SOTACopenhagen2009

THE SOTA GROUP

2009-04-14T16:56:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Miss Suzanna Ho who had been taking these pictures, thus her absence from them.

Standing on the extreme right is Mr Mogens Halken.

Day Eight (April 6)

2009-04-14T06:21:00.000-07:00

A turn of the eye and we are departing this day. We still had some time before our evening flight, so we visited another castle--the Fredericksburg Castle--and grab a few more French Hotdogs at Strøget.

Again, we thank Mr Mogens Halken, Mr Flemming Nielsen, and all Sankt-Annæ class 9.u for their wonderful hospitality towards us. And thanks too for the Viking hat as a parting gift.

We thank too the DONORS who have contributed much to make this and other SOTA Overseas Immersion Program trips possible for many students.
Fredericksburg Castle

Group pictures

The teachers who suffered
From L to R: Mr Isaiah Koh, Miss Suzanna Ho, and Dr. Yap Meen Sheng

From L to R: Melody Teoh, Foong Junjie, Elias Tan, Chloe Kay, Elaine Law, Tricia Tan, Claire Ng, Ong Shuchen, Melody Tam, Amy Tan, Goh Yan Lee, Amni Musfirah, Lydia Lim, Thaddeus Chung, and Bethea How.
The Chapel within the castle

The pipe organ

Boys and armours
The Royal Garden outside

The royal ballroom--our students only chance to live Princes and Princesses.

Did you say, "look at those ceilings"?

And a cabinet would look seemingly ordinary?

And the beds?

A toy fit for the king...

The penmanship of the King's Bible is impressive.

Day Seven (April 5)

2009-04-14T02:57:00.000-07:00

Where A is, there's where Møs Klint is at in reference to København.

Mr Flemming Nielsen explaining about a plant.

We can't resist taking pictures.

The walk down.

The views from Møs Klint. A top-of-the-world experience!

The view from the bottom.

Digging for Fossils...

You simply can't take the inquisitive nature out of a science teacher. Mr Flemming Nielsen, along with 4 Sankt Annæ boys--Zach, Charlie, Andreas, and Frederik--took us to one of Denmark's remaining nature reserves, Møs Klint. A two hour bus journey North-West of Copenhagen is a good way to have a view of the agricultural aspects of the country.

Nature has its way of unwinding one after a eventful week. The view of the vast sea on a cliff was out-of-the-world amazing. We took a couple hours to hike through the ground of fallen leaves, stopping at various plants for Mr Flemming to impart his knowledge to us. We made our way down 970 steps of stairs to the bay area where we were introduced to the different kinds of pebbles. Then a science lab lesson commence when the students dug around for fossils. Neither bones of past ages were found nor budding paleontologist amongst our students were discovered.

It was fascinating to see how Mr Flemming uses nature to inculcate an inquiring mind in the science. See, think, wonder...

Copenhagen Architecture

2009-04-08T00:40:00.000-07:00

Student Dormitory--
inspired by the Chinese Hakka house Tu Lou. 土楼

New Opera House

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

New Theater

New Library

Alongside a great heritage of Castles, Cathedrals, and buildings of historical significance, the outskirts of Copenhagen have buildings of creative and unique contemporary architecture. There seems the preference for straight lines but not mundane by any means. Colours are boldly used with great effects. Extended balconies are common in new apartment buildings. Wall height windows display an open space concept. One can peek into an apartment and observe the simple yet attractive interior decor with Ikea-like furniture. Distinctly Scandinavia.

Day Six (April 4)

2009-04-07T06:57:00.000-07:00

SOTA in Copengahen

Music student's attempt of a funny pic.

Boat ride along the canal.

Vors Frelsers Church--400 steps stairs spiraling the steeple.

Who is tall enough to touch?

Music Museum

An early form of music player, just before the gramophone.

Early forms of music notation invented by Guido de Arrezzo

An instrument consisting of many bowls connected together and they spin at the same time. They produce sound on a similar concept to rubbing the rims of a glass of water.

Carpe Diem--Seize the Day. We are on our own, so Miss Suzanna Ho planned the itinerary of the day. We spent most of the day in the city center, going on a guided city tour on a boat and manifesting the innate Singapore prowess of shopping. Just remember—this is no Bangkok. It’s ranked the 7th most expensive city in the world and our pockets attest to that.
To help us feel accountable to those who sent us on this educational exchange, we had to do something intelligent to alleviate our guilty conscience. So we went to the Danish Music Museum, observing a variety of instruments since the renaissance and from all over the world. Definitely EDUCATIONAL nonetheless.

Group Photos

2009-04-07T06:45:00.001-07:00

Here is one with our hosts from SAG.

Day Five (April 3) evening

2009-04-05T12:31:00.000-07:00

Mr Mogens Halken with the Copenhagen Boys Choir in the rehearsal room.

With Mr Arne Berg, the former Director of Music at SAG.

