Arts and Culture in Singapore

John and I have found ourselves occasionally discussing or analyzing places we will or won't consider living and what criteria matters to each of us. For me, one of the things that I find always enriches a place is its arts and culture scene. I'm an enthusiast, not a connoisseur but I do find there is something extra special about places that pay attention to their artistic offerings. It adds more depth, more fun, more joie-de-vivre!

Symphony Theatre - Botanical Gardens

To that end, I'm finding Singapore top-notch in the category. There is a constant array of music, dance, theater and other performing arts at hand. And the venues too are top-notch. I wrote last year about a concert we attended in the Esplanade - an aesthetically beautiful stage with outstanding acoustics. More recently we attended a free symphony outdoors at the Botanical Gardens (itself a world class site) where we witnessed orchestral students from AudioImage Wind Ensemble play a mix of John Williams movie scores including favorites from Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter and Home Alone (you can see and listen to a sample here).

Esplanade

Later this month I plan to attend a Sting concert in an indoor stadium and near Christmas John and I will both return to the Esplanade to hear Regina Spektor, a Russian singer/musician we first learned about while visiting my sister in Colorado!

Regina Spektor

Here also are a few samples of various theater performances currently on or scheduled to begin in the near future:

• JERSEY BOYS - “TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE!” raves the New York Post for JERSEY BOYS, the 2006 Tony Award®-winning Best Musical about Rock and Roll Hall of Famers The Four Seasons: Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi. 
• J Lo Dance Again Tour - International superstar Jennifer Lopez has added Singapore as one her stops in the Asian leg of her ”Dance Again World Tour 2012”. She will make her debut in Singapore for a one-night-only concert at The Meadow, Gardens By The Bay on Tuesday, 4 December 2012.
• Sleeping Beauty - One of the most famous ballets in the world, Sleeping Beauty tells the timeless tale about a beautiful princess, a spell of 100 years sleep, a charming prince and a true love’s kiss which undoes the spell and awakens the kingdom’s slumber.

There are also a number of good if not great museums providing insight into Singapore's history and ethnic culture. And we haven't even begun to explore the assortment of art galleries, music or comedy clubs! Even CNN attests here to Singapore's cultural revival though yes, some activities strike me as too quirky for my taste.

In the end, the message I'm wanting to convey is that, if you didn't already know or realize it, Singapore is indeed a very modern, world-class city and their art scene helps to put it right up there!