Our Past

As a nation only six decades old, Singapore and its fledgling arts scene are still relatively young. Its history and present are all within living memory, and its contemporary music scene is only four generations old. 

Composers such as the late Leong Yoon Pin and his disciple Phoon Yew Tien, as well as violinist Kam Kee Yong and physicist Bernard Tan Tiong Gie, make up the founding generation of Singapore’s contemporary music scene. Active from the 1960s and ’70s onward, these individuals made important contributions to composition and, often serving as both composers and educators, helped establish the fundaments of musical education in our young republic, thus planting the seeds for future growth.

Beginning in the 1990s, a new class of composers emerged, comprising of individuals such as founding CSS president, Ho Chee Kong, and subsequent presidents, Joyce Koh Beetuan and Hoh Chung Shih, as well as other prominent composers like Zechariah Goh and Tan Chan Boon, all of whom studied abroad and introduced elements of electronic music, microtonality, non-standard notation, and spectralism into their works. Since settling back in Singapore, all have pursued distinct compositional paths, helping to introduce modern techniques and assimilate international trends, while also taking academic and organisational positions, contributing enormously to the musical life heard and enjoyed today.

The generation that ensued, largely taught first at home by members of the middle generation and subsequently fine-tuned by studies abroad, spans composers now in their mid-20s to early 40. Fluent in numerous directions, these composers make up the diverse burgeoning contemporary music scene of Singapore today.  A fourth generation of young composers, born in the 21st century, is already in the offing.

Our Society

The Composers Society of Singapore, established in 2007, is a society of Singapore composers encompassing all four generations. It exists to uphold the interests of  Singapore composers, foster creation of new music, and promote interest in Singapore’s new music scene both locally and abroad through a broad range of projects.

We archive and pay tribute to the works and lives of Singapore’s composers, past and present, through projects like Composing Monumentality, which chronicles the major accomplishments of pioneer composers, and our Musings Section, which archives essays and writings by our members, interview transcripts with composers, and more. Our YouTube channel also hosts recordings of Singapore new music through initiatives like our monthly Score Follower Video series, and recorded interviews through projects like our Composer of the Month series.

In addition to archiving the works and lives of Singapore composers, we seek to create platforms for composers to present their music locally and abroad, through organization of festivals, concerts, and other events, as well as linking members with available opportunities. Our past events include the Singapore Composers Festival, the Asian Composers League Festival, and concerts held in collaboration with overseas collectives. We have collaborated with organizations such as the National Gallery of Singapore on their Resonates series, and the Asian Civilizations Museum, to provide members with opportunities to present their works.

Finally, we aim to provide opportunities for professional development, and to grow our next generation of young composers. Through projects like CSS Presents, we organize compositional workshops where members may share their professional expertise with members of the public, while initiatives like the Young Composers Forum benefit aspiring young composers.

Our Future

As a young nation, the opportunities and possible directions for growth and exploration are endless. Owing to our colonial history and our multi-cultural present, Singapore composers must inevitably straddle many boundaries while contending with ongoing dilemmas related to important questions of personal, cultural, national identity. It is essential that the contemporary music scene be supported as it strives towards answers to these important questions.

Singapore’s existing musical institutions are still awakening to the works of living Singapore composers. Available commissions and performance opportunities, while broad in range and stylistic diversity, continue to be limited in scale and must continue to be grown. In dealing with the loss of creative artists to places with more hospitable systems of funding and abundant performance prospects, Singapore is far from unique, but addressing the issue of how to sustain a steadily increasing number of composers is imperative.

The Composers Society of Singapore remains committed to confronting these challenges head-on, growing interest and appreciation of our local music scene, while preserving our musical history, so that Singapore composers may be given the opportunity to continue shaping the future of Singaporean music, culture, and identity.

We give thanks to Dan Albertson for his comprehensive essay on the history of Singapore’s contemporary music scene and its composers, which served as the basis for this section. Read the essay in full here.