The view from FOUR stories up.

We made our way to what is known as the “Dome”. The Copenhagen Cathedral is a familiar sight where many royal ceremonies have taken place. The last significant one was the Crown Prince's wedding.
This evening, watching from the high balcony where the boys choir would usually sing at, we experienced grandioso! Directed by Ebbe Munk, the Copenhagen Boys Choir (Københavns Drengekor) and the Domkirkens Barokensemble (an ensemble that performs on baroque-copied instruments) produced a fine performance of full sonority that filled the immense space. The acoustics of the hall enhanced that was sung, even when we were 4 stories up! Amazing!

Day 5 (April 3)

2009-04-05T12:15:00.001-07:00

The students in
SOTA ceremonial wear. SMART!

Our appreciation by Dr Yap.

This is our final day at Sankt Annæ Gymnasium with a final session of rhythmic training with Mr Mads and an informal recital by SOTA students and the Year 9 jazz combo group. For some of our students it was their very first solo performance. Nerves, nerves, nerves!
SOTA students have done considerably well! We have not had any time for individual practices since Day 1, but they carried themselves well.
Thank you all at Sankt Annæ for this impactful experience.

Day Four (April 2) Evening

2009-04-05T11:57:00.000-07:00

Mr Mogens Halken, Director of Music, and Mr Flemming Nielsen took us to a beautiful sea town called Roskilde that is 30km away but a mere 20 minutes by train. There are two places of interest in this quaint town:
- A cathedral where all the Kings and Queens of Denmark were buried since the 11th century.
- The Viking Ships Museum.
Within the last year, a group of Danes built an exact replica of an old Danish Viking ship. She was set to sail by an 18-member sailing/rowing team, sailing the Northern sea, reaching Dublin (Ireland) and sailing back, all within 3 weeks, just to prove the plausibility of their ancestor’s feat.
Photos of this sea journey were taken and arranged in a slideshow, the visual element of a concert with music by Danish contemporary composer Kuno Kjærbye.

Day Four (April 2) Photojournal

2009-04-05T11:34:00.000-07:00

Bicycles--that's how most get around.

Parliment House, where we're not allowed to take photos within. This is also where the Queen's state room is at, with all those previously mentioned tapestry. Look at those strong men (pillars)!

The 3 crowns at the top of the Parliament House.

Round Tower of Copenhagen

The NEW Opera House across the river
Newfound friends

Boat House of a SAG student

Elias Tan with his Danish flag and Danish Salmon.

Nyhavn (which means New Harbour), akin to our Boat Quay.

Miss Ho with Mr Flemming Nielsen, math and science teacher of SAG, lover of nature.

The famous Mermaid in Copenhagen. Why is it famous? Don't ask the Danes. They have no clue either.

Change of Guards at the Queen's Palace.

Day Four (April 2)

2009-04-05T11:25:00.000-07:00

Today is the day of visiting Copenhagen City. The 9th Grade boys of SAG and Mr. Flemming Nielsen, Math and Science Teacher, led us around. Below is our photo journal of where we visited. Places/Monuments/Events of interests:
-Statue of famed Danish author Hans Christian Andersen
-Copenhagen’s New Opera House along the river
-The famed Mermaid statue based upon H. C. Andersen’s story
-Queen’s Palace and the change of guards ceremony
-Nyhavn (or New Harbor)—street of colourful houses, an well-known image of Copenhagen.
-Parliament House (where the Queen’s state room is at)—cameras are not allowed in and we had to wear plastic covers over our shoes. Nonetheless, we saw Queen Margaret’s smoking room, a grand family portrait, the different rooms where dignitaries are entertained, and a series of cartoon-like overpriced expensive tapestry.

Group Reflections (Day 3)

2009-04-05T10:54:00.000-07:00

The evening was free from activities, thus we met as a group for reflections and housekeeping matters. We were specifically reviewing Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro.

Voice Masterclass Photojournal

2009-04-03T03:51:00.000-07:00

Day Three (April 1)

2009-04-03T03:22:00.000-07:00

We observed 2 choral rehearsals this morning of the Copenhagen Girls and Boys choir. The girl’s choir, comprising of 12-14 year olds, were sight-singing through choral arrangements of a couple of folksongs. The boy’s choir was rehearsing through the boy’s choir component of Mahler’s Symphony No. 8. They will be performing with the Danish Radio Orchestra in 3 weeks time. The sound is full and the intonation was accurate for this 80-strong choir. It is interesting to note that each choir has 4 different teachers, with one being the conductor at concerts.

The students participated in an improvisatory rhythmic class with Mr Mads Demant Jespersen. It is a training of one’s natural ability to feel the pulse and rhythm, rather than trying to mentally discern the note values.

We finished the school day with masterclasses again.

This evening was free from activities, thus we did some group reflections.

