[UPDATE: 16 May 2021]: Due to recent COVID-19 guidelines, SIFA 2021 have updated their programme details and lineups. This article has been edited to accordingly reflect any changes.
The Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) is back!
In 2020, the annual arts event featured talks, exhibitions, shows, podcasts that delivered the promise of an artistic experience with an innovative and virtual twist. This year, the festival continues to push on, bringing people across the world an immersive array of events and programmes.
SIFA 2021 will be happening from 14 to 30 May, with a mix of in-person events, livestreaming, and video-on-demand programmes taking place from 31 May to 12 June.
BANDWAGON TV
SIFA first launched in 1977 with the mission to showcase captivating and immersive pieces across music, dance, performances. film, and visual arts. Through the years, the annual festival has gone through several evolutions and has solidifed itself to being Singapore's pinnacle performing arts festival that many both in and out of Singapore look forward to every year.
Curated as a response to lockdowns and social isolation, SIFA 2021 will be exploring themes and ideas centered around care, compassion, and community and serve as a platform and space for discussions, installations, and workshops that focus on topics such as mental health, self-care, climate change, and more.
This year's installment will feature over 300 performances and 60 shows, taking place across a jam-packed three weeks.
In a statement by Festival Director Gaurav Kripalani, he shares, "Having lived through a time of isolation, I believe the Arts can play a powerful role in bringing communities together. I've also spent time thinking about how the arts can help heal. The programmes at Festival House have been curated around self-care, care for one another, and care for our planet, and I'm excited to present artists who have risen to the challenge of creating work with these in mind."
View this post on Instagram
A SONG FOR LOUIS
SIFA has an exciting selection of music programmes, among many others, for audiences to enjoy. Those who enjoy the soothing sound of jazz can forward to A Song For Louis, a celebration concert that honours the life and legacy of jazz icon Louis Soliano.
The concert will feature intimate and heart-warming performances from local jazz musicians like Joanna Dong, Jeremy Monteiro, Daniel Wong, and more, with each artist performing a song that tells a story of appreciation for the jazz icon and his musical work.
The concert will be held on 14 May with two shows at 6 PM and 9 PM (SGT) at the Victoria Theatre. Tickets priced at SGD 58 and SGD 68. For more information, click here.
You can also catch this concert from the comfort of your home via SIFA on Demand from 5 to 12 June at just SGD 15 for an individual title or SGD 60 for an All-Access Bundle of 12 (U.P SGD 135).
THE RHYTHM OF US
Other musical programmes also include The Rhythm of Us, the long-awaited collaboration between two of Singapore's most regarded art companies – Singapore Dance Theatre (SDT) and Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO).
The cross-disciplinary concert will feature three musical pieces that showcase the wonder of live music and dance, all choreographed by SDT Artistic Director Janek Schergen, highly-regarded choreographer Christina Chan, and special guest Pam Tanowitz.
Rhythm of Us will happen on 28 May at 8 PM (SGT) and 29 May at 9 PM (SGT) at the Esplanade Theatre, with tickets priced at SGD 78 and SGD 88. For more information on the programme, click here.
You can also catch this concert from the comfort of your home via SIFA on Demand from 5 to 12 June at just SGD 15 for an individual title or SGD 60 for an All-Access Bundle of 12 (U.P SGD 135).
THE INVISIBLE OPERA
The Invisible Opera is another exhibition that audiences can look forward to at SIFA. Set in the bustling city centre, the contemporary performance invites observers to experience both what we see and do not see in a public environment.
The performance, which will be performed entirely remotely for the first time ever from Australia, was created by Australian artist Sophia Brous, alongside award-winning performance-makers Lara Thoms, Samara Hersch and US choreographer Faye Driscoll.
The performance will take place at the SOTA Drama Theatre foyer from 28 to 30 May. For more information on the programme, click here.
COMPASSION: CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES
The festival will also be hosting Compassion: Chamber Music Series that will feature 8 concerts that span four centuries of music with the hope of bringing solace and healing through music and performance.
As part of the series, audiences can expect performances like Ghost of Yesteryear, an introspective programme of reflection, realisation, and redemption by Morse Percussion, and Healing Rhapsody 回疫录, a concert by Ding Yi Music Company that showcases the group's collective message of healing to humanity.
The Compassion: Chamber Music Series will happen across the festival duration at various venues in Singapore. For more information, click here.
[UPDATE: 16 May 2021]: Following the recently implemented COVID-19 guidelines, SIFA has decided to cancel several in-person concerts under the Compassion: Chamber Music Series, including Be Comforted, Before Life And After, Echoes of Fire and Water, and Nature of Daylight. However, these four concerts will still be available on video-on-demand from 5 to 12 June.
For more information, click here.
View this post on Instagram
In addition to their thrilling lineup of performances, shows and programmes both in and out of Singapore, SIFA will also have a series of art podcasts that they will develop during the festival duration.
For those who are unable to attend the festival programmes, audiences will still be able to catch selected shows and screenings through SIFA On Demand, a video-on-demand feature that will run from 31 May to 12 June.
For more details and full festival schedule, visit SIFA's official website.
Like what you read? Show our writer some love!
-