By Keng Yi, Nicole (25S03S) and M.B. Dharshni (25S03O)
On Wednesday, May 15, a kaleidoscope of colour would make its way to the Performing Arts Centre. Titled “Sunset Reverie”, the Guitar Ensemble concert would see the intertwining of departing seniors looking to finish their journey in Guitar Ensemble with a bang, and burgeoning juniors making their debut as members of the ensemble — with all the spectacle of the setting sun.
The CCA itself has no shortage of character. Throughout the concert, their sense of humour was made obvious both in the emceeing and song choice, which included “meme” songs like “Monkeys Spinning Monkeys” and “Careless Whisper”, and even a Rickroll (“Never Gonna Give You Up”).
Their personality is obvious in the members as well, as they speak of the work that went on behind the scenes of the concert.
Before the Dawn
Other than rehearsals for the pieces themselves, the members also had to balance the preparations for the concert’s production.
If you’ve spent any time on the popular social media platform Tiktok, you might be familiar with “What kind of (blank) are you?” filters, such as: What flavour of bagel are you?
Let’s get serious and ask the real pertinent question here: What type of guitar are you?
If this question has been boggling your mind as of late, fear not, because Guitar Ensemble has the answer for you!
From teasing concert pieces with Instagram post countdowns, to recreating trendy TikToks, the publicity team pulled out all the stops to advertise Sunset Reverie to the fullest.
As for the newcomers, who make up a good portion of the ensemble, a new challenge awaited.
Picking up a new instrument in a mere few months is no easy feat, and having to perform in front of an audience at the end of it is even more challenging.
Kai Ern (25S03D), who entered RIGE with no prior experience in a Performing Arts CCA, recalls how her seniors, alongside a eight-session beginner course, played a key role in helping beginners like herself overcome the steep learning curve.
She jokes about how they (the beginner Y5s) had initially pretended to play during rehearsal because they didn’t know what was going on. However, months of extensive practice (and extended CCA sessions) passed by quickly, and the evening of the concert soon arrived.
On the Horizon
As the sun began to trace its path to the west, an eager audience filed the PAC. Each attendant was gifted a on-theme glow stick at the entrance, lighting up the rows in sunset shades.
5pm rolled around, and the emcees, Wu Yuxuan (25S07A), Jiang Tongyu (24S02C), and Klair Tan (25S06C) filled the air with easy banter.
Right on cue, the curtains parted, spilling multicoloured light onto the awaiting crowd. The audience’s quiet chatter was interrupted by the rising sound of cheers—the concert was about to begin.
Sunrise
The first quarter of the concert was marked by lighthearted, feel-good pieces to ease in the audience. “Summer” and “Howl’s Moving Castle Medley” by the Senior Ensemble brought forth images of nature and open air, with a vivid Ghibli atmosphere.
On the other hand, the iconic starting notes of “Monkeys Spinning Monkeys” by the Alto 1 Section elicited a noticeable reaction from the audience.
The enthusiasm of the crowd was obvious: every performance was bookended by screams of the performers’ names, and each of emcee Wu Yuxuan (25S07A)’s jokes was met with audible (if mildly sarcastic) laughter.
Dusk
Then came a transition to more dramatic, darker tunes.
Flautist Cai Zhengxi Vicky (24S03A) joined Shaun Wong (24S03A) in a stirring duet, the smooth notes of the flute blending with the deeper tones of the classical guitar in “Cafe 1930”, the melody and tempo rising and falling in turn, keeping audience members on the edge of their seats.
Following that was the calmer piece, “Clair de Lune” by Darius Chan (25A01D) and Xavier Tan (25S03H). The talent of both players was clear in the emotion of the piece, casting a gentle mood over the crowd.
Bridging the gap between classical music and shared nostalgia was the “Disney Medley” by the Alto 2 Section, which featured extracts from popular tunes like Ratatouille’s “Le Festin”, Frozen’s “For the First Time in Forever”, and Tangled’s “I See The Light”.
The next song was met with laughter and definite appreciation — “Never Gonna Give You Up”, played by the Bass, Contrabass, and Guitarron sections. This song was well-known for sure, whether by choice or not.
“Careless Whisper” by the Prime section was no less iconic, the melodious tones of the ensemble breathing new life into a well-loved classic.
A New Dawn
As the saying goes, “what goes around, comes around” — and in this case, what came around was the setting sun of the Y6s giving way to the fresh faces of the junior batch.
With just two months of practice under their belt, the junior ensemble put up an impressive performance of “Ode to Joy”, a compelling and fitting tune, and “Quien Sera”, a melancholic Spanish song that the ensemble conquered easily, despite their short runway.
Sunset
The closing of the concert saw the return of the senior ensemble, shining in their final performance as members of Guitar Ensemble.
The pieces: “Beauty and the Beast”, where they were again joined by Cai Zhengxi Vicky (24S03A) on the flute, was a classic that tugged on our heartstrings, followed by “Allegro” from Vivaldi’s “Madolin Concerto in C Major, RV 425”, which featured the cembalo as a special instrument.
Seemingly concluding the concert was the fitting “Viva La Vida”. The song was a crowd favourite, eliciting many to sing along under their breath, for good reason — it was a statement. Long live indeed: just like the burning glare of a sunset lost in the horizon, the departing seniors would leave a lasting legacy in their wake.
However, the concert wasn’t over yet. Chants for an encore gave way to “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran, the seniors bringing the solar cycle to a close with the very first song they had learnt in the CCA.
The phone flashlights of the crowd created a sea of setting stars as the audience sang along once again. The air was sentimental but alight — filled with something like gratitude, a goodbye echoing a truth universal to all JC students alike: we burn bright and burn fast.
Twilight
But the most beautiful moments remain precious because they are not permanent, and even the most special days will come to a close with a picturesque sunset.
Sunsets, with their ethereal beauty, not only give us closure at the end of tough days, but also serve as a reminder that endings can be as breathtaking as the journey to get there.
To the outgoing Y6s, the concert served as the amalgamation of months of hard work, as well as the final memory they would share with the batchmates they treasure deeply.
“Fulfilling” is the word that comes to outgoing Chairperson Nerissa Chou Zi Yuan’s (24S03C) mind as she recalls the journey the Y6s have taken to reach that point.
“I feel really sad right now. But at the same time, I also feel that it was very rewarding because [so many of us Y6s] had started with no experience.”
To Anu Srikanth (24SO3C), who had initially started with no experience, RIGE became a place of comfort. The fast pace of JC life makes it easy for us to get caught up in the rush of things. Guitar became a home, a safe haven where she could relax with her batchmates.
And as Shaun Wong, outgoing Vice-Chairperson, told us right at the start, the concert had always meant to be warm and relaxing, to give the audience a good time and an evening to enjoy. Needless to say, Sunset Reverie has gone above and beyond in its vision, gifting audience members with an evening to be remembered.
Last Light
To some, music touches the depths of the soul and offers escape out of tough realities. To others, it is simply a source of joy and relieves their stress at the end of a difficult day. However, this concert had most definitely struck the heartstrings of the audience.
With the final, lingering notes of the evening still resounding in their minds, the audience members slowly trickled out of the PAC.
A soft amber glow cascaded over the school, the setting sun painting the skies in hues of pink and orange. A strange kind of melancholy was in the air — for a moment, the bittersweet taste of farewells had been swept away by a gentle reverie.