Singapore International Band Festival (SIBF) is a biennial festival that was started in 2008 by the Wind Bands Association of Singapore, with a reputation as an international stage in Asia that provides developmental opportunity for bands and upholds high artistic integrity in its adjudication.
Bands are exposed to a series of activities, such as the competition, workshop & masterclass, international exchange, outreach programme and a gala concert, in what SIBF defines as a comprehensive experience for the musicians.
This year’s SIBF is in its 6th edition, and will take place from 24 to 29 July 2018. Here are the key updates!
// See our previous article regarding Key Changes to SIBF 2018
Competition
Test Pieces
Participating bands in Divisions 1, 2A and 2B only need to choose one test piece from their respective division.
Selection of test piece is not needed for Division 3 and Concert Division.
Adjudicators
Bert Aalders
Chairman, Past Presidents Advisory Council
World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, The Netherlands
Professor Dennis Fisher
Associate Director of Wind Studies, Professor of Music
Conductor of the Symphonic Band, University of North Texas, U.S.A.
Professor Felix Hauswirth
Professor of Conducting
Basel Conservatory, Switzerland
Masanori Fukuda
Band Director & Lecturer
Senzoku Gakuen College of Music, Japan
ME6 Philip Tng
Senior Director of Music
Singapore Armed Forces Band, Singapore
Dr. Ralph Hultgren
Composer & Clinician, Australia
Gala Concert
In every SIBF edition, WBAS will feature an outstanding guest band in concert at the renowned Esplanade Concert Hall. Previous featured bands include Kasetsart University Wind Orchestra & Nond-see Orchestra Winds, Thailand in 2016 and Kunitachi College of Music Blasorchester, Japan in 2014.
This year’s concert will feature The Feroci Philharmonic Winds, from Thailand.
// Save the date on 28 July!
Founded in 2013 by Damrih Banawitayakit, dean of music, Silpakorn University; The Feroci Philharmonic Winds members are composed of the Thai leading wind and percussion performers of Bangkok Symphony Orchestra; Bangkok Pro Musica Orchestra; and the lecturers, alumni and top notch wind players of Silpakorn University.
It is committed to presenting the high quality of live performance for Thai audiences and produce a distinguish repertory with excellent performing standard.
Previous performances include its debut of Johann De Meij’s “Extreme Beethoven” in Thailand under the direction of De Meij himself, and Symphony No. 2 (The Golden Age) conducted by Bert Appermont himself. The band has also performed S.Sinnapa’s “Retratto de Feroci for Thai Three-String Fiddle, English Horn and Narrator”, K.Sodprasert’s “Symphonic Tribute to the Great King for Piano and Wind Orchestra”, D.Banawitayakit’s “the Rivers of Thai Kingdom” and “Symphonic Tribute to The King (Dedicate to H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej) for Solo Brass Trio, Saxophone, Thai Ensemble and Wind Orchestra”.
It’s latest concert in Japan was under the baton of Yasuhide Ito, who conducted his La Vita Symphony and Tsugaru-shamisan Concerto for 130th Thai-Japan Relationship Concert.
Programme and ticket information will be announced shortly.
For more information, visit SIBF website
A contributing editor at TBP.