Zechariah Goh
When did you start composing?
I was commissioned by Victoria Chorale my first chorale work in 1988 at the age of 18. I started writing my first work for wind band in 1995 – a piece called ‘1 177155 4’. ‘1 177155 4’ is decoded as I Miss U (I miss you) and the numbers are used here as the main musical inspiration of the entire piece. The pitches are transcribed as ‘doh doh si si doh soh soh fa’ (Solfege). This piece was premiered by the Victoria Junior College Symphonic Band in 1995.
You studied at the University of Kansas, was there anything in particular that drew you there?
I have accepted the scholarship from KU to further my music studies. I did my Masters in Piano and my Doctorate in Composition during my 3.5 years abroad before returning to Singapore in 2002. I learnt so much from Dr Charles Hoag (my composition teacher) and James Barnes (my orchestration teacher) whom I am always grateful.
As a composer, who do you feel to have been your most significant influences?
To me, J.S Bach is probably the most significant influence. Other influences include John Corigliano, Bela Bartok, Chen Yi and Igor Stravinsky.
In terms of working methods, what tends to come first for you, the musical idea or external inspiration?
I usually have the sound of the instruments and its tone colours in my head when I compose. The musical form that can be found in most of my works is in the form of an ARCH.
Your recent appointment as Conductor at Victoria Junior College must have been a particular pleasure to you in this respect?
I have been busy conducting choirs, band and orchestra since I came back to Singapore in 2002. I was the conductor of Victoria Junior College (VJC) during the period 1995 to 1998. And in 2008, Mr. Leonard Tan, a great conductor himself brought me back to the band scene to conduct VJC.
I believe that band members should sing out more because if they can sing in tune, they definitely can play in tune. I feel that more standard band repertoire should be more common in today’s band concert. Music by Grainger, for example should be played more. I am also a strong believer in teaching music through ensemble playing. Students will learn a lot about general musicianship through chamber music. Playing in a smaller group, they are able to hear better, tune better and balance well.
What is it that continues to inspire you to write for concert band and do you have any plans or ideas for further works in the near future?
As long as people play my music, I will keep writing. I am currently writing for Soprano and Guitar, Viola and Piano, as well as a new work for the Tang Quartet and Siam Saxophone quartet.
I have written 8 pieces for band now, and I will write more as the demand for band music has increased over the past 20 years. I will continue to inspire and nurture the next generation of young composers to write more for the band. Singapore needs original compositions for band by Singaporean composers. We need to develop a strong sense of belonging and ownership to good music that we call our own. Singaporean composers’ voice needs to be heard around the world and we should start by commissioning and performing more Singaporean compositions.
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