CULTURAL MEDALLION & YOUNG ARTIST AWARD CEREMONY 2024

It's that time of year again, when the nation awards accolades to its artists for their achievements in artistic endeavour. This time, guests got to attend the actual presentation ceremony, held at the National Gallery rather than the Istana itself. Gracing the occasion was President Tharman Shanmugaratnam who presented the awards to both of this year's Cultural Medallion recipients - Dr Ghanavenothan Retnam (Music) and Mr Siew Hock Meng (Art). There were four Young Artist Award recipients - Alan Choo (Music), Evan Low (Music), Tan Si En (Film) and Zhang Fuming (Art).

I was honoured to be the guest of violinist Alan Choo, who founded Red Dot Baroque in 2018 and has truly lit up the cause of early music and period instrument music-making in Singapore. He is a true pioneering violinist musician, following the great tradition set by the likes of Goh Soon Tioe, Alphonso Anthony, Lee Pan Hon, Kam Ning and Lynnette Seah. Here are some photos from the Ceremony and reception on Wednesday (27 November 2024).

Here are this year's Cultural Medallion recipients:

Ghanavenothan Retnam,
virtuoso of the bansuri.

Siew Hock Meng & his most famous painting,
The Dawn of an Era (2000).

Alan Choo gets his YAA award 
from MCCY Minister Alvin Tan.

The Siew family.

The Choo family.

Alan Choo, founder & leader
of Red Dot Baroque
with Dr Wong Tien Hwa,
National Arts Council board member

Dr Emily Koh (YAA 2019) with
Jeong Aeree, founder New Opera Singapore.

Dr Brett Stemple, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory
with violinist Lynnette Seah (CM 2006)

Arts impresario Dr & Mrs Robert Liew.

Mervin Beng, founder re:Sound Collective
with Prof Koh Tai Ann (Literature).

Composer Dr Eric Watson (CM 2017)
with pianist Lim Yan (YAA 2006)

The Siew sibs,
baritone Chun Yuan & violinist Yi Li,
sons of Siew Hock Meng.

Fantastic Fiddlers,
Alan Choo & Lynnette Seah.

One final photo, with composers
Dr Emily Koh, (YAA 2019),
Dr Zechariah Goh Toh Chai (YAA 2003) 
and chorusmaster Lim Ai Hooi.

ARTS AWARDS 2023 / Photographs from the post-award get together

ARTS AWARDS 2023

The Arts House

Tuesday (5 December 2023)

The Arts Awards, Singapore annual celebration of artistic achievement, has come and gone. It usually takes place in October, but this year's marquee event was delayed until December. And it was a most pleasant surprise to be invited to attend, and the invitation came from someone I had not written a recommendation for but nonetheless a wholly deserving recipient. Sadly, all three persons whom I had recommended - incidentally all violinists - did not make the cut. Perhaps the next time.

The Arts House was jam-packed with people,
mostly unmasked. Someone's going to catch Covid!

The actual ceremony took place at the Istana with the President in attendance, but the post-ceremony party, attended by all and sundry of the arts fraternity took place at The Arts House. It was a rather informal and unstuffy affair, the dress code being casual and there were no security checks to be had. The food was excellent and the company close to perfect.

Minister Edwin Tong
delivers his address

For the record, three Cultural Medallions were awarded (to two writers and one dance practitioner), while five Young Artist Awards were handed out (of whom two were composers). The composer who so kindly extended me the invitation was 35-year-old Wang Chenwei, who is presently the Composer-in-Residence of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, the youngest person to ever hold that position. 

Wang Chenwei

He is also likely to be the most performed of all local composers, with works written for Western and Chinese orchestras, school ensembles, and even competition pieces for the National Piano & Violin Competition. His ability to convincingly blend Asian and Western musical idioms makes him the archetypal composer of Nanyang music. The sheer accessibility of his works makes them popular among performers and listeners alike. Works like The Sisters' Islands (composed at the age of 16) and Confluence have become very popular in their versions for Chinese and Western instruments. Well-deserved congratulations are due for this remarkable achievement and accolade. 

Now watch this video:

The Cultural Medallion recipients seated.

Here are some photographs from the Arts Award dinner party, a happy meeting of the Who's Who of Singapore culture today.

Writer Meira Chand

Footballer turned dancer
Osman Abdul Hamid.

Writer Suchen Christine Lim

Can you spot past Cultural Medallion recipients here?
There's Rahimah Rahim, Lynnette Seah, Ivan Heng...

Chinese music people:
Elvia Goh (Ding Yi) & Ng Siew Quan (SCO)

NAFA people:
Sunny Wong, Nellie Seng, Lena Ching,
Jessica Chen and Zechariah Goh

Former SSO CEO Chng Hak-Peng
& NAC staffer and soprano Rebecca Li

Chorus Masters unite!
Eudenice Palaruan & Toh Ban Sheng

Bansuri (Indian flute) meisters:
Niranjan Pandian & Ghanavenothan Retnam

Wang Chenwei with his
first composition teacher Tan Chan Boon,
from whom he had lessons since 11 years of age.

Tan Chan Boon is Paris-bound
to write his seventh symphony.