History
The Ang Mo Kio Secondary School (AMKSS) Symphonic Band has a long history.
The band was founded in the 80s as a military band and was converted to a symphonic band in 2001. In 2002 the school moved to its present campus in Ang Mo Kio, Singapore. In the same year, the current bandmaster Brando Tan joined the band and helped it to grow significantly. Its members gained most of their experience through active participation in school performances and outdoor events. At present, the band has over eighty members forming the Junior and Senior bands.
The AMKSS Symphonic Band gave its first public performance at HDB HUB Auditorium in December 2002. Since then the band has held annual concerts and made an overseas trip to Perth, Australia in November 2003. They performed at the Fremantle Town Hall, and experienced a musical and cultural exchange with Bethel Christian High School and Chisholm Catholic College. The AMKSS Symphonic Band played host to Chisholm Catholic College during their visit to Singapore in July 2004. Instrumental master-classes were held at the University of Western Australia (UWA).
The AMKSS Symphonic Band participated in the Balloon Hat Festival (a joint project between MOE CCA Branch and Sentosa), which was held in Sentosa in March 2004 and on the 4th and 5th June 2005. The band was invited to put on a public performance at the Istana Open House on Labour Day in 2004, when it was honored by the attendance of the President, SR Nathan. The band had also performed at the Opening of WASBE Outreach in 2005.
At the 2005 Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) Central Judging for Concert Bands, the band attained a Gold Award. The band is also engaged in school and community activities such as the School’s Building Official Opening Ceremony, Silver Jubilee Anniversary, AWWA Anniversary (Home for the Elderly and Disabled), and the National Day Parade celebration in school annually. The band has also collaborated with overseas bands and held combined performances with North Rhine Philharmonic Winds (Germany) in 2005, and with Wat Suthiwararam School Band (Thailand) at Esplanade Concert Hall in March 2006.
2006 was also the year when Young People's Symphonic Band (YPSB) was first introduced. AMKSS Symphonic Band also participated actively in this event among with other school bands from Commonwealth Secondary School, Xinmin Secondary School and the JC 1s from Nanyang Junior College. YPSB is a bi-annual event that aims to foster interaction between musicians and for them to learn from each other.
In the early March of year 2007, AMKSS Symphonic Band had a joint concert at the Singapore Conference Hall with the band's newly formed alumni. At the 2007 Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) Central Judging for Concert Bands, the Ang Mo Kio Symphonic band attained a Gold with Honours Award. In lieu of the band's Gold With Honours achievement in April, the band was invited to perform at the Presentation Night on 17th July 2007, the highest and most prestigious honor for a school band in Singapore with guests like the First Lady and other parliamentary ministers among them.
The band also played host to Chisholm College Band (Australia) and Chong Qing School Band (Taiwan) in 2007.
In March 2008, the band was honoured to be invited by the New York State Band Directors’ Association to be the only overseas symphonic band to perform at Syracuse, New York at the Band Symposium 2008. On 7th April 2008, AMKSS Symphonic Band was also featured in the Esplanade Limelight Series for Concert Bands. The band also participated in the school's event - Night of Music and Dance (NOMAD) in July. The band collaborated with the school's choir and dancers, providing music for the dancers during the Epilogue and Finale Programme.
As year 2008 is an non-SYF year, AMKSS Symphonic Band again participated in the Young People's Symphonic Band. In addition, two more bands from Singapore Chinese Girls School and Whitley Secondary School joined the four other bands in this event in 2008. Due to the increased number of participants, YPSB 2008 was divided into two different bands - the Wind Ensemble and the Symphonic Band. YPSB Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band peformed at the Victoria Concert Hall on 8th August 2008 under the baton of guest conductor, Prof. Shuichi Komiyama from Montana State University.
At the 2009 Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) Central Judging for Concert Bands, the Ang Mo Kio Symphonic Band attained a Gold Award.
