|
NUS Arts Festival Opening - Love Is In The Air |
|
|
|
|
Written by Corinna Choh
|
The NUS Arts Festival, now in its third year running, got off to an expectedly smooth start at the University Cultural Centre (UCC), with the opening show just a day after Valentine's Day.
Aptly titled Love is in the Air, the opening show featured the NUS Symphony Orchestra Ensemble and the best of Singapore's local talents - NUS alumnae Jacintha Abisheganaden, Rani Singam, Jonathan Leong, as well as legendary jazz maestro Jeremy Monteiro.
The stage set for some fine, lovin' music.
First in the stellar lineup was Rani Singam.
A former NUS law graduate, she switched careers to pursue her love
of music. On stage, she was evidently at ease with the other musicians
and the audience as she bantered with us between songs.
Under Iskandar Ismail, Singam sailed through the four jazz songs
and really got the audience up and toe-tapping in their seats through
her infectious, high-energy, full-bodied lush voice.
With classic favourites like For Once in my Life and Secret Love to
exemplify her full vocal range and technical competence, it is of no
wonder that she has been likened to other well-known jazz artists like
Sarah Vaughn and Ella Fitzgerald.
Rani Singam switching ‘bars'
And when you put two excellent performers together, magic is what happens. What A Wonderful World with Jeremy Monteiro on piano and Singam was a delightful spectacle.
Monteiro's fingers unequivocally worked their magic on the
piano, but his voice was just as perfect for the piece. One should
expect nothing less but excellence from the Cultural Medallion
recipient, who is a pianist, vocalist, composer and jazz educator all
at once.
A familiar name in the local and international circuit,
Moneteiro has carved out a solid name for himself in the academic world
as a Fellow of the London College of Music, LA Salle College of the
Arts, as well as a Board Member of the National Arts Council.
After the intermission, the NUS Symphony Orchestra came on board with Libertango, popularized
by Yo-Yo Ma's cello. The swing in this version was accentuated
perfectly with the string section moving their bows in perfect
synchronization.
It did not sound like another dull cover of a familiar tune, but one that had its own identity and flavour.
The duet pairings of the night were a sight to behold.
With established jazz singer Jacintha and Singapore Idol runner-up Jonathan Leong for Something Stupid Wonderful Tonight,
one could not help wondering how much more grueling it would have been
for Jonathan compared to his Idol-days, performing alongside a true
local legend now based in the United States with 7 solo albums tucked
neatly under her belt.
But nailed it he did, as was evident by the wolf whistles from his fans and thunderous applause!
With Dr Peter Lee and Dr Janice Khoo for Quando Quando Quando, and Dr Roy Ang and Dr Lucy Ooi for All I Ask of You, the audience certainly got to see doctors in a different light, far from their regular sterile and cold dwelling spots.
Dr Lucy Ooi received tremendous applause from the audience when she wowed the audience with her pitch perfect first note for All I Ask of You.
And so the night drew to a close after a grand finale and an encore later with Singam telling us to "go home now!"
The NUS Arts Festival was on from the 15th February till the 23rd
March, with various dance groups and music groups packing the calendar
chock-a-block. If you've missed the
festival in its entirety, you'd be sorry to miss it again next year! HOOKED
Photography by Gary of the NUSSU Video and Photographic Society
|
jon didnt sing that! did he?
Written by Guest on 2008-04-06 13:44:14
Hi all, just to put in my two cent's worth... i attended this concert and jon and jacintha didnt sing "something stupid", i remember they sang "Wonderful tonight"! unless i was in my own world. | Jon didn't sing that song!
Written by Guest on 2008-04-07 01:38:14
I attended the concert too and for sure Jon and Jacintha sang "Wonderful Tonight" and not "Something Stupid" |
|
