“The Young Composers’ Forum organised by the Composers Society of Singapore was a truly meaningful experience for me as an emerging composer of new music.

At the forefront, YCF provided a platform to work with professional live musicians and mentors to realise my music in a live performance, something I truly value as an emerging composer. Through YCF, I too managed to meet fellow composers from vastly different backgrounds, which allowed me to develop a greater sense of empathy for other composers who might not think in the same way as I do. Also, there were opportunities to engage with many professionals in the music field, learning from their musicality and practical experience as working musicians. All this makes the YCF a truly comprehensive and fulfilling composition workshop which should be continued, reaching out and nurturing future young composers in Singapore.”

The 2nd edition of CSS’ Young Composers Forum took place from October 2023 to March 2024. Under the tutelage of senior CSS composers Joyce Koh, John Sharpley and Yuting Tan, 9 young composers were selected to undergo a 6-month creative period of meet-the-musician sessions, lectures, individual lessons and workshop sessions, in order to develop new pieces for local new music collective Weird Aftertaste. YCF 2023 culminated in a final concert at the Singapore Composers Festival 2024, which took place on 23 March 2024.