CNA938 Rewind - Reunion 3.0 – a one-day concert featuring a rich tapestry of heritage tunes
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In 'Culture Club', Melanie Oliveiro speaks with the key people involved Reunion 3.0, part of the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre's Cultural Extravaganza 2025 festival. Reunion 3.0 is a one-day concert on 31 May performed by Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra Alumni. Conductor & curator Dr Lien Boon Hua will describe how it'll embrace a diverse repertoire of music – from the cross-cultural Jewel of Srivijaya to modern-day 'Ghibli's Delivery Service' and more. Benjamin Boo, percussion soloist for Reunion 3.0, will talk about the different instruments he'll play and what makes Reunion 3.0 truly unique.
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It was close to two weeks before Singapore's National Day when I met Mr Boo Junfeng at the Padang. He is the creative director of this year's National Day Parade (NDP), specifically the song-and-dance show after the initial formal ceremonial segment. We were set to meet him at his workspace – a shipping container repurposed as an office at the Padang, part of the event's temporary infrastructure. The 41-year-old was in a meeting – one of many scheduled for the week – but he graciously welcomed me and my colleagues into the space. He reminded us that he had to leave by 3.30pm, which meant that we had just under an hour for an interview, not including time for photos and getting some video footage. "I've another meeting after this," he said, looking remarkably at ease, as if the hectic pace was just another day in his life. This was the man who, at 34, became the youngest-ever creative director of the NDP in 2018, followed by another stint in 2021. Helming that same role today for Singapore's landmark 60th birthday edition, Mr Boo was clearly in his element. He was making last-minute changes to stage cues, reviewing performance footage from the previous rehearsal and fine-tuning a show that must move not just the live audience at the venues, but everyone watching the telecast here and overseas. For the first time in NDP history, the spectacle would extend across two locations – from the Padang to Marina Bay – with the second venue serving as what he called a "second canvas". The goal is to make this National Day special to more Singaporeans, expanding the stage so that more people can feel like they have front-row seats. "People usually go to Marina Bay to catch the fireworks and aerial displays, but they would feel like they are outside of the centre of the show," he said. "But this time around, we are trying to make it such that even if you're at Marina Bay, you could feel like you are a part of the centre stage. We are putting speakers all around the bay so that people can minimally hear the music and what's going on at the Padang." For the first time, a bay-wide speaker system will broadcast synchronised audio across Marina Bay. There will also be emcees in the bay area to engage the crowd, bringing the festivities closer to the waterfront crowd. There are even choreographed moments to sync between both locations. "We want people to feel like they have front-row seats to a national show," he added. One such moment is a special cross-venue performance of last year's NDP theme song, Not Alone. Veteran singer Rahimah Rahim will perform live at the Padang, while the song's composer and vocalist Benjamin Kheng will sing from a mobile floating stage at Marina Bay for the duet. "I think it might be the most ambitious NDP so far in terms of scale," Mr Boo said sheepishly. And he might be right, if the descriptions and rehearsals for the upcoming Aug 9 show are anything to go by. In addition to more than 39 artistes and 3,000 performers involved in the show, this year's show will feature a specially designed 360-degree centre stage at the Padang – the largest mobile stage in NDP history – along with light projections on buildings, massive floats designed by artists with disabilities and the much-loved fireworks display. Audiences can expect four land floats at the Padang and another four water floats at Marina Bay. These elements are more than just creative flourishes. For Mr Boo, they serve to lift the storyline, theme and messages, to showcase Singaporeans whose life stories often go unheard. AN INTEREST IN EVERYDAY SINGAPOREANS Having been a filmmaker since 2004, Mr Boo made a name for himself when, in 2010, his debut feature film Sandcastles was screened at the Cannes Film Festival's 49th International Critics' Week and then at various international film festivals. It was a coming-of-age story about a boy having to take care of his grandmother who was slipping into dementia. His second feature film Apprentice, about a prison guard and an executioner, premiered in 2016 at Cannes Film Festival's Un Certain Regard and was Singapore's entry for Best Foreign Language Film in the 2017 Oscars. With several award-winning short films under his name, it was no surprise that he was tapped to bring a storytelling lens to the NDP and he has worked to anchor the show in stories about the human experience. He has a deep interest in spotlighting everyday Singaporeans – people with hopes, ideas and a vision for the country, especially those who are not in the news or featured on social media. The scale of this year's show was so immense that he was approached early last year to take on the role of creative director – a whole year-and-a-half ahead of the parade. Typically, the process begins just a year in advance, he said. Since then, he and his team have spent months talking to Singaporeans from all walks of life about their past, present and future aspirations, using those voices to shape the emotional arc of the show. "When I think about where the world is headed today, or perhaps not knowing where it is headed, it is that change has always been part of life," he said. "People before us have faced just as much of a transformation, if not a more drastic one. And there is strength to be drawn from those stories." In the second act of the show, massive floats will be featured, inspired by artworks from artists with disabilities. The floats, designed by these artists, showcase their visions of the future and are powerful symbols of inclusivity and creativity, the NDP's website stated. Mr Boo said: "The goal is to include more voices, allowing more people to feel that they are part of the national story, regardless of their background." This human-first approach is not new for him. He has long been drawn to quiet, emotionally layered stories, often exploring themes of memory, identity and belonging in his films. He