Musician Ghanavenothan Retnam, artist Siew Hock Meng awarded Cultural Medallion
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Indian clasical musician Ghanavenothan Retnam (left) and artist Siew Hock Meng have been conferred the Cultural Medallion.
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
Follow topic:
SINGAPORE – Indian classical flautist, composer and conductor Ghanavenothan Retnam, 63, had good reason to cheer on Nov 27.
He was one of two newly minted Cultural Medallion recipients who received the award from President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at a ceremony at the National Gallery Singapore.
He told The Straits Times: “I’m overwhelmed, overjoyed and blessed. Because (President Tharman) believes in music and he has mentioned about my musicality in several of his speeches, so I’m so happy to receive the award from him.”
He added that the President spoke to him about the revival of Hindustani music and Malay music in their pre-ceremony private engagement.
The other Cultural Medallion honoree, artist Siew Hock Meng, 82, told ST that he was honoured to be recognised by the nation for his artistic contributions, and added that he spoke to President Tharman before the ceremony.
“I reminded him of the importance of painting for human civilisation. Everything, including the smartphone, is indebted in some way to painting,” he said.
President Tharman, who was the guest of honour at the ceremony, said in a statement that this year’s artists – who also include four Young Artist Award (YAA) recipients – “express the breadth of character and imagination we aspire for in Singapore culture”.
The Cultural Medallion ceremony is usually held at the Istana, but the building is undergoing restoration works. Hence, the event took place at the National Gallery instead.
The award comes with an $80,000 grant for each recipient to support his artistic pursuits.
The award, Singapore’s most prestigious arts accolade, was initiated in 1979 by then Minister for Culture Ong Teng Cheong, who was president from 1993 to 1999. It has been given to 137 artists since its inception.
In 2023, novelists Meira Chand Suchen Christine Lim Malay dance veteran Osman Abdul Hamid,
Ghanavenothan is the first Indian classical musician to receive the award
Siew is a second-generation artist who studied under pioneer artist Cheong Soo Pieng
On Nov 27, Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth, and Trade and Industry Alvin Tan also presented four promising artists aged 35 years and below with the YAA
They are violinist Alan Choo Su Ho, 34; music director, producer and composer Evan Low Jun Feng, 35; film producer Tan Si En, 31; and printmaker Zhang Fuming, 35. All four will be eligible for a grant of $20,000 to support their artistic development within two years.
Recipients are evaluated by specialist panel members. This year’s panellists included veteran film producer Daniel Yun, musician and composer Eric James Watson, and National Heritage Board group director for museums Low Sze Wee.
The ceremony also paid tribute to two Cultural Medallion recipients who died in 2024. They are Malay-language literary pioneer Suratman Markasan, who received the award in 2010, and music and film veteran Nona Asiah, who received the award in 2016.
