5 best highlights to check out at this two-month-long Chinese cultural festival

With Ding Yi Music Company’s Disappearing Series…: Childhood Melodies, happening on June 1, take a trip down memory lane and introduce your kids to the songs of your childhood as a family bonding activity. As the orchestral group works their magic on classical Chinese instruments, you’ll experience the nostalgia of disappearing dialect nursery rhymes, as well as popular Chinese, Malay, and Indian folk songs from the past.

Here’s your chance to experience Chinese music with a uniquely Singaporean identity. The Singapore Composers Series concert, held from May 25 to 26, celebrates 20 years of The TENG Company, a non-profit arts company that reimagines Chinese music. The concert features an exciting collaboration among 20 local composers, producers, filmmakers, and musicians across different genres fusing Eastern and Western elements – including 14-year-old musical prodigy Nathanael Koh, Cultural Medallion recipient Dr Kelly Tang, and National Day Parade 2024 music director, Bang Wenfu.

The play Essentially Macbeth, happening from June 15 to 16, tells the story of how a group of ex-drama club members join hands to produce their own rendition of Shakespeare’s classic tale – thus rediscovering the meaning of the arts in their lives, and having a long-lost passion reignited in the process. Though the play will be staged in Mandarin, fret not as the English surtitles will make it one that all can enjoy. Moreover, this collaboration between NUS Chinese Drama and NUS Chinese Orchestra includes live music that elevates the dramatic story while exploring themes of power and ambition set in the present day.

Get acquainted with the vibrant world of Chinese opera with stage production, The Pawned Wife (9 to 12 May), which headlines the festival's opening night and runs till May 12. With tickets starting from just $10, you can experience Teochew opera in a contemporary theatre setting, featuring local opera stars and intricately embroidered costumes. This play highlights a mother’s sacrifice, so be sure to bring those tissues along for the show this Mothers’ Day.

As part of the festival, there will be not one, but two free-entry art exhibitions featuring creations by local talents. Take in the artistry of eight pioneering local cartoonists and show some love to works by local illustrator Koh Hong Teng and his students at the Devoted to Serve exhibition from May 10 to June 2. Follow it up with the Treasures of Our Schools exhibition from May 31 to June 30, with displays of little-seen works by established artists including Chen Wen Hsi, Liu Kang and Chua Ek Kay from the collections of local schools.

These are just a few of the many highlights of Cultural Extravaganza 2024. Other events in the line-up include A Choral Extravaganza, where various classical choral groups will command the stage with their powerful vocals; Jazz It Up! A Jazzy Celebration of Chinese Songs 2024, headlined by Cantopop singer Teresa Carpio; as well as Reunion 2.0, featuring fusion pop pieces, Cantonese classics, and even a soundtrack from Genshin Impact, performed by the Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra (SNYCO) Alumni Collective. Find out more about Cultural Extravaganza 2024 by Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre and book your tickets here.