COMMISSIONED WORKS
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AS THE MOON WHISPERS
commissioned by Montfort Secondary School Military Band, Singapore (2010). PHOENIX OVERTURE commissioned by the St. Andrew’s Junior School, St. Anthony’s Primary School and St. Stephen’s School for the Singapore Youth Festival 2010 Central Judging of Concert & Brass Bands (Primary Level). FLIGHT: ADVENTURE IN THE SKY for the Music Talent Development Centre (MTDC) Inaugural Concert 2010, Ministry of Education. KALEIDOSCOPE: MARCH, SONG & CELEBRATION for Symphonic Band, Choir & Guzheng commissioned by Xinmin Secondary School Symphonic Band, Singapore (2010). Retitled to EXUBERANTE! (Concert March) and JUBILANCE (Overture for a Celebration) for publications. VOYAGE TO THE END OF THE EARTH commissioned by the St. Anthony's Canossian Primary School Concert Band for the Singapore Youth Festival 2012 Central Judging of Concert and Brass Bands (Primary Level). FANFARE FOR A FESTIVAL for Brass Ensemble for the National Youth Wind Orchestra 2012, 17th Conference of the Asia-Pacific Band Directors' Association Opening Ceremony, Singapore. SYMPHONIC PRELUDE commissioned by the St. Andrew's Schools, Singapore (2013) QUINTILLUSION! commissioned by Maestro ITO Yasuhide for the Asian Band Exchange Concert in Senzoku, Japan (2013). REDHILL: A SYMPHONIC FOLKLORE FOR WIND ORCHESTRA commissioned by the Singapore Wind Symphony for their Taiwan Concert (2014). QUEST TO THE SUMMIT commissioned for the 8th Taiwan Band Clinic 2015 as the Required Set Piece for the All Chinese Wind Band Competition. FUTURE OF TOMORROW commissioned by the Arts Education Branch of the Ministry of Education as the Set Piece for Singapore Youth Festival Arts Presentation of Concert/Brass Bands 2016, Primary Level. |
TAKEDA LULLABY
commissioned by the 2015-16 Wilson Junior High School, El Centro, CA, USA for the ‘World of Premieres’ Concert 2016. CHOPSUEY! - Scherzo for Clarinet and Wind Ensemble commissioned by the Singapore Wind Symphony for soloist, Mr John Bruce Yeh, Assistant Principal Clarinetist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (2016/17). CITY OF DREAMS commissioned by the Band Directors' Association (Singapore) for the 20th Anniversary Celebration Concert (2016). THE GIFT OF FRIENDSHIP commissioned by the West Winds, Singapore (2018). SILVER LIGHT! commissioned by the Rocky Mountain Commissioning Project (with over 40 consortium members) for the 11th Annual Colorado State University-Pueblo Festival of Winds, dedicated to Prof. Dick Mayne (2019). GRADUATION SONG commissioned Set Piece by the Nie-Er Cup, China (2020). DARKEST BEFORE DAWN: FANFARE FOR A NEW BEGINNING commissioned for the South Forsyth Repertoire Project 2021-22, Georgia (USA), Dr. Andrew F. Poor, Band Director (2022) ARRANGEMENTS SWEET HOME TOWN commissioned arrangement by the West Winds, Singapore (2012). TOGETHER (National Day Parade Theme Song 1999) commissioned arrangement by the Singapore Wind Symphony (2013). WHERE I BELONG (National Day Theme Song 2001) commissioned arrangement for the SG50 Celebration Project (2015). OUR SINGAPORE (National Day Theme Song 2015) commissioned arrangement by the Singapore Wind Symphony (2015). COMMISSIONED SCHOOL SONG ARRANGEMENTS (Singapore): Bedok South Secondary School Song (2009) Xinmin Secondary School Song (2010) Deyi Secondary School Song (2017) Serangoon Garden Secondary School (2018) Naval Base Primary School Song (2019) |
