The music scene in Singapore has developed along diverse multi-racial and multi-cultural paths and experienced significant growth, with the number of music performances increasing almost three-fold from 670 to 1889 within a decade.
Western musical genres are popular, with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra playing over 100 well-attended concerts a year. Wind bands are staples in schools. Furthermore, there are many choral groups, and contemporary western music enjoys wide listenership.
Ethnic music groups in Singapore are equally vibrant and comprise Chinese, Malay and Indian music in both traditional and contemporary styles. The most well-known representative for Chinese music is the Singapore Chinese Orchestra. There are also many Chinese choirs with repertoire ranging from folksongs to opera choruses. Contemporary Chinese music such as xinyao and our local Chinese pop artistes have enjoyed widespread success.
There is rich diversity in Malay music as well. While there is a prevalence of percussion forms such as the hadrah and kompang, the range spans from vocal forms such as the dikir barat to Malay pop music. Classical Indian music continues to receive significant patronage in Singapore, and several established institutions have been conducting classes and concerts for many years.
Today, there are close to 100 music companies and societies in Singapore. Various assistance and development resources are available to develop the local music industry at all levels from the budding musician and emerging music company, to the professional musician or music company.