Yeh Tsung (b. 17 May 1950, Shanghai, China–), better known as Tsung Yeh, has been the music director of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) since 2002. Currently also the music director of the South Bend Symphony Orchestra in the United States (US), Yeh is the ...
Music festivals play an important role in developing audiences and Singapore’s music scene. Grouping music events into a festival results in an intense and exciting audience experience. Music festivals have been staged in Singapore since the early 20th century. ...
The SYC Ensemble Singers, formerly known as the Singapore Youth Choir (SYC), is an award-winning and well-travelled amateur choir established in 1964. The group began as a combined school choir under the Music Department of the Ministry of Education. In 1972, the ...
Orkestra Melayu Singapura (OMS), Singapore’s first Malay orchestra, was set up by the People’s Association (PA) in September 1991. Formed to preserve and promote Malay music in Singapore, OMS is the only orchestra in Singapore to combine modern and traditional ...
World of Music, Arts and Dance (WOMAD) Singapore was an arts event that made its debut in 1998 at the Festival of Arts. The first WOMAD to be held in Southeast Asia, the event ran for 10 years in Singapore before it was put on hold in 2007.
Sng Ee Tze (b. 23 July 1978–), better known as Stefanie Sun Yan Zi (孙燕姿), is a Singaporean singer said to be the nation’s most successful musical export. When Sun debuted on the music scene in 2000, she became an instant Mandopop sensation in Singapore and Taiwan. ...
The Thunderbirds was a Singapore band that was popular in the 1960s. Formed in 1962 and anchored by guitarist Derrick Fitzgerald, it was probably the longest-running band in Singapore, having played for almost two decades at the Carriage Bar at York Hotel. The ...
The Crescendos were a popular Singapore band of the 1960s. Formed in 1961 and comprising John Chee, Leslie Chia and Raymond Ho, the band was joined the following year by vocalist Susan Lim. It became the first Singapore pop group to be signed on by an international ...
The Quests was a popular Singapore band of the 1960s. Formed in 1961 by Jap Chong, Raymond Leong, Henry Chua and Lim Wee Guan, and later joined by guitarist Reggie Verghese and singer Vernon Cornelius, the band was considered the most successful local band of that ...
The Trailers was a very popular Singapore band in the 1960s. Formed in 1964 by Victor Woo and Eric Tan, the band was a regular feature at live music venues and events, and had released a number of commercially successful records. Among these were some original ...
Formal art and music education programmes in Singapore were established by the British colonial government in the 1920s and ’30s respectively. Private Chinese-medium schools also offered art education through courses run by professional artists. After Singapore ...
Dondang sayang is a traditional poetic art form mainly associated with the Malay and Peranakan (Straits Chinese) communities in Singapore and Malaysia. The term is derived from the Malay words dondang or dendang, meaning “to sing”, and sayang, which encompasses ...
Popular music flourished in Singapore during the 1960s, when a number of local bands became extremely popular with their cover versions of British and American songs as well as original compositions. These bands had a strong following and often played to crowds ...
PERKAMUS (Persatuan Karyawan Muzik Melayu Singapura; The Society of Singers, Musicians and Professionals of the Malay Industry in Singapore) is a non-profit organisation established in January 1994 to support musicians and composers in Singapore’s Malay music industry. ...
Margaret Tan Hee Leng (b. 1945, Singapore–), popularly known as Margaret Leng Tan, is a pianist and a leading figure in experimental music. One of the best-known Singaporean musicians internationally, she is famed for her skill with unconventional playing techniques ...
Alex Abisheganaden (b. 31 January 1926, Singapore–) is a musician who received the Cultural Medallion in 1988. He is Singapore’s first home-grown classical guitarist and double bassist, and has dedicated much of his life educating and popularising the performance ...
Founded by Ang Chek Meng, Ng Yu-Ying, Leslie Tan and Lionel Tan in 1992, T’ang Quartet is the first professional string quartet formed in Singapore. Noted for its precision and balance, the quartet’s musical repertoire is a skilful and contemporary blend of both ...
The sitar is a traditional and classical stringed instrument believed to have been invented in India around 700 years ago. It is played by striking a plectrum known as the mizrab (in Persian) or mezrab on the main strings of the instrument. There are two types ...
The Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is a fulltime professional orchestra that officially debuted in 1979 as Singapore’s national symphony orchestra. The SSO first trained under the baton of then resident conductor and music director Choo Hoey in 1979. Since ...
Rufino Soliano (b. 10 January 1932, Singapore–22 April 2017, Singapore) was an accomplished musician, composer and conductor. He was the former head of the now-defunct Singapore Broadcasting Corporation Orchestra. Soliano had been active in the local music scene ...