The choir began life in 1964 as a combined schools’ choir. Later renamed the Singapore Youth Choir and born again in 2004 as the SYC Ensemble Singers, the choir today is an auditioned community ensemble shaped by two beliefs: that an effective voice is not given but earned, and that an effective voice should be used wisely. To these ends, its singers continue to pursue excellence in their craft and use the unique instrument of their combined voices to champion the music of their time and space.

In its 45 year history, the choir has garnered many historic firsts: among others, the first Singapore choir to travel and win an international competition (1974). At home, it was the first choir to receive the President’s Charity and the Excellence for Singapore awards (in 1997 and 2000 respectively). And as the recording choir of the re-orchestrated national anthem, it is the last voice to be broadcasted every day.

Shelves of memorabilia at the choir’s Waterloo Street home bear testament to the choir’s reputation for excellence: trophies jostle for space with tokens of participation in "by audition only" competitions and festivals; mementos reference the many occasions on which the choir was invited to perform state and quasi-state duties; and boxes of photographs and gifts evidence its many collaborations and friendships, built on the foundations of music.

And it is the music that continues to inspire.

The choir seeks to promote the music of today through active programming and performance of the works of living composers. It also aims to foster the creation of the music of tomorrow through its commissioning programme. To date, it has over thirty commissioned works, ranging from conversations with electronics (Joyce Koh’s Nona Sensilia (2000) for choir and electronics); to eurythmics (Alberto Grau’s Hermana Lluvia (2004) to philisophicla explorations about what it means to make music together (Hoh Chung Shih’s Birth and Death (2004); and even pop and rock (Kelly Tang’s She’s Out of My Life (2001).

The choir continues to perform the works of living composers and explore the boundaries of what "choir music" is, what singing together means, because in doing so, it hopes to showcase what a choir as a means of musical expression can be, and to inspire the proliferation of local choral works, choirs and choristers.

For more information, please visit the choir’s website (www.syc.org.sg).