Day Two (Mar 31)

2009-04-03T03:09:00.001-07:00

We begin our musical exchanges today in Sankt Annæ today. The boys from Grade 9 gave us a guided tour of the school, finally leading us into our classroom where we met the conductor of this evening’s choral concert. Mr Kim Nanfred, a SAG teacher, gave an introduction of the musical works we’ll be listening to: Faure’s Requiem, Norwegian composer Knut Nystedt’s Immortal Bach, and Nanfred’s Stabat Mater.

SOTA students participated in masterclasses in the afternoon. The piano class was led by Mrs Eva Sorensen and the vocal class by Mrs Tine Jarl, who is a vocal teacher of the Copenhagen Boy’s Choir. Some students also participated in a jazz ensemble practice.

In the evening, we made our way to the Grundtvigs Church for the choral concert. This church, built during World War 2, has impressive acoustics. The sound rings through the hall and gently tapers off at the end of the piece.

Day One (March 30) photo journal

2009-04-01T03:13:00.001-07:00

The school we are visiting with.

Copenhagen City (outside of Kogens Nytorv metro station)

'Old Stage'--Copenhagen's restored opera house where we saw Marriage of Figaro.

The Hostel that we stayed in. It's nice to be outside the city limits, yet being 10 minutes by bus (No. 4A) from Sankt Annæ.

Our first Danish meal--Potato stew, sausage and bread at Sankt-Annæ's Canteen.

Day One (March 30)

2009-04-01T03:04:00.000-07:00

Group photos at Changi airport. Anticipation...

The vocal students and Mr Isaiah Koh

The girls at Frankfurt airport as we wait for news of our connecting flight.

Miss Suzanna Ho makes sure everyone has a boarding pass.

Waiting for our bags in Copenhagen.

We took the public bus to the school from the airport.

The 15 SOTA music students traveling to Copenhagen along with Mr Isaiah Koh, Miss Suzanna Ho, and Dr Yap Meen Sheng.
What a trip! Our traveling was with some hiccups, but everything worked out fine by the end of the day.
We missed our connecting flight in Frankfurt. For some reasons, they changed gate without informing and they didn’t hold the flight despite having 20 minutes to dash to the right gate. Thankfully we were placed on a SAS flight one hour later.

This flight delay caused one of us to not receive luggage at our arrival into Copenhagen at 10:20AM. (Parents: don’t fret. The missing luggage was delivered intact to our hostel by the evening)

We were greeted warmly by a SAG group at the airport and a chilly 3ºC weather. Their boys helped us as we made our way via public transportation (metro and bus) with our luggage to the school. After official greetings and lunch, we managed a 2 hour rest at our hostel, Danhostel Copenhagen Amager, nestled in greens, 10 minutes by bus from the school.

Watching Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro in the evening was an experience of many firsts—e.g. first opera, first concert in a European concert hall etc. The old Stage, in downtown Copenhagen, was a restored old opera house with spectacular golden wall sculptures. The four-tiered concert hall brings about a distinct old European culture of concerts.

The opera was set in a modern day era where the count and a countess were a celebrity football couple (akin David and Victoria Beckham), Figaro a simple sports fanatic, and Susannah a make-up artist for the celebrities. But this setting has many nuances that confuse us immensely, despite the synopsis in our hands. Along with our jet lag, it’s not a pleasant concert. Yet not taking away an impressive ensemble who displayed wonderful vocal abilities in aria, it was a good production to remember.

About SOTA’s Overseas Immersion Programme 2009, Copenhagen

2009-03-31T00:54:00.000-07:00

SOTA’s Overseas Immersion Programme is one through which the Year 3 students will experience a cross-cultural training of their specialized art. From March 29th to April 7th, a group of 15 music students and 3 teachers will be traveling to Copenhagen for our exchange with Sankt-Annæ Gymnasium, school of the internationally famed Copenhagen Boys Choir and the Royal Copenhagen Chapel Choir. The school, steeped in the choral traditions, has placed equal emphasis on their music education and their academics, somewhat similar to the SOTA layout.

SAG admits students at Grade 3, or age 8/9 based upon auditions (akin to SOTA's Talent Academy). All students will participate in various choral groups, performing several times a year. At Grade 9, the students are tested for admittance into the Talent Programme of the Gymnasium (Danish equivalent to a high school).
The purpose of this trip is for the SOTA students to:
1. Experience a school system where choral is central in their music curriculum.
2. Experience the arts culture within a typical European metropolitan city.
Events and Activities that SOTA students will have:
1. Workshops and Masterclasses with the teachers of Sankt Annæ Gymnasium.
2. Chamber opportunities with the students of Sankt Annæ Gymnasium.
3. Social exchange opportunities with the students.
4. Concerts in different venues:
a. Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro @ the Old Stage
b. Faure’s Requiem (1893 version) @ the Gruntvigs Church
c. Concert @ the Vikings Museum
d. Hadyn’s Nelson Mass @ the Copenhagen Cathedral
5. Visiting the sights of Copenhagen.