Popularising classical music: Violin duo TwoSet’s Singapore concert tickets sold out within minutes

In recent years, TwoSet Violin, a pair of Australian violinists, has taken the Internet by storm, winning new fans of classical music with its easy-going, often humorous videos.

With more than seven million followers across various social media channels and over one billion video views on YouTube, its online popularity rivals that of pop music stars.

The group even has its own clothing line, TwoSet Apparel, which includes T-shirts, hoodies and skirts.

To celebrate its YouTube channel attracting close to four million subscribers, the pair – Brett Yang, 30, and Eddy Chen, 29 – will perform at the Victoria Concert Hall, accompanied by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO), on Nov 16.

It was no surprise that the tickets sold out soon after they went on sale. On the online marketplace Carousell, fans who missed out are offering to pay up to $1,489 for tickets that originally cost $79 to $199.

The duo’s videos, which include take-downs of shallow depictions of classical music on television, may be comedic, and their live shows may include silly skits, but they are very serious when it comes to their love of classical music, Yang and Chen say in an online video interview ahead of their Singapore show.

Chen adds: “We wanted to bring more people into the world of classical music, which is something we’re super passionate about.

“We’re like this middle-ground entertainment. We’re entertaining, but we’re still true to our art form. We’re educational. At the end of the day, we still stand for authentic music-making and what we believe is the appropriate attitude towards classical music.”

Yang, an honours graduate from the Queensland Conservatorium, and Chen, a former concertmaster of the Queensland Conservatorium Opera Orchestra, met as teens and have been friends for 16 years.

The earliest video on their YouTube channel – a 2014 violin cover of Hans Zimmer’s Time from science-fiction action film Inception (2010) – was a hit, and has now clocked up more than 438,000 views. They followed it up with violin covers of popular tracks by the likes of electronic dance music stars Calvin Harris and Avicii, as well as rock legends Queen.

Yang says the popular response to their videos felt “very surreal”.

He adds: “We always have so many ideas, and videos were one of them. It wasn’t just about what we’re doing in the orchestra; we always like to find different creative outlets to express ourselves.”

 

In 2016, they took the plunge, leaving the stability of their positions in the Sydney and Queensland symphony orchestras to strike out on their own.

With the backing of their fans, they went on a crowd-funded world tour from 2017 to 2019, said to have been the first of its kind in the classical music world.

The tour sold out shows in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, London, Berlin, Vienna and Helsinki.

Their fans would stop the pair in the streets, take photos and hang out with them, and give them food.

Says Yang: “Sometimes, they will make cakes with TwoSet logos. That’s pretty normal, actually. It happens a lot.”

The tour also included a show in Singapore at the Esplanade Recital Studio in 2017. A review in The Straits Times summarises the performance: “With such strong musicality and flair for entertaining, this was an impressive and enjoyable show.”

They have visited Singapore several times since then, conducting workshops and filming videos.

A short film uploaded in June, titled Fantasia, included scenes filmed in locations such as the Jurong Lake Gardens and National Museum of Singapore.

They have even picked up Singlish, which they demonstrated at the 2017 show.

Says Yang:  “I remember the first time, it was just very hard to understand. It took a while. And it’s funny because, now that we’ve heard Singlish, in Australia, I can pick out a Singaporean from a kilometre away.”

For the upcoming concert with the SSO, the pair will be loaned two Stradivari violins worth at least US$10 million (S$14.3 million) each. The programme includes Yang performing the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto.

Yang is “super excited” to perform with the SSO. “It’s really cool to have a professional orchestra that’s so willing to make this idea happen. It’s rare to see a professional orchestra take a leap of faith to do something like this.”

For global fans, as well as those who could not score tickets, the concert will be streamed live on their YouTube channel (https://str.sg/wHs3) and the SSO’s Facebook page.

 

Yang and Chen say they have many more “big projects” planned for the coming year, but are not ready to divulge them.

But, as with their past achievements, the foundation of all they do will be the close bond they have forged over the years.

Yang says of his relationship with Chen: “I think it’s important to have a friend you can share experiences with. There are always things, there are problems, but there are also these achievements and moments of celebrating.”

Chen recalls a time when he was at “a low place in my life” in his early 20s and ended up in a wheelchair for three months. “I couldn’t play the violin for seven months or so. And Brett was one of the few people in my life who stood by my side during that time.”

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Five musicians making classical music go viral on YouTube and TikTok

1. Esther Abrami

 

Born in France and based in Britain, violinist Esther Abrami, 26, made headlines when videos of her practising while looking after rescued kittens went viral in 2019.

Her YouTube videos now boast more than 44 million views and she has close to 380,000 followers on TikTok.

Signed to Sony Music, she recently released her self-titled debut album, which includes original pieces as well as Bach and Mozart compositions.

2. Spencer Rubin

 

Hailing from New York, the 18-year-old oboe player is a TikTok star with 1.5 million followers on the platform.

A student at the city’s prestigious Juilliard School, his short videos infuse classical music with humour and content relatable to his peers.

In one of his most-liked videos uploaded in 2021, he plays a line from pop star Britney Spear’s 2003 hit Toxic, and an unseen neighbour next door continues the melody.

3. Babatunde Akinboboye

 

The Nigerian-American opera singer came to fame when a video of him singing an aria from The Barber Of Seville, Largo Al Factotum, on top of rapper Kendrick Lamar’s song, Humble, went viral in 2018.

Known as the HipHopera Guy, the baritone singer, 38, now has 624,000 followers on TikTok. His humorous clips have amassed more than 14 million likes.

In a recent interview on Billboard’s website, he said there is more to opera than “this elite, fancy, glitzy, elegant art form”, hence his mission to make the genre more relatable.

4. Patrick Santos

 

Under the name rat.trick, the Canadian percussionist made waves by playing modern rock drums over classical pieces.

In a series of TikTok videos he dubs If Classical Music Had Drums, he updates pieces by the likes of Beethoven and Rachmaninov with heavy beats and slick rhythms.

The drummer, whose TikTok videos have amassed 3.3 million likes, is raising money on crowd-funding site Kickstarter to record an album based on the series.

5. Anna Lapwood

 

Hailed by classical music publication Gramophone as “classical music’s dream ambassador”, the British organ player’s TikTok videos have close to seven million likes.

On Twitter, a video of her spontaneous performance in a London Underground station with a security guard, who was also an opera singer, went viral and clocked up 4.3 million views.

The 27-year-old recently performed with electronic music artiste Bonobo at London’s Royal Albert Hall.