OTHERS are happy to perform in concert halls but not the T'ang Quartet string ensemble.

They dream of playing in the most unlikely places. Hangars, say. Or warehouses. Perhaps even the dilapidated Capitol Theatre.

The quirky musicians once even sought permission to stage a concert in City Hall, but were turned down.

Cellist Leslie Tan, 42, says: 'They didn't see what we saw. We want to play in non-music venues. Why can't music be showcased in a hangar or warehouse?'

While their dream remains just that for now, the quartet is taking small, steady steps towards playing outside of the usual concert halls.

For instance, they are putting on a recital of contemporary and 19th-century works at the Republic Polytechnic's cultural centre tonight.

Lionel Tan, 41, Tan's younger brother and the ensemble's violist, says: 'The listening experience there is as good as in the Esplanade. It's easy to play in and the sound is good.'

His brother adds: 'If shopping malls can move into the suburbs, why not concert halls? We want to help Republic Polytechnic become the performing arts centre of northern Singapore.'

Their concert, called Global Heritage, is part of the polytechnic's community arts festival Reflections 2007. The festival, which runs till Dec 15, includes performances like Dark Things, a dramatised reading by theatre practitioner Verena Tay, and Revelations, a dance drama by the Maya Dance Theatre.

The gig marks the T'ang Quartet's first Singapore showcase after their Singapore Arts Festival offering, Optical Identity, in June.

Besides drawing out the haunting melodies of traditional African music in South Africa-born composer Kevin Volans' White Man Sleeps and the ancient Chinese folk tunes of Chengdu-born composer Hu Xiao Ou's Mo Xie, the quartet will also be bathed in lighting that changes according to the rhythms and moods of the music.

Leslie says: 'If people just want to listen to the music, they can shut their eyes. They're not losing out. But for those who want to see something more, we can show them more about the music too.'

The ensemble is currently the quartet-in-residence at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music at the National University of Singapore and the four musicians revel in teaching chamber music to the students there.

Leslie says: 'It's not fun to be alone on the scene. I hope some of the graduates go out there and form ensembles, whether semi or fully professional.'

The 15-year-old quartet remains Singapore's most renowned classical music ensemble and its only professional string quartet. The group plays abroad three months out of every year and was praised by British strings magazine The Strad as a 'fine-toned, well-balanced, thoughtfully blended ensemble without a weak link - and with an excellent sense of style'.

Asked if their overseas accolades have increased audience numbers for classical music back home, violinist Ang Chek Meng, 37, says: 'The population has grown so there are definitely more people going to concerts. But choices for entertainment have grown, too.'

Asked what the secret to the group's longevity is, Leslie quips: 'It's like a marriage. You don't just call it quits when you run into problems.'

His brother adds: 'We feel one another better now, and we know one another's limits better so we can keep pushing.

'If you want to make diamonds, you've got to have the heat.'