The Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra (SNYCO) has successfully concluded its Taiwan concert tour, bringing its sound across Taoyuan, Taipei, and Hsinchu from 9 to 17 December 2025. Across three collaborative concerts, the youth ensemble performed to close to 2,000 audience members, spotlighting musical exchange and contemporary Chinese orchestral works across borders .
Led by Music Director Quek Ling Kiong, the tour paired SNYCO with three local ensembles: the Taoyuan Chinese Orchestra, the Taipei Chinese Orchestra (TCO) Academy Orchestra, and the Hsinchu City Youth Chinese Orchestra. Each stop featured a distinct programme, with Quek co-conducting alongside Taiwanese conductors Chan Ping-Hsiang, Chiu Shih-Hsien, and Liu Chiang-Pin — a gesture that underscored both intergenerational mentorship and regional camaraderie.
A major highlight of the tour was its focus on Singaporean contemporary repertoire. Composer Phang Kok Jun’s erhu concerto Trials and Tribulations was performed by SNYCO alumna and Singapore Chinese Music Competition Erhu Senior Category first-prize winner Zeng Canran, alongside Taoyuan Chinese Orchestra soloist Fu Chia-Wei on alternate nights. Works by Singapore Chinese Orchestra composer-in-residence Wang Chenwei — The Sisters’ Islands and Winds of Affinity — were also warmly received, with Taoyuan dizi soloists Liang Wen-Ting and Huang Yu-Chun offering their own interpretative voice on the latter.
Adding to the spirit of collaboration, SNYCO premiered SOUNDLINES // 3,242 KM — A Sonic Journey Between Singapore & Taiwan, a newly commissioned work by Taiwanese composer Hannah Hsieh. Inspired by the shared island cultures of both regions, the piece imagined sonic bridges across the sea, symbolising emotional and cultural connections forged through music. Another standout moment saw SNYCO co-concertmaster Koh Yu Jie perform the double erhu concerto Ode to Hero · Ode to Love alongside Tsai Chung-Ting from the TCO Academy Orchestra.
Beyond the stage, the tour also included educational exchanges with the National Taiwan University of Arts and the National Chinese Orchestra Taiwan, giving SNYCO musicians rare insight into professional rehearsal processes and fostering meaningful peer-to-peer dialogue.
Spanning 3,242 kilometres, the Taiwan tour marked a significant milestone for SNYCO’s young musicians — offering international exposure, deepening artistic perspectives, and reaffirming the power of Chinese orchestral music as a shared regional language .
