Eric Watson can order his Kopi C Kosong in fluent Singlish, writes music for Chinese, Indian and Malay ethnic instruments, and has lived here long enough to fit into the Singaporean landscape. Plink, Plonk, Plunk catches up with him ahead of the Spectrum concert he presents at the Esplanade Recital Studio where…
…and deliver us from… – an interview with new music enthusiast Nicholas Loh
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Nicholas Loh is one of the most unassuming and talented pianists today, and he attributes that to looking more ‘like the guy who comes to fix aircons or replace empty gas canisters instead’. He has been the featured young virtuoso in the Singapore International Piano Festival in 2009, and has…
On making stuff up on the spot, and Beethoven’s fantasy ending with a musical slap across the face – Interview with Scottish virtuoso pianist Kenneth Hamilton
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Warning: the following post could be offensive to the fans of Donizetti and Gounod… Professor Kenneth Hamilton of Cardiff University is here in Singapore to play his annual concert. This year’s offering is a whole recital of piano fantasies from various composers. Plink, Plonk, Plunk catches up with him to…
LANXESS-SNYO Classic ‘Musical Virtuosos’: Exclusive Interview with Natalie Clein
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Whether it is playing a four-note warm-up exercise, demonstrating a phrase, or playing a concerto, cellist Natalie Clein plays every note with an infectious passion. She cares so much about her music that she would rather use her free time to warm up and practise than have dinner(!!!). Squeezing in…
Interview with Lau Yun Xi, SNYO Cellist
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Young cellist Lau Yun Xi is one to look out for. At 15, she is one of the best cellists in the SNYO, and she was one of three cellists selected to fly to London for a week to be mentored under British award-winning cellist Natalie Clein. In the…
LANXESS-SNYO Classic ‘Musical Virtuosos’: Exclusive Interview with Jason Lai!
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Apologies for the long hiatus, there have been a few log-in and password issues, but everything’s back and running – and just in time too, for the upcoming LANXESS-SNYO concert happening at the Esplanade Concert Hall on Thursday evening. As a lead-up to the concert, Plink, Plonk, Plunk gets in…
Composer profile – Tze Toh
0“Then there’ll be a pot of gold beside you,” he joked, when I mentioned I was wearing a rainbow coloured top. Up-and-coming young composer Toh Tze Chin, or Tze (pronounced ‘Zee’ when Anglicised) as he would like to be known, was meeting me for the first time to talk about…
On Stones, Sand and Light… Questions with Quinnuance, Composers’ edition 2014
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Last friday, this resident kaypoh caught up with the composers of Quinnuance over brunch to find out about their upcoming concert which happens on the 30th of May. Hello guys! The last time we spoke was this time last year when you had your concert ‘looking deep into our roots’….
“I’m annoyed by almost anything played on an electric guitar…” – interview with Scottish piano virtuoso Kenneth Hamilton
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Scottish piano virtuoso Kenneth Hamilton returns to Singapore to perform an all Bach recital! Plink, Plonk, Plunk catches up with the professor in an email interview ahead of his recital here. Hello again Prof. Hamilton, congratulations on last year’s sold-out performance and a very warm welcome back to Singapore! This…
Contemplating coffee, change, and culinary concoctions..
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Today I met a man whose life revolved around coffee. He had set up a little stall in Handpicked Hall, a sort-of indoor flea market located in Leeds’ Grand Arcade. Overhead, a sign read “Casa Colombiana, for pure 100% Colombian coffee”. To his left was a big complicated machine with…