Orchestra of The Music Makers - History

History

The Orchestra was formed after a period of discussion in early 2008 and was established as the Orchestra of the Music Makers in August 2008. Its first performance was a major benefit concert held in Singapore's Victoria Concert Hall and supported by the Singapore branch of HSBC, a considerable accomplishment for an orchestra without a proven track record. In this inaugural concert it accompanied Gabriel Ng, Clare Yeo, and Janani Sridhar, three of Singapore's young talented soloists in concerti and arias. Among other high-profile guests at the event was the President of Singapore. However, the Orchestra's first concert on its own was in January 2009, when it performed at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music Concert Hall.

During these initial months and throughout most of its first year it faced considerable monetary challenges relating to its operating costs, in particular, concerning the rental of performance venues. rehearsal spaces, and instruments. In August 2009, the month of the first anniversary of its inaugural concert, the Orchestra was guerdoned with the prestigious HSBC Youth Excellence Award, carrying a cash value of S$200,000, a very significant achievement given that the group had been in existence for only slightly over one year. The award was received shortly after the highly-praised (and sold out) third concert of that year, Rach2. The cost problems, and the 'tough' financial 'balancing act', however, were not alleviated due to the money being held in trust for the Orchestra by the National Arts Council. Its landmark performance of Gustav Mahler's Second Symphony in its second year of existence was considered to be "one that marked a definitive coming of age of classical music in Singapore."

The Orchestra has also released a recording of its live performance of Gustav Mahler's First Symphony on its own 'OMMLive' Label, it received a rating of 4 and a half stars (out of five) by the Straits Times, and was lauded for "homogeneous unity in string passages, lovingly crafted woodwind solos and a brass section any orchestra should be proud of".

The subsequent release of its ground-breaking performance of Gustav Mahler's Second Symphony was regarded as " virtually everything going for it: technical perfection, unstinting energy, assured musicians not afraid of dynamic extremes, a percussion section that gives new meaning to the word “awesome”" and this was also the first recording by a non-professional Orchestra to be featured on the Singapore Airlines KrisWorld Entertainment System.

Future releases featuring Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, Elgar's Violin Concerto and Mahler's Fifth Symphony are anticipated.

The Orchestra is composed of approximately 140 members, most of whom are students in tertiary education, conscripts (as an avocation), and working professionals, and it is led by its Music Director, the prominent conductor Chan Tze Law. It was also the first orchestra of its kind in Singapore to introduce a comprehensive leader-mentor system allowing for the tutelage of its musicians by reputable professionals in the industry. The Orchestra, in collaboration with the School of the Arts, has also revived the previously dormant Combined Schools String Camp, with its Members, Leader-Mentors and Music Director contributing to nurture and develop the musical abilities of String Musicians in Secondary Schools.

A focus on philanthropy has also been one of the Orchestra's founding principles and defining features, enunciated as a vision to 'pursue philanthropy through the medium of music'. Nicknamed the 'charity' orchestra in the press, its eleemosynary efforts have already benefited Habitat for Humanity, the Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund, and the Children's Cancer Foundation.

In May 2011, the Orchestra achieved Institution of Public Character (IPC) status, which allows all donations made to it to be eligible for 250% tax-exemption.