The Singapore Wind Symphony Youth band (SWS Youth) presents the first of its concert series Juvenescence!
The Band Post speaks with SWS Youth members Genia and Imran in the lead up to the concert.
Hello Genia and Imran! Could you introduce the concept behind Juvenescence? It’s a very interesting name.
Genia: We were trying to find words related to youth because it is going to be the name of our concert series. We wanted it to be a word which will remain relevant in the future — and youth is the only thing constant about this band.
Imran: Yeah, I agree that youth is the only thing constant. Every generation that comes in will bring a different take to the band, so we also want to give them the creativity to decide.
Genia: In terms of youth, we use a stricter definition of “youth” (our age limit is 21). Still, we have a wide range of players from Secondary 2 to 21 years old. It’s an encouraging environment and the players are very close. That’s something our band is very proud of — despite the age gap, we still get along very well. There’s a good mentoring culture and little drama!
Next question, what should audiences look out for in the concert?
Imran: The first thing I noticed was that the repertoire is very moving. It’s so entertaining! And at the same time, the repertoire also touches on darker, less talked about sides of youth, for example, Watchman discusses themes of child abuse. It gives an all-rounded account of youth, which I think it will be interesting to watch.
Genia: Another piece to look out for is Black Marble. It’s a composition by our own member Alex. He gave us this incredibly interesting piece that members have … mixed feelings about. It’s not your typical band piece; there are many extended techniques that you wouldn’t expect to be associated with dreams.
Oh, that’s interesting, what kind of special techniques does the piece require?
Genia: I play the saxophone in this concert, which has multiphonics in this piece. The chords also don’t match up harmonically, and this dissonance creates a jarring effect.
Imran: This piece was especially different for younger percussionists, who are more used to classical-style pieces. Here, the percussion instruments all have to work in tandem to create sound effects and add to what the wind players are doing.
How has the preparation process been so far? You are tackling some challenging repertoire in this concert!
Genia: One difficulty is getting everyone together for rehearsals. There were scheduling problems as we had to avoid study periods and other band events. The extended techniques were a bit hard to learn too. To address this, our conductor would send us instructional videos and comments on what to improve on. He really cares for the band.
Wow, it’s great that you could still get most of the band down despite everyone’s busy schedules during this period.
Imran: I think it says a lot about the band’s attitude to music-making. Everyone is free to go for other music opportunities, as long as they come back to our band focused on our next project.
This concert is the first that SWS Youth will be putting on in a while. How does it feel to be part of the debut revival of SWS Youth?
Genia: I was in the original team that brought up the idea of reviving SWS Youth to Daniel Yiau, our conductor. At that point of time, he thought there was not enough interest to revive the band. But we took it as a challenge to find players, and here we are. I am very proud of the band. Any wins and losses of the band, I take as my own.
Imran: It’s quite exciting. Not just to be a part of SWS Youth, but to be a part of this clear resurgence in the youth band scene in Singapore. Contributing to this scene has been very fun.
Any most memorable moments in SWS Youth?
Genia: When SIBF results came out.
Imran: Yes. I was on the bus when I got that SIBF announcement.
Genia: There was a lot of tension that day. Once the results were announced in Esplanade Concert Hall, I immediately ran out of the hall and sent the picture of the results to the band. That moment of celebration was incredible.
Imran: Sometimes during rehearsals, you have that moment where you think “Wow, the music is moving me!” Those are my favourite moments. It’s great that SWS Youth has this environment for youth to create music like that too.
Wow, that sounds very emotional. Belated congratulations on the SIBF Gold! Apart from these high points, what motivates you in running the band?
Genia: There was a period of time when admin work was getting really heavy. We were bogged down with submitting grants and sorting out concert logistics. We sent a poll asking for reflections from the band. Some people submitted constructive feedback, some people didn’t say anything, but a few people took the time to comment encouraging messages like “Keep going, I think you’re doing great!” That really, really motivates us. It’s also great that we can count on the main band members as mentors.
Imran: To quote our conductor [Daniel Yiau], SWS is a kampong. I agree 1000%. Everyone is welcome here, and we keep learning and growing … I really appreciate this spirit. And I think that’s why myself and other people commit to our band.
Catch SWS Youth in action at their upcoming concerts!
Juvenescence I: Dreams
Sunday, 26 January 2025
SOTA Concert Hall, 3.30pm
Tickets available here
Cool Classics series
2 February, 2.30pm at Esplanade Black Room