The Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus (CHIJ) Concert Band has distinguished herself as one of the most promising Secondary School Bands in Singapore. Led by well-known conductor Mr. Leonard Tan, the Band was one of the 19 out of 149 Secondary School Bands in Singapore to be awarded the prestigious Gold Medal at the 2007 Singapore Youth Festival Central Judging of Concert Bands.  In December 2005, the band was awarded a rare Gold with Distinction at the 21st Century International Band Competition held at Genting Highlands. CHIJ Concert Band was further honoured by an invitation to perform at the Closing Ceremony, which featured the finest bands from the Competition.

CHIJ Concert Band has been invited to perform at the Singapore Istana for His Excellency President S.R. Nathan, in addition to numerous other public and school performances. Her major annual concert “Fantasia,” as well as her subsidiary concert “Faith, Hope, and Love,” has been well-received and sold to full house year after year. CHIJ Concert Band plays an integral role in the aesthetics and cultural life of the school, with over 130 girls participating in the band programme.

In December 2006, the Band performed in a joint concert with St. Margaret’s Symphonic Band under the baton of Dr. John P. Lynch, Director of Bands and Professor of Wind Conducting at the University of Georgia, USA. The band has in addition shared its musical knowledge and skills with other bands through serving as demonstration band in mentorship programmes.  This June, the band will be traveling to Beijing, China, to participate at the Beijing International Band Festival.

In line with the school’s motto “Simple in Virtue, Steadfast in Duty”, the Band believes in the value of diligence and hard work in her continual quest for musical excellence.

National Day Performance at Istana	Fantasia 6 at Victoria Concert Hall	Honours Day Performance
Istana National Day Open House Performance	Section Competiton during Sec One Recital	Performance at IJ Pri
Band Fiesta 2007	Central Judging @ Singapore Conference Hall	Fanfare for Honours Day
Gold Award @ SYF Central Judging 2007	Honours Day 2007	Honours Day Performance
Our Horn Section	SYF Central Judging 2007	Symphony Stage @ Botanic Gardens
Fantasia 7- 18th & 19th April 2008          Fantasia 7 - Fund raising concert for          Fantasia 7 @ CJC Performing Arts                                                                                             Beijing trip                               Centre
Fantasia 7                                                Mentorship Programme with River Valley Primary School
Percussion Busking during recess         Percussion Busking to raise fund for                          Tuba Section                                                                                                Beijing trip
1st June @ Toa Payoh Sports Hall               Community Sports Festival 2008                             Our CIP Activity
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Beijing International Band Festival 2008

In June, the 113-member strong Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus (CHIJ) Concert Band embarked on a trip to China to participate in the Beijing International Band Festival with five teachers and our renowned conductor, Mr. Leonard Tan. The trip gave the band an opportunity to learn from other bands in exchange programs, which were held with both Singapore and Beijing bands. It was also our privilege to have been able to attend workshops with two of the adjudicators of the competition, Mr. Komiyama and Dr. Alan Mills, who offered their valuable opinions and advice on our competition pieces, Our Director by F.E Bigelow, Dona Nobis Pacem by Thomas Doss and The Merry Widow by Franz Lehar.

During our stay in Beijing, we managed to visit places of interest such as The Great Wall of China, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace and Tian An Men Square, which gave us an insight to the history of China and its rich culture and tradition. In addition, the sightseeing helped eased the nerves of our members for we were all rather nervous about the competition. However, we were still careful not to lose focus, or lose sight of our goal, which was our main strategy before we departed.

Months of practice and hours of hard work culminated on the stage on the 21^st of June when the band proudly presented our three pieces which our dedicated and patient director, Mr. Leonard Tan, had spent a lot of time refining. Indeed, our efforts paid off for we managed to wow the judges with our utmost involvement in the music and precision. The CHIJ Concert Band was one out of the two bands that clinched the Gold Award in the competition with an impressive score of 85.1/100. 

The 5 days in Beijing, albeit short, have taught our members many valuable lessons, and we have indeed come out of this experience stronger and better prepared for future performances and competitions. Furthermore, working together towards a common goal has ultimately helped our members keep to our band’s motto of: One Band, One Sound. One Heart, One Mind.

Band Director: Mr Leonard Tan

Teacher Chaperons: Mr Alvin Tang, Mrs Stella Kwan, Mrs Shirley Yeung, Miss Yap Ai Li, Miss Grace Champion

Adjudication @ the Music Conservatory                          Band & Clarinets Group Photo @ Tian An Men Square
Departure from T3                      Grp Photo of all participating S'pore bands            Group Photo with the Judges
Inside the forbidden city                        Our girls going up the Great Wall                    Scaling up the Great Wall
Taking the sliding car up the Great Wall                  Tea appreciation class                              Visit to Temple of Heaven
Workshop with Dr Alan Mills                    Roslyn receiving the Gold Award from           Tuba Section on                                                                                                                       Dr Alan Mills                                 the Great Wall
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