SINGAPORE, June 15 — Cello teacher and composer Hughes Chong knows all about the challenges behind breaking stereotypes.
The founder and conductor of an amateur cello orchestra here said cellists still face problems convincing people of the beauty of their music, as many still think of the cello as a “passive instrument in the symphony orchestra”.
Chong, 28, whose orchestra Cellography is holding its fourth concert at the end of the month, said: “The most common answer we get when we try to sell tickets (for our concert) would be, ‘I don’t want to fall asleep in the concert hall’, and ‘No. I don’t like instrumental music. It is boring’.”
The orchestra also used to perform arrangements of classical pieces, such as those from Beethoven and Bach during their initial concerts, and found that many in the audience didn’t understand what they were playing.
The fact that they were an amateur group also did not help things — many came away with a perception that the orchestra “must sound really bad”, added Chong wryly.
To counter these perceptions, they changed gears and shifted direction. For one, they turned to playing pop music and movie soundtracks — to much positive reception.
“Now, we have the audience clapping along and tapping their feet to the tunes,” he said.
“And for our 2015 concert, we added projection while the music was being played. The projector screened the music video or some footage related to the music and the audience enjoyed it greatly.”
The group also started to record more videos of their performances so people could get a sense of what their concert would entail.
This was well-received by some, said Chong, who added that people who watched it were shocked that the cello could “sound so good”.
Chong, who started the orchestra in 2009 after a female student expressed a desire to be in an orchestra when she was rejected by a semi-professional symphony orchestra, said other challenges include limited funds to hold their gigs, and difficulties in finding a space for their members, which has grown from just nine to 41.
True to their new direction, this year’s concert promises to be engaging and current, said Chong.
Their repertoire includes Mandarin pop song Little Happiness, You Are My Everything from the popular Korean drama Descendants Of The Sun, the theme song from Game Of Thrones and Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud.
A special bonus?
Audience members will also get to hear their rendition of Unbelievable — the music video starring Mediacorp actor Chen Tianwen which went viral after it was released.
The choice was meant to “bring a comical touch to the concert and to add some local flavour,” explained Chong.
While the orchestra’s only source of funds come from concert ticket sales, which are used largely for the cost of the production to break even, Chong says they will keep ploughing on, as he hopes to reach out to more people.
“Cello is more than just playing low sustaining notes in the symphony orchestra. The cello is capable of doing so many beautiful things,” he said.
“The aim is really not to make money ... but to give the cellists a place to enjoy making music, a chance to be on stage, and for their love of performing,” he said.
“I hope in the near future, through the cello orchestra, I can create a hub where many cellists can come together as a community and make friends and music together.” — TODAY
* The Cellography Orchestra 2016 will be at Drama Centre Theatre on June 25 at 7.30pm. Tickets from Sistic.
