation of members of the SAF and their families for what they have done for the defence of Singapore.
In celebration of its 60th birthday, the Band added a special documentary segment to showcase its history. Military Expert (ME) 4 Ignatius Wang, who was the Head Producer and conceptualised the concert, explained that he wanted to pay tribute to the Band's pioneers by performing regimental marches composed by previous directors of music.
"The segment starts off showing the Band's history through a documentary and over time, the band will start to play the marches to accompany the video," said the SAF Central Band's Chief Instructor and Director of Music.
"We really want to pay tribute to our pioneers for the work they've put in to bring the Band to where we are today."
This was especially touching for former Senior Director of Music Major (MAJ) (Ret) Tonni Wei, who was in the Band from 1973 to 2000. To him, it was a nostalgic trip down memory lane.
"I'm very proud of the Band today 'cos the sound they produce is world class. They can hold their own on any stage and that speaks of the support and emphasis that the SAF has given to the Band."
Drummer ME2 Hazizi Jaafar composed a special two-minute drumming solo titled "Yamazaki". A first for Singapore, he designed it for the twirling and tossing of the drum sticks during the performance and used glow-in-the-dark sticks to add a visual effect to the drumming display.
This was Brigadier-General (BG) Dinesh Vasu Dash's favourite segment.
"I liked the drums and the way they weaved in the military portion with the tunes. It was a very intelligent play on the music and a reflection of a very high-quality band to compose such quality pieces," said Commander 2nd People's Defence Force and Island Defence Task Force, who attended the concert with his family.
The Band also performed "City of Dreams", a piece composed by Corporal First Class (NS) Benjamin Yeo in 2016, who served his National Service with the Band. The music is split into three segments – the early days of Singapore's independence, remembering founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and looking forward to Singapore's future.
During the second segment, the Band cleverly used the clicking of fingers to mimic raindrops amid the music, evoking memories of the torrential rain during Mr Lee's funeral in 2015. This was a hit with the audience.
BG Dinesh's wife, Dr Velaithan Rathiga, felt that the poignant piece evoked memories of Mr Lee. "I really liked the clicking of fingers to mimic the raindrops. All this evoked memories of Mr Lee Kuan Yew in me and my family and it really touched me. It has been a lovely experience and I'd like to wish the Band a happy 60th birthday."
During the two-hour long concert, some lucky children were given the opportunity to perform with and conduct the Band. Bassoonist ME1 Isabelle Wong also sang a stirring rendition of "Feels Like Home", accompanied by guitarists Private (PTE) Kalinga Mudalige Don Sachin David and ME2 Joe Tan.
During the second last segment, full-time national servicemen from the SAF Band took to the stage in their uniforms, singing "The SAF Dream" and pledging their commitment to the SAF, ending the performance on a rousing beat and an uproar of applause from the audience.
"Through our performance, we want the audience to witness the contributions of our military musicians and what we can do for the SAF as defence ambassadors," said ME4 Wang.
"Music is a powerful tool to evoke emotions and can be used to garner support for the SAF and National Service, as well as to raise the morale of our troops. This is what we have been doing and will continue to do as the heartbeat of the SAF."
