Memories of SYF

When I was in secondary school, I was a member of the Chinese Orchestra, mainly playing the pipa. Because of the Singapore Youth Festival (SYF), from the start of my second year onward, I spent almost all my time practicing the same two scores over and over again.

Some people might imagine that learning music is fascinating or a sign of great talent—but in reality, it can be rather dull. Once you’ve mastered the notes, rehearsals often boil down to endless repetition: running the same passages again and again, restarting whenever a single instrument makes a mistake. We can’t say there were no flawless performances at all, but most of the time, there were always imperfections—and that could be frustrating.

Maybe because this was the only chance I had to take part in SYF during my school years, I took it very seriously. At least for that period of my life, I genuinely hoped to see the whole journey through. I’m the kind of person who dislikes being on stage—in fact, it’s more accurate to say I have a certain fear of performing in front of a crowd. I can’t clearly remember all my feelings back then, but if I’m honest, there was probably more excitement than fear.

One of my fondest memories is of our latest-ever rehearsal, a mock performance at the Singapore Concert Hall that ran until about nine at night. It was late, yes—but I remember feeling inexplicably happy.

Some might wonder, “Who’s really at the center of a Chinese Orchestra? The plucked strings? The bowed strings? The conductor?” The truth is, there’s no single answer. The ensemble’s magic only happens when everyone is present. In some passages, one section shines in the spotlight; in others, they fade into the background, becoming the supporting cast—or even stepping out entirely. But are supporting roles unimportant? Not at all. Without the harmonies, the score would lose its depth and color. I think that’s the beauty of teamwork: a shared goal that unites different parts into one whole.

Of course, not everyone in the orchestra liked each other personally, but during rehearsals, none of that mattered. All we thought about was: How should I enter the next bar? What’s the change in tempo or dynamics coming up? A team doesn’t need to be made up of people who all like each other—it just needs people who are equally committed to the same goal.

And in the end, we did it—Distinction!

Yes, most of the time I still wished the pipa could carry the main melody. But I know that without the other sections, those two scores would never have sounded the same. That, I think, is the biggest takeaway from my two and a half years in the orchestra.