The Sing.Lang concert is an event that celebrates the works of Singaporean artistes and music talents.
The annual affair is back this year on June 15, 2019, on a larger scale.
Here's what it entails.
Sing.Lang concert 2019
This year's concert line-up includes veteran Singaporean Mandopop stars such as Kit Chan and A-Do who made an appearance at mentor Billy Koh's concert in China recently.
Along with Chan and A-Do, you can also look forward to performances by other Mandopop singers such as Derrick Hoh, The Freshman and Boon Hui Lu.
Previously a child actor, Boon has now become an up-and-coming Mandopop singer.
Nathan Hartono who won second on Sing! China in 2016 will be there too.
Sing.Lang concert is not exclusively a Mandopop event.
Other local talents such as Gentle Bones, TheLionCityBoy and Akeem Jahat will also be performing on June 15 too.
TheLionCityBoy will be rapping in the opening medley and in some of the Chinese songs, but not in Mandarin.
Large crowd expected
This year's Sing.Lang Concert will be taking place at the Singapore Sports Hub, a much larger venue than before.
In 2018, it was held at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC), which can only hold about 2000 to 3000 people in its concourse.
Singers and musicians such as Joanna Dong and Benjamin Kheng performed last year.
You might want to travel light and arrive early before the concert starts at 7.30pm, as a large crowd is expected.
Best of all, this event is free, but you are required to register here.
Singapore's distinctive Chinese culture
The Sing.Lang concert is actually one of the many programmes lined up for the Cultural Extravaganza 2019, a festival organised by SCCC to encourage Singaporeans to explore Chinese culture.
The third edition of Cultural Extravaganza happens from May 24 to June 15 this year.
The CEO of the SCCC, Low Sze Wee, said the three-week festival aims to highlight how Chinese culture has taken form in "social practices, language, music and other art forms" in Singapore.
"We hope that the Festival will kickstart everyone's journey in discovering more about our distinctive culture, and inspire them to appreciate the strong connections that bind us," he said.
Other events
If Mandopop music is not your cup of tea, here are some programmes that you can attend to explore different aspects of Chinese culture.
Interactive street-wayang performance
The interactive and multi-lingual street-wayang performance by GroundZ-0 reveals myths and legends about Singapore.
The performance includes a retro game show format that engages viewers in deciding how different stories about the early immigrants in Singapore would end.
Dates: June 8 and 9, 2019
Time: 3pm to 3.30pm / 3.45pm to 4.15pm / 4.30pm to 5pm / 5.15pm to 5:45pm
Location: SCCC SCCCI Multi-Purpose Hall Foyer, Level 7
Cost: Free
See a local circus performance
A local community circus, Bornfire, will also perform a variety of tricks in a circus production called UNBOX.
Some of the circus acts include juggling acts, diabolo, and cry wheel which you might get to learn from the performers too.
Date: June 8, 2019
Time: 5pm to 7pm (sharing and games), 7pm to 8pm (performance)
Date: June 9, 2019
Time: 4pm to 5pm (sharing and games), 6pm to 6.30pm (performance)
Location: SCCC Ho Bee Concourse, Level 1
Cost: Free.
Try your hand at brewing kopi
You can also trace coffee and tea drinking culture back to Chinese roots in the Kossip workshops, conducted in both English and Mandarin.
Besides brewing your own cup of kopi, you can also find out how tea, coconut and biscuits have become part of the exciting food scene in Singapore.
Dates: June 6 to 9, 2019
Time: 11am to 6pm
Location: SCCC Kwan Im Thong Cho Temple Gallery, Level 2
Cost: Free.
Watch a fusion performance of Nanyin music & Peranakan culture
Nanyin is a form of music from southern Fujian, China, where many pioneer Singaporeans came from.
Combined with Malay and Mandopop music, this performance tells a cross-generational tale of an immigrant made Singapore his home eventually.
Three Cultural Medallion recipients Yip Cheong Fun, Teng Mah Seng and Som Said contributed to this production.
Date: May 25, 2019
Time: 2.30pm to 3.30pm
Location: SCCC Far East Organization Auditorium, Level 9
Ticket prices: S$28, S$38
You can get your tickets here.
There is a 20 percent discount if you are a PAssion Card member, NSF, student or senior citizen.
You can browse through other Cultural Extravaganza 2019 events here.
Top image adapted via Kit Chan/FB, A-Do/Weibo & Nathan Hartono/FB
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