Since its collaboration with Punggol Secondary School Concert Band in 2016, Novo Winds will continue its annual community outreach efforts by collaborating with Beatty Secondary School Band to present Mirificus 2017 on 18 November.
“We approached Beatty Concert Band to join us, as we felt that this would be a good opportunity to involve the young musicians in our community. At the same time, this collaboration will provide the Beatty students with additional performance exposure beyond their own band programme. We believe that sufficient support and opportunities must be provided in order for students to explore their interest in music, hence we decided to collaborate with school bands,” said Josh Lee, coordinator for this event.
“Besides collaborations, musicians from Novo Winds put up monthly ensemble performances for the residents of the Toa Payoh neighbourhood. We have received very good responses from residents and will continue to bring quality music to the heartlands,” he continued.
As part of the collaboration, students from Beatty Concert Band visited Toa Payoh South Community Club over three Saturdays for rehearsals and coaching by section representatives of Novo Winds. This upcoming concert will see the culmination of hard work by the combined band, which is formed by members from Beatty Concert Band and Novo Winds.
“Through the weekly interactions, we got to know one another better, and we hope that the sharing of ideas and techniques will benefit us all. Of course, we made new friends, and that enriched the whole process, making it even more enjoyable!” said Josh.
Having celebrated its 5th anniversary in 2015, Novo Winds continue to rise as a youth community band. To remain relevant in the rapidly evolving band scene, the past few years have seen some changes in its leadership, music direction and approach to performances.
“We are always pushing ourselves beyond conventional ideas, and our attempts to raise the quality of performances have been rewarding. In 2016, we were invited for the first time, to be part of the Esplanade’s Beautiful Sunday concert series. Our performances at the Singapore Botanic Gardens have also been very well-received!” exclaimed Bryan Lim, Head of Marketing.
“Ultimately, Novo Winds aims to cultivate a spirit of giving-back to the community. Our projects are always conceived around the idea of community and we work hard to bring quality music to our audience. We are currently exploring alternative performance concepts such as thematic or educational programmes, that will add value to the scene. Do stay tuned for our future events and follow us on Facebook and Instagram (@novowinds)!”
Mirificus 2017
Novo Winds & Beatty Concert Band
18 November (Saturday)
Victoria Concert Hall, 7.30pm
Tickets: $12, available from Josh @ 82289889
A contributing editor at TBP.