JAZZ ASSOCIATION SINGAPORE YOUTH ORCHESTRA
Our youth wing, the Jazz Association Singapore Youth Orchestra (JASSYO!), was set up with the objectives of engaging and developing our youth musicians, nurturing their talents, and grooming the future generations of jazz musicians. It comprises around 20 jazz musicians below the age of 35.
In line with JASS' emphasis on youth development and nurturing the next generation of jazz musicians, JASSYO! made its debut at the inaugural Lion City Youth Jazz Festival (LCYJF) in May 2017 in Singapore and since then has been following that up with concerts at LCYJF 2018 and LCYJF 2019.
The orchestra held its maiden public outreach concert at the Singapore Botanic Gardens in April 2018 to commemorate UNESCO International Jazz Day and reprised its performance in the 2019 iteration. It also held public concerts at Esplanade, and at the Singapore Night Festival in collaboration with the National Library Board, in 2018. In March 2019, JASSYO! held a concert in the heart of the CBD area at the UOB Plaza Atrium when it performed as part of the "Musical Bento Box" series by Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant.
Subsequently, JASSYO! capped off the year with a combined concert with JASSO at the opening of the Eurasian Heritage Gallery in September 2019.
With the pandemic halting live performances, JASSYO! joined forces with JASSO and performed in JASS' first live-stream in the JASS@Home series, "JASS@Home: Celebrating UNESCO International Jazz Day 2020, Singapore Edition." In January 2021, JASSYO! led by JASS Associate Music Director, Weixiang Tan, and featuring vocalist Siti Nur Iman, premiered four new tunes including "Come Fly with Me" and "Taking Flight," in "JASS@Home: Taking Flight."
“Swing! Swing! Swing! Celebrating UNESCO International Jazz Day 2023” marks the orchestra’s return as a full big band.