Music gives form to feelings that defy words. Because it stimulates both hemispheres of the brain, it can lower heart rate and cortisol levels, allowing us to process and release our emotions, notes Kok Tse Wei. As Deputy CEO (Programmes & Production) of Singapore Symphony Group (SSG), he oversees artistic planning and operations for the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO), Singapore National Youth Orchestra (SNYO), Singapore Symphony Choruses (SSC), among other platforms.
In light of music’s transformative power, SSO partnered with suicide prevention agency Samaritans of Singapore for a fundraising event last month. Titled Stories and Symphonies of Hope, it was performed by an SSO string quartet, and included A Day in Paris by Singaporean composer Shao Ying Low and Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni.
In addition, SSG commissioned a study on the impact of concert attendance on youth mental well-being, which involved exposing secondary school students—many of whom were first-time concertgoers— to the company’s regular subscription performances.
Despite their unfamiliarity with the genre, Kok says, the students reported high levels of enjoyment, and showed measurable improvements in both mental well-being and social connectedness after just one concert.
“What this tells us is that the concert hall is not just a cultural venue, but also a space for healing and belonging. It is why we are committed to inclusive outreach. Our belief is that music has the power to meet people where they are in whatever season of life they’re in.”
Kok Tse Wei on unconventional safe spaces
A symphony concert by SSG typically follows a classical three-part structure: an overture to set the tone, a concerto to showcase a soloist’s virtuosity, and a symphony—often the most complex and expansive work of the evening—as the centrepiece. But while the form remains largely traditional, the programming is dynamic, Kok explains. Every piece of music has potential for resonance not just because it’s what the composer intended, but because of how it’s brought to life in performance.
He recalls that an audience member once wrote in to say that they’d changed their mind about dying by their own hand after attending an SSO concert. “They said it helped pull them back to safety and that they were now receiving professional help. I don’t know what piece of music they connected with or at what point they felt a shift, but I know that this is why we do what we do.”
In his experience, Singapore’s small market size isn’t necessarily a stumbling block to the development of our arts sector. It’s sometimes an advantage; our compactness allows for agility, strong inter-agency coordination, and deeper relationships across institutions, funders, artists, and audiences. This makes collaboration more seamless and innovation easier to prototype.
What matters more than scale is how we choose to engage locally and globally. Kok cites SSO’s recent tour of Australia as an example. “We performed in major cities to critical acclaim. These moments remind us that Singaporean artistry is more than capable of holding its own on the world stage.”
For the record, SSO was named one of the world’s top 23 orchestras by BBC Music Magazine in 2022 and and placed third in Gramophone’s Orchestra of the Year Awards in 2021.
Essentially, geography doesn’t define the boundaries of a market. What we lack in size, Kok continues, we can make up for in imagination, rigour, and reach. The key lies in helping people form personal connections to the music and there’s no one-size- fits-all approach. For some, that is facilitated through a powerful performance; or others, it comes with context from a conductor or a visual introduction to the orchestra.
“Our task now is to continue deepening the quality of work we produce here at home while cultivating the right platforms, partnerships, and pathways to bring that work into conversation with the world.”
Photography Mun Kong
Art direction Chia Wei Choong
Hair Yue Qi using GHD
Makeup Keith Bryant Lee using Clarins
Photography assistant Melvin Leong
