The Philharmonic Winds believes that great music should not be kept within gleaming concert halls, and makes an effort to bring our love for wind music to the community. To that end, we have performed at many public locations, from open-air venues like the Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage at the Singapore Botanical Gardens and Gardens by the Bay, to shopping malls like Paragon Shopping Centre and Vivo City, as well as heartland locations right in the middle of Ang Mo Kio, Tampines and Toa Payoh.
Have you ever dreamt of conducting a wind orchestra? Or how about belting out your favourite pop song to the live accompaniment of a 50-piece band? Come join us at our outdoor performances in the heartlands and you will find yourself singing, clapping and tapping your feet to the infectious beats of our music.
Follow us on our Facebook and Instagram to find out where and when we will be performing next!
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Music from the Hearts
Apart from bringing smiles to children through great music at its fun-filled concerts, The Philharmonic Winds also found time to bring smiles to Singapore children who are physically, mentally and socially disadvantaged. At its Circle of Life – A Night of Musicals concert on 16 Dec 2014, The Philharmonic Winds presented a cheque for the sum of S$35,000* to The Children’s Charities Association of Singapore, raised through generous donors and friends who saw much value in contributing to a worthy cause. The Philharmonic Winds is proud to do its part for society and would like thank all the donors for their kindness and generosity.
*The amount has been updated after a late donation of $5,000.
Dr Leonard Tan (Music Director, The Philharmonic Winds)
Mr Adrian Cheong (President, The Philharmonic Winds)
Dr Maliki Osman, (Minister of State, Ministry of National Development & Ministry of Defence and Mayor, South East District)
Mr Steven Lee (Chairman, The Children’s Charities Association of Singapore)
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Remembering Lee Kuan Yew – The Band Project
Singapore’s founding Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, played a significant role in the lives of band members – past, present and future.
“Launched in January 1965, the Band Project was the brainchild of the Prime Minister, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew. He had decided that bands should be formed in all schools in Singapore. The Government in introducing this programme in the schools had recognised the fact that group discipline, esprit de corps, and a sense of national identity can be gained by students participating in bands as an extra-curricular activity and the positive influence on public morale when school bands are heard and seen at outdoor functions and music festivals.”
(Source: NLB, in an excerpt from an interview with Tan Leng Kwang)
The Philharmonic Winds shared this excerpt on our Facebook page, which went viral within a few hours. We were glad to have revived the nostalgia that many ex-band members today feel towards their band days. Recognising our leading role in the Singapore wind band scene, we decided to play our part to remember Mr Lee Kuan Yew in the best way we know – through music.
Within the space of two days, The Philharmonic Winds and Philharmonic Youth Winds managed to bring together 323 musicians of all ages and walks of life, gathering at the Goodman Arts Centre to perform a rendition of our National Anthem, Majulah Singapura, to pay tribute to Mr Lee Kuan Yew. Under the baton of conductor Mr Adrian Chiang, it was our way to thank Mr Lee for his vision of starting the wind band movement in Singapore, setting the stage for groups like us to continue pursuing our love for band music even after our school days.
Click here to watch the full video footage of the tribute.
