Five Minutes with Hans Sørensen
Singapore Symphony Appoints Artistic Planning Director
The Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) has appointed Hans Sørensen to its newly created position of Director of Artistic Planning. Sørensen was most recently Artistic Planner and Orchestra Manager for the Göteborgs Symfoniker (the National Orchestra of Sweden). We speak to the Dane to hear what ideas he plans to bring on board.
Photo credit: Singapore Symphony Orchestra
Tell us your key responsibilities in this new role?
Sørensen: As part of the senior management team, I’ll oversee the planning of SSO’s core programme, as well as its community outreach programmes. Aside from the SSO, there are several other performing groups managed by the Singapore Symphony Group, including the Singapore National Youth Orchestra and Singapore Symphony Choruses – so I’ll be coordinating the artistic plans for these groups. I will also be curating VCHPresents, the established chamber music series at the iconic Victoria Concert Hall.
You’ve worked for Universal Music and as a conductor, film music producer and film music lecturer. And you play the violin. What are some fresh perspectives that you think you’ll bring to Singapore’s national orchestra?
Sørensen: What I hope to do is to bring in audiences who hardly come to our concerts and outreach events, by giving them something familiar that can be traced to classical roots and opening up this captivating art form to them.
And for existing patrons, we need to inspire them with new offerings, be it in programming or discovering new exciting artists. I also like to find new repertoire, be it contemporary or classical, that has the qualities to be programmed or recorded. To do so, we need to work closely with our local artistic collaborators – to deepen music-making, as well as seek out new partnerships abroad.
With your experience at the National Orchestra of Sweden and the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, what do you think is the particular challenge for national orchestras in staying relevant?
Sørensen: In Scandinavia, the arts are under pressure from the government, who is generally funding the orchestras. So being relevant for the whole nation as a music institution is the main goal. Outreach work and good programming is essential for fulfilling this. I believe the same applies here.
That said, the SSO, though just four decades old, is already quite an institution here. I see it in the support and recognition it receives; people naturally think of the SSO when they think of classical music in Singapore, of its two conductors Choo Hoey and Lan Shui – even if one may not have attended a concert by the orchestra.
What’s also interesting here is that the audience in Singapore is one of the youngest in the world for classical music – far younger than what we get in Europe. Here, we definitely see a rising demand for established international artistes, and a growing sophistication to appreciate upcoming artistes from the region and outside of it.
The SSO is currently on a global search for its Chief Conductor after Lan Shui stepped down as Music Director in January. How is this progressing?
Sørensen: Having experienced three chief conductor searches at the Danish National and the Swedish National orchestras, I can honestly say it’s not an easy task. There are several orchestras looking for chief conductors right now, with a limited pool of experienced and talented conductors who can and will do the job.
The candidate must want to develop the orchestra in a broad repertoire, starting with Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, through the romantic and up the contemporary repertoire. Be able to give fresh inspiration to the musicians. And last but not least, be able to take the humidity in Singapore!
And how are you taking to the climate in Singapore yourself?
Sørensen: The first month was tough, but I’m getting acclimatised now, I think. It’s still better than the Scandinavian cold!
Click here to visit Singapore Symphony Orchestra’s website.