We are pleased to introduce Sabine Seeto, the 2022-23 President for UNSW Society of Orchestra and Pipers (SOAP).

We sat down to discuss her visions for SOAP, and how she will help our students come together through music. Check out her interview below!

Please introduce yourself to the students and community!

My name is Sabine Seeto, I’m currently in my 3^rd year studying a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering/Masters of Biomedical Engineering at UNSW and I’m the 2023 President of SOAP. I’ve been super involved in musical ensembles ever since primary school, so it was only natural to continue my musical commitments into University. In my (very little) spare time, I’ve been playing a lot of Ultimate Frisbee, both socially and competitively.

Do you participate in any of the ensembles at UNSW?

I’m currently in the UNSW Orchestra, playing flute and piccolo.

What are you hoping to achieve as the newly elected President at SOAP?

I hope that I will be able to promote our society and concerts to the greater UNSW community and really create a larger musical presence on campus. I also hope to hold more social events in the coming year and to engage with more music-related societies to host some cool events and get the community more involved.

Who is your favourite musician and why?

Cheesy answer, but I don’t really have a favourite musician. I feel like all musicians have something special and unique that they bring to the music that it’s hard to judge one over another. I always find it interesting to listen to different recordings of the same piece by different people because it’s easy to see how much nuance there is in musical interpretation.

What is your favourite piece of music and why?

That’s a tough question, so many great pieces to choose from! Lately I’ve rediscovered “Por una Cabeza” by Carlos Gardel (lyrics by Alfredo Le Pera, but I prefer the instrumental version), after hearing Augustin Hadelich perform it for his encore at his SSO concert. It’s a short tango piece that you’ve likely heard before, it’s been used in Scent of a Woman and also in the opening scene of Schindler’s List. I just love the dramatic and alluring theme; even in its repetition, the piece doesn’t get boring.

What sort of community do you want SOAP to be?

I want to foster a community where musicians can come together in a safe place and make great music, friends and memories as well. My hope is for people to engage with each other both inside and outside of rehearsals and to, of course, have fun and support one another. I think the SOAP community also extends beyond our musicians, and to the friends and families and supporters, and that we are open and welcoming to all those interested in creating and consuming music with us.

Any words of advice to students who want to pursue music or want to join ensembles?

If you are passionate about classical music and a drive to create good music, then definitely go for it! Even though I don’t study music as a degree, I think there is always a place to be making music in our lives, and if you really want it, you’ll find a way to make room for it. Wind Symphony and Orchestra are great opportunities, and even though auditions (for orchestra) might be a bit intimidating and scary, give it your best go, and if you don’t make it, there are always more opportunities throughout the year to get involved. I didn’t make it into orchestra the first time, but that didn’t stop me from eventually making my way to President (some pipe dreams do come true).

What are SOAP's plans for 2023?

In 2023, the SOAP team hopes to create a fun, welcoming environment that brings together people across musical backgrounds to support one another in creating some great music. As on campus life continues to grow and thrive, we too hope to engage plenty of students, staff and friends with classical music at UNSW. Many people come and go from UNSW never knowing that we had an orchestra and wind symphony, so we hope this year (and for years to come) we can create more awareness about our society, ensembles and musicians through our various events and concerts.

Thank you for your time Sabine! We are looking forward to working together to develop a wonderful, musical culture here at UNSW.

You can check out our upcoming concerts through this page here!