Forging ahead and paving the way for the rest of the globe in many areas including: commerce, finance and tourism; not to mention world class food, drink, shopping malls and 5 star hotels, Singapore has it all. The capital city’s most noteworthy landmarks include Orchard Road, a premier shopping precinct; the National Museum of Singapore, which dates back to 1849 and the Singapore Botanic Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is walking distance from The St. Regis Singapore, one of the biggest names in luxury accommodation.
In the recent past, there has also been a keen focus on developing the arts. Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay was opened in 2002, the state of the art facility is one of the busiest arts centres to be found anywhere. The Singapore Chinese Orchestra is another feather in the country’s cap. The Orchestra consists of eighty five talented musicians and remains Singapore’s only professional Chinese orchestra. It is also a flagship local arts group. Chinese Orchestra patron, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, is looking to preserve traditional arts in the name of cultural heritage, while bringing together new elements from across Southeast Asia.
The Singapore Chinese Orchestra performed a classical fantasy epic Marco Polo and Princess Blue for the opening ceremony of Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay. They collaborated with Tan Swie Hian, Singapore’s most renowned multi-disciplinary artist, at the Singapore Arts Festival 2003. They also put on ‘Our People, Our Music’ to celebrate Singapore’s 39th National Day in 2004. Singapore Arts Festival in 2005 and in 2008, the Singapore National Day Parade in 2007, also saw stellar displays of talent from these musicians. The group has also performed on foreign shores, at opening week of the Edinburgh Festival in 2009 and in Paris for Singapour Festivarts in 2010.
Nigel Walters is a travel writer, who writes under the pen name, Fritzjames Stephen. His content is based on the myriad of experiences and indulgences that the world has to offer travellers across all walks of life.
