SSO Children's Concerts: The Listener, 6 Sep

SSO and mime artists from Magic Circle Mime join forces for a concert that proves Bizet and Britten are anything but stuffy.

"The conductor has planned to present a concert exploring the many art forms in which the orchestra is involved, but his efforts are complicated by the unexpected participation of two overtly enthusiastic spectators. A bugle playing mime who wants to sing opera and a tap dancing ballerina are just two zany characters bringing "the art of listening" to life." Suitable for 5-12 year olds and no admission for below-4s.

SSO Classics in the Park - 10 August

If your inner picnic pixie wasn't satisfied with Ballet Under the Stars, there's always the open air classics concert at the Botanics this coming weekend. 6pm, 10 August at the Shaw Foundation Stage.

Opera outdoors, 21 June

About a thousand people gathered on a balmy and clear Sunday to listen to some opera at the Palm Valley at the Botanic Gardens.

Most came with picnic baskets, nibbled on cheese, sipped their wine and caught up on gossip between Delibes and Donizetti, while the kids ran around the trees. It really was an enchanted evening.

I do hope this is going to be a regular event, and also that the singers wear something bright and colourful the next time around; we could barely see them and we weren't sitting too far away.

If there is going to be another edition, we also hope to hear about it in advance. One way would have been more signs in the gardens itself. There were benches all around advertising the garden festival which is more than a month away and not a single sign about Opera in the Park, not even one piddly directional sign.

Update on Friday, June 27, 2008 at 12:22AM by MamaSez

While on the Botanics, feeding the ducks and turles at the eco lake - or for that matter in many water bodies here - is a popular pastime for kids. I just remembered a friend saying that these must be the best-fed ducks and turtles in Singapore. And I wonder how many folks throw in appropriate food rather than just bits of bread. The monkeys around Macritchie are said to have become this aggressive because of people feeding them. I wonder what effect all the food thrown into the water has on the ducks and turtles at the eco lake.

Opera in the Park: 21 June, Botanic Gardens

SDT has done it for years. Now SLO is going to try. I'm talking performances in the park, au naturel, under the stars, pinic baskets, wine in hand, you know what I mean.

The Lyric Opera is doing its inaugural Opera in the Park at the Palm Valley at Botanics next weekend and unlike Ballet Under the Stars, it's free.

I've only seen recorded broadcasts of opera outdoors; the last one I saw was Anna Netrebko and the Berlin Philharmonic at the Berlin Waldbuehne in front of 15,000 people. All I'll say is, even if it was a bit disconcerting to see the beads of sweat on the singer's face, I really wanted to be there.

There's no Russian soprano or Simon Rattle conducting here but I'm definitely going.

Update on Monday, June 16, 2008 at 05:18PM by MamaSez

Just learnt that June 21 is the summer solstice/midsummer's day and World Music Day. I can think of no better way to spend it.

Centrestage holiday workshops start 23 June

Drama, art, dance and music workshops for age 31/2 - 11 at their studios in Wessex Estate. Check website for details.

Puppet show: 2 Jun, Tanglin Mall

The next edition of the free puppet show by ToyBox at Tanglin Mall Level 2, organised by The Better Toy Store at 2pm & 4pm. We're big fans and try not to miss their shows. There's lots of sing-alongs and storytelling using Folkmanis puppets. Email edwinmartan AT thebettertoystore DOT com to register.

ArtsFest outreach at hawker centres - 31 May - 15 Jun

I missed news of the Arts Where We Eat launch in Tampines but there's a few more events lined up so you can savour some chords with your curry:

Newton Food Centre
31 May & 1 June, 7pm – 9pm: Tony Loh (Erhu, Pipa) Suhaimi & Vinod (Guitar, Singing) Xun Gen (Dizi, Erhu, Singing)
31 May, 7pm only - Giraffes by Xirriquiteula Teatre (Spain)

Tiong Bahru Market
7 & 8 June, 9am – 11am: Don Martin (Guitar, Singing), He Zheng (Pipa), Pinto Dennis (Guitar, Singing)
8 June, 10am only - La Guardia Flamenca (Belgium)

East Coast Lagoon Food Village
14 & 15 June, 7pm – 9pm: Xiao Luo (Harmonica), Jerry Alfonso Fernandez (Guitar, Singing), Danny Buskin (Guitar, Singing)
15 June, 7.30pm only - RDP (Singapore)

Choir time

I'm a sucker for choirs, especially those featuring young people. I can remember a boys choir in a German church a few years back and they were just magnificent, made your hair stand on end. There's something about those unbroken voices ringing out....Anyway, a bunch of choir concerts coming up here too: The Copenhagen Royal Chapel Choir sings at the Esplanade today but also a couple of talented local ones in the next few weeks. The Raffles Junior College Choir is on 6 May, then Cedar Girls Secondary Choir on 14 May, Anglo-Chinese Junior College on 6 July. Tickets are a very affordable $20 for the first two. But only for 6 years and above, sorry.

Barney - 5 -8 June

We got a Barney purse as a party gift after which LO thinks Barney is a purple snake - and I'm happy not to correct her - but if it rocks your world here are the details of the show.

Scotty & Lulu - 24 - 25 May

I've been intrigued by the news that the singing dancing Kiwi-Brit pair Scotty & Lulu who are apparently bonafide sensations in Hong Kong performing here.

We're listening to their Popcorn CD right now and it is....perky. Many of the songs on the CD are mostly set to a really hard driving beat and the one thing I hate is overproduced music for kids.

Our favourite CDs have always been those that emphasise voice over musical arrangement. It doesn't matter whether it's adults or kids singing as long as there is voice clarity. The few that are set to simpler arrangements almost always work better. Doesn't mean it needs to be slow and boring. The Charming Charlie song from The Little Red Hen with its banjo riff is a favourite around our house.

Well someone says their music is for The Wiggles show fans who have grown up is probably right. They're still letting in kids above 1 to their shows here though.