The Return of APAC

Royce In | November 14, 2022

APAC Orchestra, hosted by SFS, took the Lyso mainstage with enormous spirit to kickstart the return of in-person APAC arts events. Compared with last year’s “STAYPAC,” where SFS created an in-school, COVID-safe version of the usually inter-school event, “APAC was a very different experience, and I was surprised and grateful that it actually happened,” said violinist Jia Dunsby (11). For Jia, participating in APAC improved her musical skills and let her connect with peers from abroad. “During lunch periods and in between rehearsals, we would hang out and converse with students from other international schools, which served as a great break from our long rehearsal hours,” she said.

The orchestra was conducted by SFS alum Gene Moon, who returned to the Lyso with bursting school pride and “lots of life experience” which students were able to learn from. The biggest highlight of the three-day event for Jia was the final performance. “Hearing ourselves play at the concert was quite rewarding,” she said. The selection process for APAC involved a live audition. “It was a bit nerve wracking because I’d gotten used to the usual video submission auditions, which began when Covid started in 2019,” she elaborated. However, the hard work by all members of the orchestra eventually paid off in the final performance.

The Moonlight Choir traveled to Hanoi, Vietnam, as part of the APAC Choir event. To chorister Phillip Yoon (10), the choir required full effort leading up to the final performance. Many members had to dedicate their free time to singing and attend practices from 7:20 in the morning. However, he valued the moments and the ensemble, having never been out of the country for such an experience. Phillip also looked forward to singing with a more balanced group. According to him, SFS has “a lot more strong male singers compared to other schools,” which possess a female majority in choir. This helped motivate the chorus as a whole during concerts. The choir made many memories in Hanoi and hopes to carry on their passion for singing into the second half of this school year.

The dance team also made a trip overseas for APAC, landing in Japan to display authentic dance moves. For dancer Gina Kang (12), “unlike sports, APAC arts is more of a showcase” and the team worked hard to carry out its mission. The dance team this year had a theme of redemption, in which the members would “redeem the time that was lost due to Covid.” In Japan, SFS dancers performed a piece of their own and participated in a performance of “fusion groups,” in which dancers from schools were randomly assigned to groups to choreograph for a specific song. For Gina, the groups were “a fun, interactive way to get closer” to other international school students who shared the same passion for dance. After having gone on the trip, the team awaits the return of future live audiences. “When you’re dancing and people cheer for you, [the audience] helps the energy go up,” Gina says. The team is overjoyed by this APAC experience and is excited about all future opportunities for performance.