Heartsongs 15 & 16 April 2024

Heartsongs
April 15 & 16, 7.30pm
Esplanade Recital Studio
Tickets available from https://heartsongs.peatix.com

Performers:
Loh Jun Hong, violin
Chan Yoong Han, violin
Martin Peh, viola
Ng Pei-Sian, cello
Abigail Sin, piano

Programme 
Kodaly Serenade for two violins and viola (excerpts)
Dohnányi Serenade for violin, viola and cello (excerpts)
Novacek Intoxication for violin and piano
Debussy Cello Sonata
Dvořák Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 81

Heartsongs celebrates the power of music to bind us together, speaking timeless truths straight from the heart. Dvorak’s radiantly lyrical Piano Quintet anchors this programme along with passionate, deeply personal works by Debussy, Dohnanyi, Kodaly and Novacek. 

More Than Music is delighted to reunite with our friends, violinist Chan Yoong Han, violist Martin Peh and cellist Ng Pei-Sian. Join us for an evening of joyous music-making and heartfelt conversations!

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More Than Music and Wine: Tasting Notes,15 & 16 Dec

More Than Music’s popular music and wine pairing concerts are back with a bang, with a new wine selection from Little Farms and canapés from Creative Eateries. Get to know the hidden affinities and stories behind the music, complemented and enhanced by the unique characteristic of each wine. Savour the rich melodies, sparkling textures and lush harmonies of works by Debussy, Tchaikovsky, Paganini and more, guided by personal insights from the performers and a sommelier.

Be sure to stay after the main performance to hang out over more complimentary wine, canapés and special musical encores. Join us for an unforgettable evening of great music and great company, perfect for a holiday celebration! 🎶🍷

Tickets available from https://tastingnotes.peatix.com

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Notes of Passion 16 & 17 June 2023

Ecstasy ⋅ Fury ⋅ Grief ⋅ Bliss
We make music to immortalise our love. From the joy of finding one’s soulmate to the anguish of the grave, music gives voice to the potency of our emotions and captures the triumphs and tragedies of life.

Abigail, Jun Hong and Pei-Sian reunite to explore Dvorak’s powerful Piano Trio in F minor, alongside other deeply personal works by Strauss, Sibelius and Tartini. Join us for an unforgettable evening of passionate music-making!

Tickets available from https://notesofpassion.peatix.com

Concert Programme

Strauss Violin Sonata in E flat major, Op.18 II. Improvisation
Sibelius Malinconia, Op. 20
Tartini Violin Sonata in G Minor “The Devil’s Trill”
Dvorak Piano Trio No. 3 in F minor, Op. 65

Abigail Sin, piano
Loh Jun Hong, violin
Ng Pei-Sian, cello

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More Than Music 10th Anniversary Concert

Tickets now on sale at https://morethanmusicanniversary.peatix.com

More Than Music celebrates our 10th anniversary season with a thrilling programme of unabashed virtuosity and romanticism, bringing together fellow artists who have been part of the More Than Music family over the years. Pianists Albert Tiu and Abigail Sin join forces for one of the most iconic pieces for piano duo: Rachmaninov’s epic Second Suite for Two Pianos. An all-star strings dream team of Loh Jun Hong, Yang Shuxiang, Zhang Manchin, Wang Dandan, Ng Pei-Sian and Jamshid Saydikarimov take on Tchaikovsky’s soaring masterpiece: Souvenir de Florence.

Join us for an exciting celebration of music and friendship!

Concert Programme
Brahms Scherzo from FAE Sonata for Piano and Violin
Rachmaninov Suite No. 2 For Two Pianos
Tchaikovsky Souvenir de Florence

Performers
Abigail Sin, piano
Albert Tiu, piano
Loh Jun Hong, violin
Yang Shuxiang, violin
Zhang Manchin, viola
Wang Dandan, viola
Ng Pei-Sian, cello
Jamshid Saydikarimov, cello

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Fairytales And Other Stories, 17 & 18 Sept 2022

Tickets available from https://fairytales.peatix.com/

More Than Music is delighted to reunite with violist Wang Dandan and cellist Ng Pei-Sian for another musical adventure with Fairytales And Other Stories.

