I went to Canada in 1996 to attend a course at the Banff Centre for Management led by Graeme Page, a French horn player with Canadian Brass. 29 students from all over the globe attended the class. My highlights were … Continue reading Arts Exchanges: Canada
The design of the performing art centre was unveiled at an exhibition called “Taking Shape” on 21 July 1994. Minister Yeo opened the exhibition where he unveiled the name for the centre “The Esplanade: Theatres on the Bay”. We invited Ambassador … Continue reading Taking shape: lo mai kai or durians
When Robert Iau was appointed Executive Chairman of the new Singapore Arts Centre Company, he invited me to be its General Manager giving me a fresh opportunity to work on this wonderful national project. I could continue the work started … Continue reading Paying special attention to the Esplanade
October is Tributes month! On the evening of the concert of Zubir Said music, 12 Oct 2012, the Esplanade Theatres launched a “Tributes” website and exhibition of arts personalities aged sixty and above or deceased. I was included among the first 150 personalities to be credited. The launch party turned out to be a very warm gathering of old friends who had journeyed together through the ’80s /’90s. I wondered however, if tribute paid to senior personages like former President Ong Teng Cheong and former Minister for Culture Inche Othman Wok would have been more appropriately accorded by either the arts ministry or … Continue reading Tribute to Singapore Arts Personalities
October 2012 is Tributes month! Three events were organized by various agencies to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the death of Singapore’s National Anthem composer Zubir Said. On 1 Oct, Prof Wang GungWu, Chairman, Institute of SE Asian Studies launched Datin Puan Dr Rohana’s … Continue reading Tribute to National Anthem Composer Zubir Said on the 25th Anniversary of his Demise
The first consultant on the performing art centre project was Richard Brett who was appointed in 1987. The 1985 invitation to quote hastily put together by Ruby, Tisa and me attracted expression of interest from several theatre designers with “strong … Continue reading esplanade theatres – consultants
HITS A fully tuneable Concert Hall made possible by the cavernous “Russell Johnson reverberation chambers” with 108 doors, canopy and draperies. Asian expression in Concert Hall design with timber forms alluding to the hull of boat or basket, thanks … Continue reading esplanade theatres – hits & misses
After three years of programming music and visual arts programmes at the Ministry of Culture, I awoke to the realization that performances were ephemeral in nature. More must be done behind the scenes to create conditions that would sustain artists in their longer-term efforts to produce more high-quality productions. After MCD was formed in January 1995, my Deputy Secretary Lee Wai Kok agreed that I could set up the new “Cultural Services” branch (twinning the “Cultural Programmes” branch). I gave up my music and visual arts portfolios to focus on development work, on what is now called “capacity-building” including policy formulation, the strengthening and … Continue reading behind the scenes : hitting the ground after the glam
Every decade or so, there is a new blueprint for the arts. It’s not always clear whether the blueprint is the initiative of the current arts administration or the politicians in charge, whether it is a genuine attempt to improve things, an electioneering ploy as the Cultural Vision 1999 might have been perceived to be; or simply an expression of the current administration’s vanity. Some people will view blueprints with cynicism but for art enthusiasts hungry to propel arts into the mainstream, it is always a welcome platform to talk about the arts and inject a fresh impetus and resolve … Continue reading blueprint for the arts
On 16 November 2008, I organised a tour of the artworks in the stations of our Northeast Line. It is so wonderful how art has been integrated into the walls and floors of the stations and I so admire LTA Project Architect Andrew Mead for his great success in this endeavour. Unfortunately, we could not do for the Esplanade what he did for the NEL stations. Brother Joseph McNally, supported by a band of architects, lobbied for a modern art gallery in The Esplanade. They felt that visual artists had been short-changed as St Joseph’s Institution was not suitable for a modern art … Continue reading visual arts in the esplanade
Singapore Arts Manager 1980's / 90's : Memories & Musings 