now brings this same sensibility in telling the country's story on its biggest national stage. For the past NDP shows he directed, he featured stories of migrant workers and ex-offenders striving for second chances, grounded on his personal belief that there is room for a more empathetic society. "This year, there is a significant focus on people with disabilities. It has always been my hope to inspire more empathy and understanding (among various communities)." WITH EXPERIENCE COMES CONFIDENCE There are few creative jobs quite like orchestrating the NDP's show segment. As creative director, Mr Boo oversees everything from conceptualising the show's theme, storyline and staging, as well as working with a team of artistes, musicians, designers, choreographers and filmmakers to bring his vision to life. It is a mammoth undertaking involving thousands of participants and requiring careful planning and coordination, but he has learnt much from his earlier experiences directing the NDP shows. "I used to focus a lot on achieving professional excellence in the choreography, the performances, everything. But over time, I've come to appreciate that even when things are a little rough around the edges, it can still be incredibly powerful," he said. "What matters most is the spirit of the performers and how they reflect the broader community of Singaporeans. That, to me, is just as meaningful." Before becoming the creative director for the first time, Mr Boo had served as film and multimedia director at three NDP shows, with veteran musician-songwriter Dick Lee at the helm. "I have (him) to thank for roping me in as early as 2010 and again in 2014 and 2015. I learned a lot during those years about what it takes to put together (a show of this scale). "But of course, when I took on the role of creative director myself in 2018, I injected what I understood as a filmmaker into the process and tried to do things my way," he said, recalling that he was also guided by his team's feedback, often bouncing ideas off them to make everything work. Especially when it came to the performance segments, Mr Boo admitted that he often felt like a fish out of water because he was unfamiliar with the theatrical side of things. "I relied a lot on the team to propose ideas on what the costumes should look like, the music and the choreography. But now, I am more comfortable saying, 'No, don't do that' or 'Why not try this instead?' "(The confidence) does come with experience. I am now much better at being specific about what I think we should have (for the show)," he added. Certainly, looking back now, there were moments where he wished he had done things differently and when such situations surfaced again this time, he was able to refine them. "In 2018, I relied heavily on the film segments to tell the story or communicate the themes. In 2021, during COVID-19, we used animation and a short film to do the same," he said. "This time round, there is still a short film, but I feel the performances in between have become stronger and more coherent. What surprised me this time was how much the performances themselves could carry the story." Although Mr Boo's films have travelled the world, the NDP is as close to home as it gets, yet he does not feel that his global achievements have fundamentally changed how he sees himself as a Singaporean. "While my films are my own artistic expression, I see my role in NDP closer to that of a designer responding to a brief," he said. "Sometimes, I inject my own point of view and naturally, aspects of my worldview do find their way into the show. But ultimately, I am designing something to suit the purpose of the occasion." TELLING A STORY THAT RESONATES At home with his family, National Day came with its own routine – his father would hang the Singapore flag each August and Mr Boo would help. Over time, it became a quiet tradition. And when it came to the parade, Mr Boo said his favourite parts when he was growing up were the fireworks, the Red Lions parachutists and the roaring flypast. "Anything that made you tilt your head up," he said. "As a child, the things that stuck with me were always in the sky. That is something I still hold onto today when designing the show," he added. "I try to create moments where people are not just looking straight ahead but looking up, looking back and looking all around, so that the experience feels full and immersive." When asked about his earliest memories of watching the NDP, Mr Boo recalled attending a couple of them with his whole family when he was still in primary school. "My dad was a civil servant, so I attended one or two NDPs when I was young and those moments stayed with us." His connection with the NDP deepened years later, when he first got involved behind the scenes as a volunteer camera assistant during film school in 2002. "We laid cables for the video cameras and were responsible for taking shots from the tower," he recounted. Coincidentally, the creative director that year was veteran artiste Dick Lee – a name that would resurface in Mr Boo's career years later when they worked together on the 2010, 2014 and 2015 shows. Remembering the emotional impact of watching NDP live as a young boy, Mr Boo said that this shaped his approach as well when he became creative director for the show. He wanted to make sure that every performance – rehearsal or not – feels complete and meaningful. "That is why we always try to make the (rehearsals) feel as ready and complete as possible, even though it is still very early in the process when those shows happen." In the years when he was not involved in the show as creative director, he usually watched the NDP from home, Mr Boo said, because he was curious to see how other directors or artists interpreted and presented the themes of National Day. As for whether he plans to take a break after wrapping up 18 months of work for the NDP, the answer was no. "I'll be jumping right back into my next feature film, from which I took a break to do NDP. We're hoping to complete it by early next year," he said. The film, shot in Taiwan and Singapore, has been eight years in the making – and that was all he would say about the project. On what he hopes viewers could take away from this year's show, he pointed to a line in this year's NDP theme song Here We Are, performed by Singapore artistes Charlie Lim, Kit Chan and The Island Voices. It goes like this: to be seen, heard and known. "When I first came across the lyrics, they really struck me," Mr Boo said. "To some degree, that's what we do as artists – we tell stories, shine a light on a sentiment, a feeling, a character. And with something like NDP, we try to do that on the broadest possible scale.