Let your imagination take flight with Schumann’s Märchenbilder (Fairytale Pictures) and Janácek’s Pohádka (Fairytale), as we step into romantic dreamworlds and revel in lush soundscapes. Our musical journey together will reach a climax with the Brahms Piano Quartet, with its radiant melodies and rousing gypsy-inspired finale that will sweep us all off our feet!

Join us for a magical evening of music and stories.

Performers:
Loh Jun Hong, violin
Wang Dandan, viola
Ng Pei-Sian, cello
Abigail Sin, piano

Programme:
Sibelius Duo for violin & viola
Schumann Märchenbilder (Fairytale Pictures) for viola & piano
Janáček Pohádka (Fairy Tale) for cello & piano
Stravinsky Danse Russe from Petrushka for violin and piano
-Intermission-
Brahms Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25

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Press Quotes

Playing this passionate and gripping is hard to come by… A 100% perfect concert.

The Straits Times, 28 July 2021

Knocking back the florid arpeggios and virtuosic passagework with alacrity, Sin made light of Beethoven’s astonishingly complex piano writing while Loh sailed away almost nonchalantly above.

Loh and Sin have been duo partners for long enough to be completely at ease in each other’s musical company, and in the delightful informality of  this concert, that musical intimacy communicated itself particularly strongly. For the audience, this was an evening of perfectly matched aural and oral delights.

The Straits Times, 6 October 2019

Here was an impressive display of collaborative artistry and collective virtuosity.

The Straits Times, 1 April 2019

The combination of exceptionally gifted musicians, superbly crafted music and players with an instinctive knowledge of the other’s approach, created such expansive soundscapes that it was impossible to accept the evidence before our eyes. Surely such richly varied and complex sounds could not have been produced by just two players?

The Straits Times, 4 March 2017

Musicians at the very peak of their game… Their playing had such infectious enthusiasm, open-hearted spirit and clarity of intention.

The Straits Times, 3 Sept 2016

Lau blazed his way in a virile show of agility and athleticism… Loh is a born music story-teller… (He) brought out a rich sonorous tone befitting its spiritual peaks and troughs in a performance that will not be easily forgotten. All through the evening, pianist Sin was the omnipresent and ever-alert accompanist. Her four solos were no less gripping.

The Straits Times, 14 June 2016

They introduced each piece with a mixture of non-sophisticated language and factual detail, which caught the audience’s attention and they held it through some pretty astounding playing… you could have easily heard a pin drop, so absorbed was this audience

The Straits Times, 21 March, 2016

Tan immediately impressed with a gorgeously warm tone which filled the hall with a singing resonance… Loh displayed a keenness for pyrotechnics and let in rip in Sarasate’s Caprice Basque, which had the audience bedazzled… This trio of players was well-matched and well-balanced… The end result was a happy and successful delivery, with the audience applauding and cooing with delight.

The Straits Times, May 21, 2015

The approach by More Than Music to make classical music more accessible to the public seems to be working like a charm… The growing number of fans only proves one thing: that classical music is cool and very much alive.

The Straits Times, 11 September 2014

Many performers are capable of breaking down the barrier between stage and audience; these musicians make you wonder if that barrier exists at all.

The Music Wire, 24 May 2014

An informal and interactive approach that is accessible yet does not dumb down.

The Straits Times, 9 December 2013

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From Me To You, 18 & 19 June 2022

Tickets now available from https://frommetoyou.peatix.com/

More Than Music is delighted to present From Me To You, featuring our dear friend, cellist Ng Pei-Sian.

A musical postcard of home, a tribute to a hero, a love letter to music itself… From Me To You celebrates the power of music to speak directly to our hearts and communicate across distance and time. Beethoven’s sublime Archduke Trio anchors this programme, alongside music by Ravel and Martinu that inject fresh vigour into nostalgic memories.

