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Post-SYF Celebration with RGCO, RJCO, and ACSBRCO (2019)
Our History
Our History
Raffles Institution Chinese Orchestra (RICO) was founded in 1987 by then-Headmaster Mr Eugene Wijeysingha, under his vision of Raffles becoming an international and multicultural school. After more than 30 years, we have grown into an internationally competitive orchestra with more than 100 members spread across 5 sections.
Our orchestra values camaraderie, musical talent and hard work among members first and foremost. We seek to give every member a stake in the orchestra, and foster a conducive environment for self-discovery through immersion in the dynamic landscape of Chinese music.
As a modern and progressive Orchestra, we incorporate the best of both Chinese and Western music in our performances. In addition to traditional Orchestral pieces, we also play contemporary Chinese pieces, and renditions of modern pop.
RICO envisions itself becoming an accomplished, world-class orchestra. We value the contributions of all members, and places emphasis on excellence, commitment, passion, teamwork and discipline. RICO seeks to give every member a stake in the orchestra, and foster a conducive environment for self-discovery through immersion in the dynamic landscape of Chinese music.
Our Conductor
Our Conductor
RICO is extremely honoured to have Mr Yang Jiwei as our conductor since 2010.
As a three-time sheng champion at the National Chinese Music Competition, Mr Yang started learning the sheng at the age of ten.
He is also the Co-founder and Executive Director of the TENG Company, and has received many accolades and awards in recognition of his work in promoting Chinese music and culture.
Moreover, Mr Yang is an established conductor, conducting at RI, ACS(B), Catholic High (Primary) and many other Primary and Secondary schools.
Our Sections
Our Sections
RICO consists of 5 sections: Cellobass (低音弦), Chuiguan (吹管), Huqin (胡琴), Percussion (打击乐) and Tanbo (弹拨).
To learn more about each section, click on the header.
Huqin (Chinese: 胡琴, pinyin: Húqin) is the family of two-stringed bowed instruments, often compared to the violin as its western counterpart.
The Huqin section is primarily made up of three instruments, the Zhonghu, the Erhu, and the Gaohu.
A very versatile instrument, they are used in both traditional and contemporary music arrangements, such as in pop, rock and jazz.
Percussion is a family of instruments that are played by striking or shaking them.
Percussion is unique as it has the largest variety of instruments among the sections.
The orchestra relies on percussion to keep our pace, and hence it is sometimes called the "heart of the orchestra".
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