Rain or shine, MacRitchie's erhu player serenades all

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Weekend mornings at MacRitchie Reservoir are never complete without a sunny-side-up of sonorous tunes from erhu maestro Boo Chin Joo.

From 6 to 10am, the 72-year-old retiree mounts his stage, a pavilion near the reservoir's bandstand, serenading passers-by on his two-stringed Chinese fiddle.

He says in Mandarin: "When I started playing here, I didn't use a loudspeaker. But as more people came to listen, I decided to use one so everyone can enjoy the music."

In a time when most concert halls are closed due to the pandemic, curious hikers - children and adults alike - take a front-row seat at nearby benches and snap photographs of him as he fiddles.

Others, who know him as the area's iconic musical staple, smile, stretch and warm up by the pavilion before they set off on their runs, to the mellifluous melody of Chinese oldies like The Moon Represents My Heart by Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng.

Ms Isabelle Seah, 25, a park regular, says: "I always look forward to the sound of his erhu when I hike at MacRitchie. His music has a way of bringing people together since everyone in the area is collectively enjoying it."

Even local actress Zoe Tay has posted a picture of Mr Boo and his erhu on her Instagram story, expressing admiration.

Unknown to most of his "fans", Mr Boo had an illustrious career in music, prior to giving free outdoor performances six years ago.

In his 20s, he was a member of the National Theatre choir. He also played the piano accordion, a box-shaped instrument with a keyboard attached at its side.

His first love was singing classical music, but along the way, a friend, who belonged to a Chinese orchestra group, got him interested in the erhu.

He picked up some fundamentals from his friend for a year, then continued practising on his own.

More than 50 years later, Mr Boo, who retired as a fishmonger, has become so adept at the spike fiddle that he plays all his songs from memory. His repertoire includes Mandarin, Hokkien, Cantonese and English tunes.

The father of three and grandfather of one, whose wife retired together with him, lives in a Housing Board flat in Toa Payoh. He has recently taken to playing the erhu by Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park's idyllic lotus pond on some weekdays too.

Though he enjoys the newer pond's aesthetics, he says MacRitchie Reservoir still holds a special place in his heart.

"MacRitchie has been here since I was young," he recounts. "I used to come here to catch spiders and play guli (marbles)."

Over the years, he says many hikers have asked if he is willing to teach them to play the erhu and have even handed him money, on the assumption that he is busking.

While he occasionally lets children string out a few notes, he neither conducts lessons nor accepts money, calling his musical performances strictly "free of charge".

"MacRitchie is both beautiful and peaceful and the air is so fresh," he says.

That is the reason he continues to cycle 20 minutes from his flat to the reservoir every Saturday and Sunday, rain or shine.

"Many people come down to exercise here, so I play my erhu for them - they enjoy it and so do I."

 

Source: The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Reproduced with permission.

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