A hit and a miss at SIFA’s opening weekend

MEPAAN

The Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) 2022 opened last Friday (May 20) with an enchanting, dream-like concert helmed by festival director Natalie Hennedige. Set in a cavernous hall of the disused Pasir Panjang Power Station, it featured the Singapore Chinese Orchestra in collaboration with Tuyang Initiative, a Sarawak-based creative agency working to preserve and promote Borneo indigenous heritage.

Mepaan means “always” in the language of the Kayan people. The orchestra, led by maestro Yeh Tsung, performed original compositions that seamlessly incorporated traditional Dayak instruments and vocals. These were further complemented by sounds captured from the natural environment, as well as film footage and photos of Borneo. Together, they created moments of transcendental beauty, sadness and foreboding.