Join us for an intimate evening of music-making and friendship!

Programme:
Ravel Sonata for Violin and Cello
Martinu Cello Sonata No. 3
Beethoven Piano Trio, Op. 97 “Archduke”

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In Good Company Again

Celebrate the synergy of chamber music with More Than Music! We reunite with old friends, cellist Ng Pei-Sian and violinist Yang Shuxiang, and welcome violist Martin Peh in a concert that features the musicians in different dynamic combinations. Schumann’s exuberant Piano Quintet anchors this programme, while Janacek’s “Intimate Letters” paints a picture of passionate, unrequieted love and Dvorak’s string writing tugs on our heartstrings.

We are delighted to be in good company, sharing this music with you once again!

Loh Jun Hong, violin
Yang Shu Xiang, violin
Martin Peh, viola
Ng Pei-Sian, cello
Abigail Sin, piano

Programme:
Dvorak Terzetto for two violins and viola, 1st and 2nd movements
Dvorak Silent Woods for cello and piano
Janacek String Quartet No. 2, “Intimate Letters”, 1st movement
Schumann Piano Quintet

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The Complete Beethoven Violin Sonatas: Up Close and Personal

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More Than Music is proud to present our video performances of the complete Beethoven Violin Sonatas. This was a significant milestone and a dream come true for us, especially considering how all our live performances for 2020 were cancelled due to the pandemic.

Watch the performances, along with short spoken introductions on our Facebook playlist.
You can also find the complete performances on Esplanade Offstage, along with programme notes and behind-the-scenes interviews.
https://www.esplanade.com/offstage/arts/complete-beethoven-violin-sonatas
https://www.esplanade.com/offstage/arts/beethoven-in-three-minutes
https://www.esplanade.com/offstage/arts/conversations-on-beethovens-violin-sonatas

Artists:
Abigail Sin, piano
Albert Tiu, piano
Lim Yan, piano
Loh Jun Hong, violin
Chan Yoong Han, violin
Yang Shuxiang, violin

Audio by msm-Productions
Video by Tan Zexun

Generously supported by the National Arts Council Digital Presentation Grant, HSBC and Societe Generale

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Shall We Dance?

Dear Friends,

Thank you so much for supporting More than Music. After much deliberation and discussion, we have regretfully decided to postpone “Shall We Dance” due to the current public health concerns over the novel coronavirus. All ticket holders will be refunded in full via Peatix. 

“Shall We Dance” will now take place on 4 & 5 Sept 2020 at the Esplanade Recital Studio featuring the same guest artists: the amazing pianist Albert Tiu and the fantastic choreographer/dancer Amin Alifin. 

Our next concert at the Esplanade Recital Studio on 12 & 13 June 2020 will continue as planned with Schumann’s Piano Quintet and Janacek’s Intimate Letters. 

Please take care and hope to see you at our next concerts!
Sincerely,  Abigail and Jun Hong

Albert Tiu, piano
Abigail Sin, piano
Loh Jun Hong, violin

More Than Music kicks off the 2020 concert season with a celebration of classical music’s greatest dance hits! Abigail and Jun Hong join forces with distinguished pianist Albert Tiu and special guest dancer/choreographer Amin Alifin for a thrilling exploration of music and dance. From the intimacy of the waltz to the wild abandon of rag-time, dance music captures both the visceral and the refined, revealing the human spirit in all its glory.

Join us for an unforgettable evening and be prepared to be swept off your feet!

Brahms Violin Sonata No. 3, IV Presto agitato
Chopin Selected Mazurkas
Tchaikovsky arr. Pletnev Adagio from The Sleeping Beauty
Saint-Saëns arr. Ysaÿe Caprice d’après l’étude en forme de valse

INTERMISSION

Barber Souvenirs (excerpts)
Saint-Saëns arr. Guiraud Danse Macabre 
Novacek Four Rags for Violin & Piano
Piazzolla La Muerte del Ángel

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