The Combined Schools Choir will be making a comeback at NDP 2008 after their absence last year. To find out more about this group that has long become a staple of NDP, the author journeyed to Thomson Plaza and caught up with Ms. Sylvia McCully, the choir choreographer, at her ballet dance school. 

Ms. Sylvia McCully is surely no stranger to NDP. Stepping into the small room next to her dance studio that functions as her office, one finds many NDP-related photos amidst the display of photos accumulated over the years. One that stands out particularly is a thank you note from NDP 2000, signed by then BG Desmond Kuek (now Chief of Defence Force, LG Desmond Kuek), Chairman EXCO for NDP 2000. “It was the millennium year then, so everything was special.” Ms. McCully quips. 

NDP 2008 will also be a special performance for the choir. Having not participated in NDP 2007, this year will be the first year that the choir performs at the Floating Platform. What else then, is special about this year’s performance? “This year, the idea is to bring back NDP songs of the past.” says Ms. McCully. Little wonder, then, that songs in all four languages will be featured. 

Ms. McCully also emphasises that “the choir does not have a change of clothes”. “Before, the choir always wore tunics with layers that peeled off, resulting in a change of colour. This year, there is only one uniform colour,” she says. Vibrancy will thus come in terms of “props” – using various items to complement the songs, the choir will create “visual change” to suit the music. In addition, complementary performances on the other side of the stage, from “Teochew opera” to “Indian dancers” will add to the spectacular performance. 

With all that the Combined Schools Choir has to offer, their return this year will surely be a well-received one. In summing up, Ms. McCully raises the point that the various requirements of the choir, like a proper venue to rehearse, are now better met than before. “Over the years people have come to realise what are the needs of the choir,” she states. In making insights into the choir, it is truly reassuring that this mutual understanding is found between military and civilian alike. Collaborations such as these give us much to celebrate in the Singapore Spirit indeed.