A Musical Legacy
90 minutes, 15 minutes intermission
Please be seated at least 15 minutes before the programme begins.
Event closed
Just as Beethoven’s groundbreaking approach opened new frontiers for generations of composers, pioneers in NUS Symphony Orchestra (NUSSO) have forged the path for classical music on campus through their commitment to excellence.
In celebration of the Orchestra’s 40th anniversary, NUSSO will present timeless symphonic works inspired by legacies of great masters. Often nicknamed as Beethoven’s 10th, Brahm’s Symphony No. 1 displayed much of Beethoven’s influences, while Liszt, who was rumoured to have met Beethoven in his young age, wrote Les Preludes, one of the first works that brought to life the Symphonic Poem style.
Lim Soon Lee
NUS Symphony Orchestra
Lim Soon Lee
Music Director & Resident Conductor
Mr Lim Soon Lee has been the orchestra’s music director and resident conductor since 1994, and was the tutor for the orchestra’s violin section since 1980. After Mr Lim’s appointment, the orchestra was inaugurated as National University of Singapore Symphony Orchestra (NUSSO). Mr Lim’s leadership has been invaluable to the orchestra, and he has led the orchestra in gaining both a local and international reputation under his musical vision.
In 1983, under the Public Service Commission/Singapore Symphony Orchestra Scholarship, Soon Lee graduated from the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, New York, with a Bachelor of Music (Distinction). There he studied the viola under Atar Arad and Francis Tursi and completed a two-year conducting course with David Effron and Donald Hunsberger. In the summers of 1984 and 1986, Soon Lee was Principal Violist at Germany’s Heidelberg Music Festival and was awarded a scholarship to study the viola under Kim Kashkashian at the Lausanne Academy of Music in Switzerland. He was Singapore’s sole representative member of the 1988 World Philharmonic Orchestra in Montreal, Canada. From 1987 to 1997, he was with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO), during which he served as the Sub-Principal Violist.
He was the Assistant Conductor of the Singapore Youth Orchestra (SYO) from 1990 to June 1997 and was also responsible for the SYO Training Ensemble. In August 1997, he conducted the Asian Youth Orchestra during the National Day Parade. He was invited to conduct the New World Symphony Orchestra at Miami in April 2000, and also the Dennis Keene Choral Festival in August 2000. In October 2001, Soon Lee was selected to conduct the Plyzen Radio Symphony Orchestra (of the Czech Republic), to perform works by Jean Sibelius at the RSO Concert Hall during the International Sibelius Symposium Masterclass with Finland’s renowned conductor Jorma Panula. In 2005, Soon Lee was appointed conductor of the Singapore National Youth Orchestra (SNYO), and from 2006 to 2013, he was the Associate Principal of String Performance at the School of the Arts (SOTA), Singapore.
NUS Symphony Orchestra
With over 100 musicians from across the university, the NUS Symphony Orchestra (NUSSO) provides undergraduates with the opportunity to pursue their musical interest while promoting an appreciation for the arts in Singapore. It’s central mission is to be an education-centric orchestra, focused on cultivating a culture of excellence through the practice of music and advocating orchestral music to the public.
NUSSO is a three-time Tan Ean Kiam (TEK) Group of the Year Award winner and through its diverse repertoire, it has forged a reputation both locally and internationally. NUSSO has performed concerts in the NUS Arts Festival and tours of Aberdeen, Vienna, and Italy.