Singapore, 26 March 2007: The natural elements of Siloso Beach came alive with bright bursts of pyrotechnics and psychedelic lasers as Sentosa unveiled its latest tourism offering – the $30m Songs of the Sea at a grand premiere. With this brand new, world-class nightly product in Singapore, Sentosa hopes to set a benchmark for entertainment offerings in the region.

In a simple ceremony, Guest of Honour, Minister of State (Trade & Industry), Mr S Iswaran launched the attraction jointly with Sentosa's Chairman Dr Loo Choon Yong. In his speech, Mr Iswaran stated that new products like the Songs of the Sea show will help sustain the momentum of the continual growth in Singapore's tourism industry and inject more excitement.



"In 2006, Singapore welcomed a record 9.7 million overseas visitors. This year, the Singapore Tourism Board aims to achieve 10.2 million," he said, "We have had a good start to the year with January welcoming 825,000 visitors, a 7.4 per cent increase over the same period last year. If this growth continues, we will be well on our way to achieving our targets for the year."

Songs of the Sea is a multi-sensory spectacular with dramatic effects, engaging music, pyrotechnics and a live cast. The attraction will open to public from tomorrow.

Songs of the Sea is a stellar combination of technology, imaging and live characters. Lights, lasers, fire effects and water jets create a stunning visual feast together with striking computer images projected on giant water screens. The attraction is unique because there are no barriers between the show and the natural elements.

The centerpiece of the show is a specially built 120m long kelong (fishing village in Malay) structure. The structure itself is a work of art wherein it truly resembles original Asian fishing village huts. Using modern inflammable materials, it is built to withstand roughest of weather conditions including strong winds, waves and high tides.



The different technological elements of Songs of the Sea that make it a not-to-be-missed extravaganza include a 40m high giant water screen flanked by two slightly smaller water screens, 69 water jets reaching as high as 40m, flames leaping up to 20m and lasers using the latest diode technology. The most remarkable logistics aspect of the show, however, is the daily display of pyrotechnics. The attraction will run two shows every night, 365 days a year. The open-air styled viewing gallery can comfortably seat 2,500 visitors. Each show lasts 25 minutes.

"Songs of the Sea will be a fitting end to an exciting day on Sentosa, especially for those visiting with their families. Set to thrill both the young and young-at-heart, this nightly music extravaganza set in the sea off Siloso Beach further strengthens Sentosa's position as Singapore's favourite leisure destination that includes a cluster of attractions at Imbiah Lookout, the refurbished Palawan Beach for families and the newly opened Café del Mar. It is a precursor to many more attractions that visitors can expect when the Resorts World at Sentosa integrated resort begins operation in 2010." said Dr Chan Tat Hon, Assistant Chief Executive (Leisure) of the Singapore Tourism Board.

Songs of the Sea has been created by world-renowned and internationally acclaimed Yves Pepin, Founder and President of ECA2, a company recognized the world over as one of the most experienced international teams for conception, creation and production of multimedia shows. Yves also designed the permanent nightly show at DisneySea Tokyo.

"We are delighted to work with Yves. The great reputation of the show's designer will put Singapore on the world map. This status for Sentosa as well as Singapore will be further enhanced when other world-class attractions like Universal Studios Singapore open their doors to the public," said Dr Loo Choon Yong, Chairman of Sentosa.

ECA2 is a part of Publicis Events Worldwide Group, of which Yves Pépin is Executive Vice-President. ECA2 team has produced a host of permanent, semi-permanent and one-off shows, all over the world including permanent shows at Sea World and Universal Parks in USA, Planète Futuroscope in France, and Holiday Park's "Aquascope" in Germany. ECA2 is also credited for major multimedia shows such as the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 1998 Football World Cup, the Fireworks Spectacular at the Eiffel Tower that ushered in the year 2000, the 8th All Africa Games Ceremonies (Abuja, Nigeria) in 2003 and the 12th Paralympic Games Ceremonies (Athens, Greece) in 2004.

Since last year, Yves Pépin is also Artistic Adviser for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Ceremonies.

-source http://www.sentosa.com.sg/about_us/press_releases/press_release_details.asp?id=120