18 receive arts and heritage scholarships

Mrs Rosa Daniel, CEO of the National Heritage Board

Ms Kathy Lai, CEO of the National Arts Council

Parents and Scholarship Recipients

Ladies and Gentlemen

1. Congratulations to all of our scholarships recipients! All of you have come a long way to be here, and you can look forward to another big journey ahead. 
   

2. Some of you are fresh out of school, entering tertiary education for the first time. Others already have established artistic careers and are now planning to take things to the next level. 
   

3. Among the eight postgraduate scholars, a number of you have already been contributing to the scene for many years, for example:

   Rei [Poh Cheng Leong], an actor and director in Singapore’s Chinese theatre circle for the past 10 years;

   • Adrian [Chiang], a founding member of the Philharmonic Winds. He’s been a conductor for 16 years, developing youth symphonic bands;

   • [Sim] Wan Hui, who is very familiar to the Ministry. She is a seasoned arts and heritage practitioner who helped position the Singapore Art Museum as Southeast Asia’s leading contemporary arts museum, and more recently headed the Education and Community Outreach Division at NHB.

4. What we have is very encouraging, because we have a mix of scholars with different life experiences, and goes to show that the Singapore scene is strong enough to sustain a lifelong and meaningful practice in the arts and culture. I’m sure this is particularly encouraging to the younger scholarship recipients here today, as well as their families. As evidenced, a young Singaporean can embark on a career in the arts and culture, do well, and then do another postgraduate programme to further their skills, with government support. So hopefully this will be an encouragement to all our young scholarship recipients today. 
   

5. A growing number of young people are looking to the arts and culture to fulfill their aspirations. Enrolment at the School of the Arts (SOTA) has quadrupled in six years, since it opened in 2008. In fact, we have several SOTA graduates receiving scholarships today – [Kong] Kin Ying, Moira [Loh], and [Ng] Jun Jie who happens to be from SOTA’s pioneer batch. We are also seeing year on year increases in the number of students enrolling in tertiary arts courses . So, these are very positive indicators of the interest in the arts among young people. 
   

6. As mentioned earlier, the government is committed to providing opportunities for our people to thrive in their professions, including in the arts and culture. Now, this works both ways. Not only should we provide the right conditions and support for talented individuals who excel in the arts; we also hope that those who have received the support will return and give back to the arts and cultural community. We want you to inspire and enable others to shine an excel in their craft, and we want you to contribute your talents to the vibrancy of arts and culture scene here in Singapore. And so, when we do this, it creates positive reinforcement and the scholarships that are given to individuals like yourself, will not only benefit you; but it will more importantly benefit the entire arts, culture and heritage scene in Singapore. 
   

7. This is why I’m glad to see young scholars with big aspirations and dreams:

   • [Ting] Si Hao will be delving into music scoring for film and visual media at Pulse College, Ireland. With his experience in composing, editing and sound design in several Singapore films, he has set his sights on international productions and aims to establish a Singapore-based studio that provides quality music services.
   

8. Others are pursuing different tracks that address certain needs in the arts sector now:

   • For example, we are in need of curators. With the strong growth in our museum scene, and the upcoming launch of the new National Gallery, there is demand for curators in Singapore. I believe Jolene Lee is pursuing a Master in Design Studies at Harvard and she can bring fresh perspectives in curation with her specialisation in architecture. And I hope that it will be useful in her curatorial practice as well. 

   • Another example is Tan Sen Cai: one of the few professional male dancers in Singapore, who will be pursuing his degree in Fine Arts in Dance. He has been accepted into the highly competitive Taipei National University of the Arts, which only takes in two international students per year. 
   

9. All of our scholarship recipients will be following in fine footsteps. We have a strong scholarship alumni body, and they have distinguished themselves in many ways. For example: 

   • Two of your predecessors, Yang Ji Wei and multimedia artist Brian Gothong Tan, were recently conferred the Singapore Youth Award 2015 for their dedication to the arts and their mentorship of young artists. I’m glad to see Ji Wei here today, and I look forward to hearing what he has to say when he addresses us shortly.

   • Another distinguished alumni is Joshua Tan. While Joshua was reading his Masters at Juilliard, he won the school’s very first Charles Schiff Conducting Prize for outstanding achievement. He’s had a splendid debut on the international stage and is currently Associate Conductor of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.
   

10. These are all very fine accomplishments, and we have many more distinguished alumni and are contributing to the arts scene in Singapore. To the new scholarship recipients – please don’t feel any pressure that you have to achieve the same results. There is no stress at all, truly. Everyone pursues his or her own path in the arts. I’m mentioning their examples to show that there are many things that you can achieve, and you are entering the arts scene at an exciting time. 
    

11. There is a lot more vibrancy. Our museums are growing and expanding, and there are new museums coming onto the scene such as the National Gallery, which will be the biggest visual art museum in the whole of Southeast Asia. We are also renovating some of the existing museums such as the National Museum and the Asian Civilisation Museum. And across different art form – visual arts, dance, theatre – I think you see a growing following among young people and vibrancy among these art forms. 
    

12. It is truly exciting times for the arts sector, and also for the heritage sector where more young people are taking interest to heritage and history, and in looking at our past. Of course, all of you know that recently the Botanic Gardens was inscribed as our very first UNESCO World Heritage Site. So, there are exciting developments happening throughout the arts, culture and heritage space in Singapore and I’m sure that our recipients here today will be able to meet your own mark, in your own way, in this exciting arts and heritage space. 
    

13. As you embark on this new journey, let me offer three suggestions that will perhaps make your experience a much more meaningful one:
    

14. First, remember that this is only the beginning. This applies equally to our younger scholarship recipients today, and our postgraduate awardees who are starting a brand new chapter. In your journey ahead, don’t lose sight of the longer term: where you want to be, ten or twenty years down the road. In this lifetime, what is the mark you want to leave on Singapore’s artistic culture, on our history and on our identity? What do you have to say to our fellow Singaporeans and to the world? Determine for yourself your identity as a practitioner and work towards it. With that perspective in mind as you pursue your education, it will help you get the most out of your education.
    

15. Second, remember to pay it forward. You are receiving a scholarship not just because you are a talented individual, but because we believe you have something to offer this community. Be a mentor to others; be an inspiration and a resource to others in your field. For those of you going overseas – we hope you will be a proud ambassador of Singapore, and represent us well. We look forward to you returning home and sharing what you’ve learnt. And for those studying locally – like Valerie [Lim] at LASALLE, and Yvonne [Tay] at NAFA – you can begin right here in Singapore today.
    

16. Third and last, remember your roots and all that has enabled you to get to where you are today. Always stay connected to your family and friends who have supported you; your mentors and peers who believed in you; and the schools and other institutions which have supported your development throughout the years. You are the sum of many parts. And equally, when the community bands together, it becomes larger than if we were to stand alone.
    

17. So finally, in closing, I see many loved ones here to witness your achievements, and share in your joy. I would like to thank all of them for being here, because all of you have also helped our artists in their development and all of you have given them your support. 
    

18. Congratulations once again to our scholars. I look forward to hearing of great things from all of you.