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 ...
Sejarah Melayu (Malay Annals) is one of the most important Malay historical works, and one of the finest literary works written in Malay, that has been handed down in various versions. There were at least seven versions of this text. Sejarah Melayu is also one ...
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 ...
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. ...
Richard James Wilkinson (b. 29 May 1867, Salonika, Greece–d. 5 December 1941, Izmir, Turkey) was a colonial administrator and scholar. In addition to being the schools inspector for the Federated Malay States (FMS) and the colonial secretary, Wilkinson was also ...
Tun Sri (or Seri) Lanang is largely credited as the author of the Sulalat al-Salatin (Genealogy of Kings), popularly known as the Sejarah Melayu (Malay Annals). He was a bendahara (prime minister) to the sultan of Johor at a time when the Johor sultanate was under ...
Sultan Hussein Mohamed Shah (b. 1776–d. 5 September 1835, Malacca) or Tengku Long (or Sulong, which means eldest in Malay) or Tengku Hussein, was the eldest son of Sultan Mahmud Shah (b. 1761 – d. 14 January 1811, Lingga), the last Sultan of the Johore-Riau-Lingga ...
The Malay Regiment was an all-Malay military force formed at Port Dickson, Malaya, on 1 March 1933 under the command of British officers. Also known as Askar Melayu in Malay, the regiment is best remembered for its soldiers’ display of bravery and loyalty in the ...
Utusan Melayu, a Malay daily printed in the Jawi script, was first published in Singapore on 29 May 1939 by Utusan Melayu Press Limited (UMPL). It was a landmark publication as it was the first Malay newspaper to be wholly owned, financed, written and managed by ...
Sabri Buang (b. 1964, Singapore–) is both a writer and director of theatre and television in Singapore and abroad. In his earlier days, Sabri acted in Malay dramas for both theatre and television, and has built up a body of directorial works in English and Malay. ...
Paul Selvaraj Abisheganaden (b. 27 March 1914, Penang, Straits Settlements–d. 31 August 2011, Singapore) was a musician and conductor, who was awarded the Cultural Medallion in 1986. Born in Penang, Abisheganaden came to Singapore in 1916 at the age of two, when ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
The angklung is a musical instrument of Javanese origin, made of bamboo.
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.
The Gunong Sayang Association, or Persatuan Gunong Sayang in Malay, is a Peranakan (Straits Chinese) social club that aims to promote Peranakan performing arts. It has played an instrumental role in preserving the Peranakan version of dondang sayang, the singing ...
Isa Kamari (b. 1960, Singapore–) is a prominent figure in Singapore’s Malay literary scene. He has gained critical acclaim for many of his works, which range from novels and short stories to poetry and essays. He is also a musician, and has crafted scripts for ...
Warta Malaya (also known as Warta Melayu) was the first of the independent Malay dailies of the 1930s. Its first issue was published on 1 January 1930. Published in the Jawi script, this Malay newspaper appeared at a time that saw the proliferation of 81 new Malay ...