Choir

Choir

Introduction

The choir is directed by the conductor Mr Toh Ban Sheng and supported by a committed team of teachers. Our Choir made history as the first neighbourhood school choir to clinch Gold in the demanding Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) Choral Competition in 1997. Since then, the Choir continues to attain Gold at SYF in 1999, 2003, and 2005, the prestigious Gold (with Honours) award in 2007, 2009 and 2011 at the SYF and the Distinction award at the 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2023 Singapore Youth Festival Arts Presentations (SYF AP). Together with other school choirs, despite the challenges of the worldwide COVID-19 situation, we also participated in SYF AP 2021, where our choir members experienced recording our choice piece for the first time.

The inaugural overseas tour to Sydney in 1996 was featured in Straits Times, a first among the neighbourhood school then.  The past overseas tour to London & Paris (1998), New Zealand (2000), Prague (2003), Czech Republic-Poland-Austria (2005), Bratislava -Slovakia (2007), Czech Republic-Germany (2009), Czech Republic-Austria (2010), Czech Republic-Poland-Hungary (2011) and Czech Republic-Austria-Germany (2013) provided invaluable exposure to our students.

In the last six overseas tours, the Choir also represented Singapore in international festivals and received 7 gold awards and 5 special prizes. At the 14th International Competition Festival of Christmas Music in Prague, the young team won the Festival Laureate, placed 1st with a Gold in the Children's category and won 2 special awards (Conductor's Prize and for Dramaturgy). We have also invited world-class maestros to our school and conduct choral workshops for our choir members.

Members are also given various opportunities to perform for the public. In 2010, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2020, and 2023, the Choir was invited by the Esplanade to put up a full-length concert, under the Limelight series, at the world-class Esplanade Concert Hall, all of which were very well-received. The Choir also holds annual combined concerts with choirs from Mayflower Secondary School, St Joseph’s Institution, Raffles Institution and Catholic Junior College, the most recent being in April 2024, held at SOTA Concert Hall. Such concerts provide opportunities for the choir members to hone their performance skills, gain meaningful learning experiences and exchanges with other choirs as well.

The choir members are also encouraged to contribute to the school and society with their talent by performing in various school celebratory events such as Dunman’s Jubilee and our annual Dunman Appreciation Day. Activities such as welcome tea, farewell parties and Choir retreats have been organised to promote bonding among members. Through these activities, members experience the importance of good leadership and teamwork, as well as the opportunity to develop into mature individuals.

We believe in character building and leadership training through musical pursuits. Many of our students have benefited from past activities and tours and are now assuming leadership roles in various areas within the school. They have become better people through the discipline and resilience required in choir and teamwork activities.

We are thankful and blessed for the constant support from the school, parents and family, as well as the Dunman Choir alumni, without which the choir would not have achieved all that it has today.


Achievements

  • 2023 – Distinction

  • 2021 – SYF Recording

  • 2019 – Distinction

  • 2017 – Distinction

  • 2015 – Distinction

Trainings

  • Tuesday (1500hr – 1830hr)

  • Friday (1330hr – 1700hr)

Teachers-in-charge

PREVIOUS

Concert Band

NEXT

Modern Dance