TENG celebrates 20 years of Music for Good
Singapore-born arts company, The TENG Company (TENG), is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a series of initiatives and events annually that will showcase two decades of its commitment towards Music for Good. TENG has made waves in the local music scene since 2004, by pioneering the Singaporean Sound, empowering future generations of musicians and uplifting underserved communities – all through the conduit of music and its reimagination. As part of the celebration, TENG will continue to spotlight and collaborate with partners to support society and the industry.
Empowering Singapore’s music industry and growing the Singapore Sound
A key calendar event this year is The TENG Company 20th Anniversary Gala Night on 24
May, where proceeds from this fundraising concert will ensure that TENG’s programmes and
operations can continue to run and grow. The gala will feature 10 new commissions created
in collaboration with 20 local creatives from different ethnic backgrounds, including composers, producers, musicians and filmmakers, who embody the country’s cross-cultural essence, artistic heritage and burgeoning creativity. The works will celebrate the Singapore
sound by following the Eastern storytelling framework of 起 (Beginning), 承 (Exposition), 转
(Re-direction), and 合 (Harmony).
These commissioned works will also take centre stage as the opening programme of the
Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC) Cultural Extravaganza 2024. Presented by the
Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre and Temasek Foundation, The Singaporean Composers
Series (起承转合) will be hosted on 25 and 26 May.
“It has been heartening to see our entrepreneurial aspirations from 20 years ago transform
into a legacy of creations with influences from the East and West, that have grown alongside the local music scene. As we continue to challenge and expand the boundaries of music together with our collaborators, we hope to develop more opportunities for local talents to grow, while building upon our Singapore identity to forge meaningful connections within and beyond Singapore,” said Yang Ji Wei, Co-Founder and Executive Director of TENG.
Other TENG programmes to look out for this year include five community concerts presented by Mapletree Investments. These two educational instrumental concerts spotlight the contemporary tones of the Guzheng and Erhu respectively, as well as an unprecedented collaboration with The Private Museum to present The Eight Graces, a multidisciplinary showcase for enthusiasts of Chinese art and culture. The full lineup of programmes can be found in the Factsheet.
TENG will also continue to support budding local musicians by awarding four new scholars
thus extending mentorship to up to six new scholars in 2024, as part of the Mapletree-TENG Scholarship. The initiative will cover the full tuition fees of individual lessons with professional instructors from TENG, grading examinations and course materials for two years. To date, 26 scholars have benefitted from the training scheme since it launched in 2018.
Empowering communities through Music for Good
In addition to the calendar of events that grow Singapore’s musical identity and appreciation, TENG’s flagship outreach programme TENG Gives Back will host 50 performances for hospices and hospitals such as The National Kidney Foundation and Assisi Hospice. The programme will also embark on a research project with the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory at the National University of Singapore to validate the effectiveness of live music in providing comfort to the sick and elderly.
TENG will continue to promote wellness in the community through its Music for Mindfulness
initiative, which is now available in rooms at the Shangri-La Hotel as part of the hotel’s Better Sleep package. It will expand its research collaboration with the Singapore Institute of Technology to explore the impact of music on the growing silver generation. Together with Direct Funeral Services, TENG will also be researching sound waves that provide comforting music for individuals during times of grief.
To increase the disaster resilience of children, the first set of animated jingles from the
project TENG x COPE will also be completed and distributed on the UNICEF Learning
Passport. Adapted from an existing series of children’s books teaching survival skills during
natural disasters, TENG is transforming the series into animated media with catchy jingles to help children remember the books’ contents, following a comprehensive creation and
research process involving kindergartens at NTUC First Campus’s My First Skool in 2023.
In support of individuals with special needs through Chinese music, TENG will be extending
its In-School Programmes for Targeted Students to a new specialised institution this year.
TENG will work with the Dyslexia Association of Singapore to empower their beneficiaries
to discover and develop their musical potential. Over 100 students have been supported by
the programmes to date. This is in line with TENG’s growing initiatives to use music in
developing an inclusive society, such as the recent partnership with SMRT to release a
series of train chimes to support the visually handicapped.
“We are excited to celebrate our anniversary and bring the joy of music to the community
through live performances, and even in everyday life, with our train chimes produced for
SMRT as auditory beacons to help the visually impaired in their commuting journey. Over the last 20 years, we have embarked on many initiatives that have harnessed the power of
music and innovation to uplift Singaporeans of different walks of life. We are looking forward to breaking new ground and expanding our music for good initiatives in the next 20 years and more,” said Dr Samuel Wong, Co-Founder and Creative Director of The TENG
Company.
List of Collaborators for The TENG Company 20th Anniversary Gala Night and The Singaporean Composers Series
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