Contemporary percussion group Morse Percussion will feature Singaporean works written by five composers of diverse backgrounds, in a concert titled “A:LIVE“.
“Through years of experience, we’ve noticed that only a small handful of percussion music gets played in an already very small community, and we wanted to introduce other types of music that could also be accessible yet artistic – this was to form the basis of our project,” said Joachim Theodore Lim, co-founder of Morse.
Seeking to be a catalyst for percussion music in the local scene, the group commissioned Jon Lin Chua, August Lum, Avik Chari, Tony Makarome, and Jonathan Shin, to write music for various styles and instrumentation.
“As percussion music can be everything from rhythmic to gentle, aggressive to nuanced, we knew we wanted to work with composers of differing backgrounds and styles that could help articulate that aim.”
“Tony Makarome’s rhythmic mastery; August Lum’s theatrical and improvisatory approach; Avik Chari’s electronic and pop influence; Chua Jon Lin with a very European perspective; Jonathan Shin with a lyrical yet percussive style – it’s going to prove to be a very interesting evening of music, so you would not want to miss this!”
Apart from commissioning prolific composers to write new music, Morse believes in the importance of having ready local percussion repertoire for the community.
“It is highly important, but we do not have enough of it as of yet. Just like how our nature’s ecosystem depends on each other to work and thrive, the music ecosystem cannot survive without one another – musicians, composers, and audience members.”
“By commissioning composers, they provide the pathway for us musicians to present their work, thereby encouraging and inspiring audience members to follow suit and pick up the mantle. In doing so, we begin to create a vibrant music ecosystem that both needs yet supports one another.”
A contributing editor at TBP.