CONCERT REVIEWS
Joe Burgstaller and the Singapore Wind Symphony
07 Sept. 2014, Victoria Concert Hall, Singapore.
“‘Redhill: A Symphonic Folklore’ was commissioned by the SWS for their Taiwan Tour 2014, at which Tan conducted its world premiere. The Singaporean composer Benjamin Yeo may look like a bashful schoolboy, until you realise that he is 29 and already well established on the international band circuit. Yeo has appeared at the prestigious Midwest Clinic in Chicago, and his compositions are published by the shakers and movers on both sides of the Atlantic: C.L. Barnhouse in the U.S., and Beriato/De Haske/Hal Leonard in Europe. A strong narrative element pervades ‘Redhill’, following an old Malay legend from pre-colonial Singapore: a boy’s intelligent plan saved villagers from swordfish attacks, but attracted the paranoid jealousy of the Sultan who ordered his murder. As the boy died, his blood painted the hill red. To bring this tale to life, Yeo […] injected ethnic influences that reflect the ancient roots of the island: the sounds of the Indonesian suling, an end-blown bamboo flute, and the Javanese gamelan. A middle passage with piano accompaniment was reminiscent of the melancholic style of xinyao, a sub-genre of Chinese pop ballads written by local singers in the eighties. All these elements were woven into a fabric that is ostensibly identifiable as “Barnhouse music”: an unspoken compositional format common to most pieces published by C.L. Barnhouse, geared towards ease of learning by school bands, and graded to allow for technical challenges for more advanced bands. While this ensured that the work remained accessible to both performer and audience by tapping into a familiar framework, Yeo also introduced a unique “Singaporean” flavour that is attractive and instantly recognisable. Well done, Benjamin!”
Source: The Flying Inkpot
“Benjamin Yeo’s Redhill – A Symphonic Folklore was a well-conceived piece of programme music which retold the ancient story of Bukit Merah and how a school of killer swordfish was repelled. His facility with lyricism, notably in the pivotal oboe solo, showed that he could be writing Broadway musicals pretty soon.”
Source: The Straits Times review by Chang Tou Liang (08 Sept. 2014)
07 Sept. 2014, Victoria Concert Hall, Singapore.
“‘Redhill: A Symphonic Folklore’ was commissioned by the SWS for their Taiwan Tour 2014, at which Tan conducted its world premiere. The Singaporean composer Benjamin Yeo may look like a bashful schoolboy, until you realise that he is 29 and already well established on the international band circuit. Yeo has appeared at the prestigious Midwest Clinic in Chicago, and his compositions are published by the shakers and movers on both sides of the Atlantic: C.L. Barnhouse in the U.S., and Beriato/De Haske/Hal Leonard in Europe. A strong narrative element pervades ‘Redhill’, following an old Malay legend from pre-colonial Singapore: a boy’s intelligent plan saved villagers from swordfish attacks, but attracted the paranoid jealousy of the Sultan who ordered his murder. As the boy died, his blood painted the hill red. To bring this tale to life, Yeo […] injected ethnic influences that reflect the ancient roots of the island: the sounds of the Indonesian suling, an end-blown bamboo flute, and the Javanese gamelan. A middle passage with piano accompaniment was reminiscent of the melancholic style of xinyao, a sub-genre of Chinese pop ballads written by local singers in the eighties. All these elements were woven into a fabric that is ostensibly identifiable as “Barnhouse music”: an unspoken compositional format common to most pieces published by C.L. Barnhouse, geared towards ease of learning by school bands, and graded to allow for technical challenges for more advanced bands. While this ensured that the work remained accessible to both performer and audience by tapping into a familiar framework, Yeo also introduced a unique “Singaporean” flavour that is attractive and instantly recognisable. Well done, Benjamin!”
Source: The Flying Inkpot
“Benjamin Yeo’s Redhill – A Symphonic Folklore was a well-conceived piece of programme music which retold the ancient story of Bukit Merah and how a school of killer swordfish was repelled. His facility with lyricism, notably in the pivotal oboe solo, showed that he could be writing Broadway musicals pretty soon.”
Source: The Straits Times review by Chang Tou Liang (08 Sept. 2014)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
- Mr Tan Zexun and Mr Loy Xing Jian for the use of their professional photography
- Ms Denise Tan & Mdm Teo Puay Kee for their edits and translation of the Biography