The TENG Company and Composers Society of Singapore (CSS) are proud to launch an open call for The Giam-Lim Composition Prize 2025, seeking visionary composers who are excited to shape the future of TENG’s signature East-meets-West Singaporean musical language.

We invite submissions of original works or work proposals that reflect a bold fusion of Chinese and Western music traditions, written for The TENG Ensemble’s unique instrumentation. This is a rare opportunity to work with one of Singapore’s leading contemporary fusion music ensembles and to contribute meaningfully to its evolving artistic identity. We are looking for works that are imaginative yet grounded – pieces that explore new ideas while remaining relatable to audiences. Musicality, storytelling, and emotional accessibility will be valued alongside innovation and craft.

This open call aims to:

• Scout and spotlight emerging and established composers
• Encourage innovation in Chinese-Western music fusion
• Create new works that can be considered for performance or future development with The TENG Ensemble
• Build long-term collaborations with composers aligned with TENG’s artistic vision

The call is open to Singaporean and Singapore-based composers, regardless of background or formal music training. Composers who have worked with TENG before are ineligible for the call. We welcome diverse voices and fresh perspectives.

Commissioning Fee and Opportunity

This open call is supported by a generous donation from Andrea Giam and Conrad Lim, with part of the funding awarded as a commissioning fee through the Composers Society of Singapore.

• The Winner of the competition is awarded $2,000 in commissioning fees.
• The Winner will be added to TENG’s composer repertoire for future performances and given priority to commission any future works that TENG intends to perform.
• The Winner is given 3-years CSS membership. Winners who are already CSS Members are awarded the 3-years as an extension of their ongoing membership.
• Composers will be featured in CSS and TENG publicity, with opportunities for interviews, digital promotion, and networking, including having their score featured on CSS’s Score Follower Video series, as well as Composer of the Month

Instrumentation

Submissions must be written for at least 5 instruments from the following core instrumentation of The TENG Ensemble:

• Pipa
• Erhu
• Guzheng
• Sheng (traditional)
• Keyboard (Yamaha CX88)/Piano
• Cello
• Electric or Acoustic Guitar
• Percussion (including Chinese and/or Western percussion)

TENG reserves the right to produce the work for live performance adaptation.

Timeline

• 31 October: Submission deadline
• 1 December: Notification of winning composer
• Early 2026 onwards: Workshopped performances or development opportunities

Submission Requirements

Please submit the following materials via this form:

• Composer Bio (max. 250 words)
• Work Proposal or Completed Composition (please follow TENG’s guide here):
  • If submitting a proposal, include a detailed concept note (max. 2 pages), score excerpt or sketch, and your plan for completion.
  • If submitting a completed work, include full score (PDF) and a MIDI/audio mockup (MP3 or link)
• Instrumentation List clearly showing which TENG instruments you are writing for
• Performance Duration: 4 to 8 minutes
• Optional: A short statement (max. 150 words) on how your work resonates with TENG’s East-West Singaporean identity

Selection Criteria

Submissions will be evaluated on:

• Creativity and originality of musical voice
• Sensitivity to The TENG Ensemble’s instrumentation and East-West identity
• Artistic potential for live performance
• Clarity and feasibility of proposal (if submitting a work-in-progress)

The jury will comprise representatives from The TENG Company, Composers Society Singapore, and guest artistic advisors.

Enquiries

For further enquiries, please email us at csscompositionprize@cssingapore.org.

About the Adjudicators

Belinda Foo is a composer, orchestrator and educator. She also helms the Composition program at LASALLE College of the Arts. Her areas of interest lie in the realm of music identity: specifically, the negotiation of the Singapore sound and music semiotics, using music exegetically to amplify text and narrative.

Belinda has been in the music industry for over 35 years. Her involvement includes composing and arranging commercial music locally and regionally, scoring for arts festivals, National Day Parades, and directing performances and musicals. She has also composed for the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and the Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Eric Watson has lived in Singapore since 1991 and is active as composer, conductor, and pedagogue. His experience embraces opera, musical theatre, film and television writing scores in many different genres. In 2001 he was the composer and musical director for the Singapore National Day parade, recording with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, and again in 2007 he wrote and arranged music for National Day with four orchestras, the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, SSO, an Indian and a Malay ensemble.

In 2008 Eric was awarded first prize in the first Singapore Chinese Orchestra International Composition Competition with the work, “Tapestries I – Time Dances”; and in 2011 he wrote the first prize winning piece “Aftermath” for the Singapore Piano and Violin competition. and in 2016 to 2018 was composer in residence to the SCO. In 2019 Eric Watson was conferred the Cultural Medallion, Singapore’s highest award in recognition of artistic excellence and distinction in arts and culture.

Recipient of Singapore’s National Arts Council Arts Scholarship, Joel Nah is the first Singaporean to graduate, summa cum laude, from Berklee College of Music’s Master of Music degree program in Valencia, Spain, majoring in Scoring for Film, Television and Video Games.

Prior to this, Joel studied classical piano under Singapore virtuoso Ong Lip Tat, was mentored by Cultural Medallion recipient Iskandar Ismail, and esteemed choral conductor Nelson Kwei. In Berklee, Joel studied composition and orchestration with Alfons Conde, and conducting with Maestro Constantino Martinez Ortz. Joel has collaborated with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and Metropolitan Festival Orchestra, the Budapest Art Orchestra, and several principal players from the London Symphony Orchestra and the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana.

Upon his return from studies, Joel has been actively involved in the local musical theatre scene as a music director, arranger and orchestrator. Joel is also a keen composer, having scored for several short films, commercials and stage shows.