The Raffles Alumni Chinese Orchestra (RACO) is a Special Interest Group registered under the Old Rafflesians Association (ORA). The orchestra comprises former members of the Raffles Institution (Secondary) Chinese Orchestra (RICO), the Raffles Girls’ School (Secondary) Chinese Orchestra (RGCO) and the Raffles Institution (Junior College) Chinese Orchestra (RJCO). RACO was established in the hope of uniting members of these three orchestras to enjoy and perform Chinese music as friends, even after they graduate to higher education, national service or work.

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In 2009, 44 members came together to perform an alumni item at the RJCO annual concert at the Raffles Institution Performing Arts Centre. In 2010, RACO held its inaugural independent concert entitled “Memories of Youth | 心 • 忆 • 音” on 31 July at the Republic Cultural Centre’s (TRCC) Theatre. In 2011, the orchestra came together again to produce a successful concert entitled “Melodies of Spring |春之旋 on 30 July at the Singapore Polytechnic Convention Centre.

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In 2012, RACO once again held a full-house concert entitled “Timeless | 恒” on 4 August at the Singapore Conference Hall. Despite being a relatively young orchestra, the orchestra’s high performance standards have already been steadily gaining affirmation from the public. In the same year, the orchestra was invited to perform a fanfare to welcome the entrance of President Tony Tan at the Thong Chai Medical Institution Charity Dinner.

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In 2013, the orchestra was invited to perform at an outdoor concert entitled “Flow of Melodies” on 27 January at Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, which was well-received by its audiences. Last year, RACO held our fourth independent concert "眷• 恋" at the Singapore Conference Hall on 27 July 2013, performing a wide selection of pieces both traditional and contemporary. 

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In 2014, RACO held its fifth concert, "越 | Transcend ", at the Singapore Conference Hall, and was also invited to perform at the Esplanade Concert Hall as part of its Beautiful Sunday free concert series, performing a range of English and Chinese evergreen hits. After a brief hiatus in 2015, RACO will be performing a repertoire of traditional Chinese folk music at the INSEAD & PwC Conference Gala Dinner in Nov 2015.