Page 18 - NAFA Annual Report 2015/2016

HITECH Third International Non-Professional Piano Competition

Ong Shu En was awarded the first prize in Category C (ages 17-35) of the HITECH Third
International Non-Professional Piano Competition held in Tianjin, China. She was the only
female winner in the competition and the youngest winner in the category. The prestigious
competition attracted 523 contestants from over 20 countries, and was judged by a panel
of 16 from renowned conservatories worldwide.

Lectures by Professor Robert Winter, Presidential
Chair in Music and Interactive Arts, UCLA

Professor Robert Winter, Presidential Chair in Music and Interactive Arts at UCLA,
was Artist-in-Residence at the School of Music from 31 August to 4 September 2015,
where he presented a series of well-received lectures and masterclasses. These included
Beethoven and his Heroic Style; The Viennese Fortepiano; The Lied in the 19th Century;
Ravel’s Romance with Music History; Do The Performing Arts Need Research;
and Sights and Sounds: A Digital Reimagining of a Symbiotic Relationship.
Professor Winter also demonstrated the use of his interactive Music in the Air (MITA)
programme during selected lectures.

3rd China-ASEAN Theatre Week

Eight selected students from NAFA’s Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Theatre Arts represented
Singapore at the China-ASEAN Theatre Week held at Nanning, China from 13 to 18
September 2015. The students performed Solo Flight, an individual work devised,
written, directed and acted out by each student. The project was supported by the
Cultural Diplomacy Fund set up by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.

Silent Actors II: Puppets of Myanmar and Vietnam

Following the inaugural exhibition Silent Actors: Puppets of Malaysia, Cambodia and
Thailand in 2013, students from Arts Management, Dance, Fashion, Fine Art, Screen
Media and Theatre embarked on separate journeys to Ho Chi Minh City and Mandalay to
continue their exploration on puppetry practices in Southeast Asia. Through practice-led
research and interviews with local artists and performing troupes, students gained
multi-layered knowledge of this rare and dying art form. The project reflected ancient
Southeast Asian cultures, forms of physical and artistic expressions as well as the
communicative strategies embedded in such heritage. The exhibition showcased
the students’ learning journey in photographs, videos, objects and drawings.

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