ABOUT THE CONDUCTOR
My Flight For Heaven composed by Blake R Henson
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Performed by the National Youth Choir of Singapore in the
Singapore Choral Festival 2016 - 7 Iconic Conductors at
Victoria Concert Hall, Singapore
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Conducted by Mr Foong Hak Luen
My Flight for Heaven takes Robert Herrick's text about seeking comfort in the welcome embrace of death and shifts the point of view to invoke music while striving towards a new life without pain, suffering, war and famine.
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Charm me asleep, and melt me so
With thy delicious numbers,
That, being ravish'd, hence I go
Away in easy slumbers.
Ease my sick head,
And make my bed,
Thou power that canst sever
From me this ill,
And quickly still,
Though thou not kill
My fever.
Fall on me like the silent dew,
Or like those maiden showers
Which, by the peep of day, do strew
A baptism o'er the flowers.
Melt, melt my pains
With thy soft strains;
That, having ease me given,
With full delight
I leave this light,
And take my flight
For Heaven.
Foong Hak Luen started his choral journey singing under and learning from renowned Singapore conductor Mr Nelson Kwei. He has received his Masters in Choral Conducting (Magna Cum Laude) jointly awarded from the University of St. Joseph & Catholic University of Portugal, Fellowship in Choral Conducting from London College of Music and Associate in Voice from the Trinity College of London. He is the only choral conductor in Singapore to have choirs attained the Gold with Honours Awards at the Primary, Secondary and Junior College level. He also led all his choirs to attain Distinction awards in the Singapore Youth Festival Arts Presentation 2013, 2015 and 2017.
In the international arena, Hak Luen has led choirs to achieved Gold awards at many international choral competitions held in Italy, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Russia, China, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and Malaysia. Most recently, his choir received the “Best Interpretation Prize”, 2 Gold Awards and 1 Category Champion at the 1st Tokyo International Choir Competition held in 2018. Hak Luen was specially awarded the Outstanding Conductor Prize for his excellent work with choirs at these competitions in 2009, 2011 and 2013, receiving commendations from Dr Brady Allred (USA) and Prof. Patrick Russill (UK).
In 2009, Hak Luen was engaged by the Singapore Chinese Orchestra to be the Chorus Master for the Voices of Harmony Concert held in the Singapore Indoor Stadium directing a 200 strong choir and also for Kit Chan: My Musical Journey Concert in Esplanade Concert Hall in 2011. He was also selected to be the deputy conductor for a choir under the Music Talent Development Center (MTDC) programme headed by the Co-Curricular Activities Board (MOE) to train young choristers selected from all the secondary schools in Singapore.
In 2015, Hak Luen took up the role of Festival Director for the Inaugural Singapore Choral Festival which sees over 1000 singers from 35 choirs performing in 3 concerts in the Victoria Concert Hall during the National Day weekend. The festival was a SG50 celebration event supported by the Ministry of Culture, Community & Youth and the National Arts Council. His choirs have also been continually invited to present choral concerts in the Esplanade Concert Hall.
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Hak Luen currently conducts the St Andrew’s Junior College Choir, Chung Cheng High School (Main) Choir, Commonwealth Secondary School Choir and Nan Hua High School Choir. He is also the deputy conductor of Tanjong Katong Secondary School Choir and The Vocal Consort.
Hak Luen is honoured to be one of the few Singaporean conductors from his generation to be invited as adjudicator for international choral competitions as well as clinician for choral conducting locally and abroad.
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The Vocal Consort Chamber Singers (Singapore)
Conductor: Foong Hak Luen
Composer: Alberto Grau
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Tokyo International Choral Competition 2018
Best Interpretation of a Piece from Renaissance & Baroque era: Heinrich Schutz "Die mit Tränen säen werden mit Freuden ernten"
Category G Contemporary Music: Category Winner
Category D Chamber Choir: Second Prize, Gold
This piece is a dedication to the victims of the Vargas tragedy, which occurred on 15 December 1999 in Venezuela. Torrential rains, flash floods and debris flows killed tens of thousands of people and destroyed thousands of homes — as much as 10% of Vargas' population died and whole towns like Cerro Grande and Carmen de Uria completely disappeared.
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Bin-Nam-Ma transforms a Catalan folk song sung by children on rainy days into a desperate plea for relief from the onslaught of the floods. Combined with choreography, this piece ends with a dance of hope that one day, their city might be able to rebuild itself and recover from such an immense disaster.