Up Close with the Philharmonic Winds

I thought the Sunday concert of the Philharmonic Winds start at 3:30pm, but I was wrong - it started at 3pm. I actually got to my hotel room at Raffles the Plaza around 2:30pm. Thought I still have an hour to kill, so I spent a bit of time exploring my room and enjoying the great views of Marina Bay with the Merlion, the Fullerton Hotel, Suntec City, and of course the Esplanade. By the time I finished unpacking and strolled over to the Esplanade, I was already 20 minutes late. Understandably, the usher wouldn't let me in during mid-performance. I was quite lucky because there are only two free seats left in the Concert Hall - right in the front row.

The whole thing felt like a family affair. Majority of the audience is made up of moms and dads and the kids, all dressed very casually. The orchestra's uniform is black and red. Everyone got the black right, but the red ranges from blood red to maroon to violet to outright pink. It's quite a rousing performance from the Philharmonic Winds and the Philharmonic Youth Winds though. They performed some Chinese favourites such as Mei Guei ("Rose, Rose, I Love You" in English), Muo Li Hua (Jasmine Flower), and Teresa Teng's Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo De Xin (The Moon Represents My Heart). There's also Can't Take My Eyes Off You, Mama Mia, and for the encore, I Will Survive.