Proud of a Talent... Proud of a Song...
He is someone funny, crappy and 'spastic'; someone who is very mundane and down-to-earth; someone who is well-versed with TV commercial songs and dialogs; someone who is very gifted in music; someone who can play many many musical instruments; YES!!! He is the special someone of AJC(AAC)O - Tan Kah Yong (14th Batch AJCO Erhu/Sanxian/Dizi/Ruan player).(Left): Aiyoh! Kah Yong... Please take more photos can? Always using this picture for all the concert programme booklets... Diaox!
Proud of a Talent:
I remember when I was in AJCO year 1, our orchestra tried to play a few special arrangements. Most of them were products of Tan Kah Yong. They include "细水长流", "I Believe" and "Titanic". If you asked him for those scores, he will do the Gatsby commercial signature move - placing his palms on his face and rubbing in embarrassment while saying "那些是我乱乱写的啦".
It is always his dream to arrange/compose something for CO. After a few attempts of "乱乱写", he finally came up with his maiden arrangement - "Dango Sankyodai" which has been performed by SCO, NUSCO and RVCO (and subsequently the scores were taken to China by some CO enthusiasts).
As his friend and his kopitiam kaki, I am proud that he has become very successful in this area. I went for most of the CO concerts which featured his arrangments/compositions. Most recently, he has arranged a song "Guitar On Fire" - A Flaming Hot Latino Music for Zhang Rong Hui Laoshi's Ruan Ensemble. It was so well-received that it was featured both as the concert item and the encore piece. After these concerts, people will be rushing to find the concert soloists to sign on their programme booklets while I will find Kah Yong for his autograph (you all should start doing it because Kah Yong will be very famous... Or rather is already famous).
Proud of a Song:
Though he has arranged so many musical pieces, AJCO and AJCAACO did not get a chance to perform songs arranged by our own talent (Its really a pity!!!). On the 18th August, AJCAACO has finally gotten a chance to perform his creation on stage - "Euphony of Bonds Across Time". Though some people might treat it as merely another musical composition, I took pride in this song and wanted every second of it to be well-played. This song really conjures up memories of my 2 years in AJC(O). An excellent composition that captures the essence of the AJC(O) Spirit by playing around with snippets of "Non-Mihi Solum".
In 2008, Kah Yong might be helping AJCO to compose another musical piece and improve on "Euphony of Bonds Across Time"... 请大家期待！
Kah Yong's Music Profile:
Having been studying piano since the tender age of four, Kah Yong’s contact with the Chinese Orchestral circle began in 1997 when he joined the Anderson Junior College Chinese Orchestra as an Erhu player, thereafter picking up sanxian and has been the Principal Sanxian player of the People’s Association Youth Chinese Orchestra (PAYCO) since 1997.
Being a music enthusiast, he studied orchestral arrangement and composition under the tutelage of Law Wai Lun and had received guidance from Yeo Puay Hian and Sim Boon Yew, both currently appointed as Arranger-in-Residence in the Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO). He has been actively involved in arranging and composing for SCO as well as many amateur Orchestras.
Kah Yong’s maiden arrangement “Dango Sankyodai” surfaced in 2002 and has since been a regular repertoire of several overseas Chinese Orchestras in
In February this year, his mentor Mr. Law and himself became pioneers to pen music for the newly formed SCO Pop Ensemble during the “SCO Goes Pop!” concert which featured a collaboration between both of them. Together, they fused traditional Chinese music with pop and also revolutionised the way pop music can be performed by a Chinese instrumental ensemble as well as the full Chinese Orchestra.
(Top:) Picture taken from Singapore Chinese Orchestra Co Ltd Annual Report 2005. This picture shows the SCO Pop Ensemble playing Tan Kah Yong's arrangment "北京一夜" or "One Night In Beijing" in the "SCO Goes Pop!" concert.
Versatile in his arrangement, he was commissioned in 2003 by the
Anderson Junior College Chinese Orchestra and Symphonic Band held a combined orchestral performance at the Esplanade in 2004 and 2005. Kah Yong was approached by his alma-mater to arrange for both orchestras to perform harmoniously together. This piece was presented in both years’ concerts.
Apart from Chinese Orchestral and Symphonic Band arrangements, he was commissioned by the People’s Association Cultural Troupe (PACT) to write several pieces for a combined Chinese, Malay and Indian Orchestra “Soundwaves II” concert last year, encompassing the 3 races’ ethnic traditional instruments. They were very well received.
A pianist himself, Kah Yong is currently a resident arranger for Music Design Pte Ltd and has since published several piano song books including the popular ‘Romantic Contemporary Hits’, ‘TV & Movie Themes’ and ‘Mega Starz Hitz’ series.
Synopsis of "Euphony of Bonds Across Time"
8 years after I have graduated from Anderson Junior College (AJC), a visit to my alma mater brought back strong feelings of the signature AJ spirit – an everlasting solidarity within the AJC family.
Euphony of Bonds Across Time is composed to evoke the sweet sentiments of homecoming and nostalgia by engaging the AJC school song as the main theme and the counterpoint to the melody. The sense of attachment and the lingering memories for the college are portrayed by the echoing of ‘Non Mihi Solum’ at the end of the musical piece.
Especially dedicated to AJC Chinese Orchestra and everyone else who forms part of the AJC Family – past, present and future, this musical piece is composed “not for myself alone” – ‘Non Mihi Solum’.
@@@ Written by Kah Yong@@@
a special musical piece that is only exclusive to us.
We are definitely proud of the song" - Zhiliang
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