Registration is managed by the National Library Board.
Saturday · 18 July 2026 · Free Admission
What is Play Together?
Play Together is an afternoon with Toa Payoh Guitar Club — a chance to watch a live ensemble masterclass, hear tips from a master guitarist, and then pick up your own guitar and join the orchestra on stage.
Guest clinician Patrick Lui will coach Toa Payoh Guitar Club on Les Champs-Élysées — an unfiltered, real-time look at how an ensemble grows through the guidance of an experienced musician.
"Walk in as an audience member. Leave as a guitarist who has played in an orchestra."
Watch
See Us in Action
Programme
What's On
- 3:00pm
Welcome
Leong Hon Mun, Vice-Chairman, Toa Payoh Guitar Club
- 3:03pm
Guitar Orchestra Performance
I Love You — Back Number
Performed by Toa Payoh Guitar Club
Conducted by: Jeanie Lee, Principal Conductor & Music Director, Toa Payoh Guitar Club - 3:10pm
What is a Guitar Orchestra?
A short, informal introduction to the guitar orchestra — what it is, how it works, and what makes the Niibori guitar family unique. With live instrument demonstrations by TPGC members.
By Jeanie Lee, Principal Conductor & Music Director, Toa Payoh Guitar Club - 3:20pm
Guitar Orchestra Performance
Les Champs-Élysées
Performed by Toa Payoh Guitar Club (newly learnt — performed as a work in progress)
Conducted by: Jeanie Lee, Principal Conductor & Music Director, Toa Payoh Guitar Club - 3:25pm
Solo Guitar Performance
Tiento Antiguo and En Los Trigales — Joaquín Rodrigo
Performed by Patrick Lui, Guest Clinician - 3:45pm
Live Ensemble Masterclass
Patrick Lui coaches Toa Payoh Guitar Club on Les Champs-Élysées — an unfiltered, real-time look at how an ensemble grows through the guidance of an experienced musician.
- 4:20pm
Short Break
- 4:30pm
Tips and Tricks from a Master Guitarist
Patrick Lui shares his insights on musical expression, stage presence, and the art of playing with feeling — guided by questions submitted by the audience. Relevant to all guitarists, not just ensemble players. Submit your question here.Questions can also be submitted on the day.
- 4:50pm
Play Along! Join the Orchestra
Pick up your guitar and join Toa Payoh Guitar Club on stage for a short excerpt of Les Champs-Élysées. TPGC members will guide you through it — no prior ensemble experience needed. Sheet music provided.
Don't have a guitar? Come and listen, observe, and ask questions — you are equally welcome. - 5:30pm
Q&A and Informal Mingling
Chat with TPGC members, try the Niibori instruments, and find out more about the ensemble.
Guest Clinician
Patrick Lui
Guitarist · Musician · Educator
Patrick Lui is a masterful concert artist and a distinguished classical guitar teacher, celebrated for his exceptional talent and unwavering dedication. For over four decades, he has inspired and nurtured countless students, guiding them to over three hundred prizes and accolades. His students have triumphed at prestigious competitions such as the Guitar Festival America – Youth Division and the James Stroud Guitar Competition, and have performed as young featured artists at Carnegie Hall in New York. Many of his former students have become successful performing artists, accomplished luthiers, and even a Grammy Award-winning music producer.
From 2005 to 2024, Patrick was the Director of Guitar Studies at Weaver Academy for Performing and Visual Arts, where he developed students into exceptional musicians. His remarkable teaching and musicianship have earned him a place as one of the most respected classical guitar teachers for pre-college level students in the United States.
A celebrated concert artist, lecturer, clinician, and adjudicator, Patrick has enthralled audiences with his fiery performances and poetic lyricism. His playing has been praised by music critics as demonstrating “virtuosity but also a lyric beauty and silky smoothness he has rarely heard.” Patrick’s performances are an inspired synthesis of artistic vision and technical mastery.
Patrick is one of the few full scholarship students of the legendary guitar pedagogue Aaron Shearer, known as the Dean of the American Classical Guitar. He also served as a teaching assistant for Professor Frank Koonce and as Interim Instructor of Guitar at Arizona State University. Patrick was the winner of the Hong Kong Guitar Festival in 1987, first runner-up in the Yamaha Guitar Festival, and first runner-up in the 1988 Guangzhou–Hong Kong–Macau Guitar Festival.
Bring Your Own Guitar
If you play guitar, bring it along and join the orchestra on stage. Sheet music will be provided. No prior ensemble experience needed — just turn up and play.
Don't play guitar? You are equally welcome — come and listen, observe, and ask questions.
The Ensemble
About Toa Payoh Guitar Club
The Toa Payoh Guitar Club (TPGC), established in 1974 at the Toa Payoh Community Library, is Singapore's oldest guitar orchestra. From its origins as a modest library ensemble, TPGC has grown into a thriving independent organisation dedicated to promoting the guitar in all its forms and nurturing homegrown talent recognised well beyond Singapore's shores.
At the heart of TPGC is its Niibori guitar orchestra — a distinctive ensemble format that harnesses a family of specially designed guitars to achieve the rich, layered depth of a full orchestra. Bringing together members of diverse ages and backgrounds, TPGC continues to inspire artistic growth, musical community, and a lifelong passion for the guitar.
Stay connected and find out more about our upcoming events and activities.
Practical Info
Plan Your Visit
Getting there
Bras Basah MRT (CC2), 5-min walk · Dhoby Ghaut MRT (NS24/NE6/CC1), 8-min walk
Date & Time
Saturday, 18 July 2026 · 3:00pm – 6:00pm
Venue
Programme Room 2, Level B1, Central Library, National Library Building
100 Victoria Street, Singapore 188064
Admission
Free · Registration recommended
18 July is an NDP Rehearsal Saturday. Town area traffic may be slow. We recommend arriving by 2:45pm and using public transport where possible.