Facing closure, Orkestra Melayu Singapura reinvents itself as arts group at 35
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At 35, Singapore’s first Malay orchestra Orkestra Melayu Singapura is going back to basics as a newly formed independent arts company.
PHOTO: ORKESTRA MELAYU SINGAPURA
- Orkestra Melayu Singapura (OMS) has become an independent arts company after 2024, aiming to explore and define Malay music through research and community engagement.
- OMS collaborates with NUS Malay Studies and plans public lectures and commissions to highlight diverse Malay musical traditions beyond popular forms.
- The orchestra focuses on community presence with open rehearsals and roving performances, while seeking new funding and professional growth towards its 40th anniversary.
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SINGAPORE – In 2024, after more than three decades under the wings of the People’s Association (PA), the Orkestra Melayu Singapura (OMS) faced an existential crisis – close down or go independent.
At 35 today, past the gates of youth, Singapore’s first Malay orchestra is going back to basics as a newly formed independent arts company. “This is an opportunity for us to really chart our own path,” says OMS’ first artistic director Zulkifli Mohamed Amin, 43, who joined the orchestra as a trombonist in 2000 and was appointed assistant music director in 2021.
