SINGAPORE, Nov 28: Classical musician Ghanavenothan Retnam has been honoured with Singapore’s highest arts accolade, the Cultural Medallion, for his contribution to Indian music.
Retnam, who is the first Indian classical musician to receive the Cultural Medallion, has advocated for Indian classical music for over 40 years.
A master of the Indian classical flute, the bansuri, he spearheaded the establishment of Singapore’s first Carnatic flute ensemble in 2019, according to a press release by National Arts Council.
Retnam’s work as a music director at Bhaskar’s Arts Academy has also earned him international acclaim. He combined Indian classical and Balinese music traditions in his composition for “Vinyaka”, a dance production that premiered at the Bali Arts Festival in 2010.
He also collaborated with renowned Southeast Asian composers to blend Indian classical and folk music, Javanese, Balinese and Kelantan music for the 2023 dance-drama “Radin Mas”.
Siew Hock Meng was also awarded the Cultural Medallion for his allegorical paintings, pastel compositions and oil portraits.
Meng has played a key role in shaping Singapore’s visual arts landscape as a member of pioneering arts societies including the Singapore Watercolour Society and the Equator Art Society.
Besides, the Young Artist Award was bestowed on Alan Choo Su Ho, Evan Low Jun Feng, Tan Si En, and Zhang Fuming for achieving excellence in their respective fields.
“This year’s Cultural Medallion and Young Artist Award recipients have each contributed in their own, quite distinctive ways to the arts. But together, they also express the breadth of character and imagination we aspire for in Singapore culture,” said Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the ceremony. (PTI)
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