| THE STRAITS TIMES | TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2016

CULTURAL REVOLUTION PHOTOS PRODIGY GROWS UP D Photographer Li Zhensheng Pianist Benjamin Boo hid prints under his to play in Botanic floorboards Gardens concert D3 D4

Young composers (from left) Syafiqah ‘Adha Sallehin, Danial Ariffin Azman and Bakti In tune with traditions Khair are behind upcoming performances breathing new life into traditional Malay arts and culture. PHOTOS: AZMI ATHNI, competition for those aged 16 to 30 sign that they are keen on keeping of Ikan Girl. She recently com- will be an eye-opener for them,” Young Malay composers are COURTESY OF were handed to young composers the “culture going in their craft”. pleted her studies at London’s says Syafiqah. BENJAMIN BOO not only preserving their Danial Ariffin Azman, Bakti Khair, Says the Lasalle College of the Royal College of Music and returns Nabillah and Syafiqah maintain Amni Musfirah and Zulkifli M. Arts graduate: “There’s always the to Singapore later this month. that the piece has a relatable story traditions, but also reimagining Amin, who wrote music based on stigma that the younger generation Ikan Girl – or Fish Girl – is based with Bidasari, which was made into them in a span of three weeks. is more inclined to popular and on an 18th- or 19th-century Malay a black-and-white film in 1965, star- and reinterpreting them. Nusantara Arts, says its artistic mainstream music instead of poem titled Syair Bidasari. It is ring Jins Shamsuddin and Sarimah. Nabilah Said and Nur Asyiqin director Zulkifli, decided to merge traditional genres – probably due to about a girl, Bidasari, who has a soul “There is a certain ‘Melayuness’ poetry and music to get Malay the lack of exposure . linked to that of a fish. to it, which will be a starting point Mohamad Salleh report literary enthusiasts and musicians “It’s a rich culture, but oftentimes The story is similar to that of fairy for people to understand that here collaborating. the lack of understanding creates a tale Snow White, with an evil queen classical music is not elitist, but “Language is often misunder- barrier between the young and who is jealous of Bidasari’s beauty. very accessible,” says Nabillah. A small but growing number of stood by those unfamiliar with their heritage. I think from the Here, the queen takes the fish out of young Malay music creators are Malay poetry, and music is often involvement of youth in the arts the water, which causes Bidasari to [email protected] looking to their roots and breathing underappreciated,” says Zulkifli, and culture scene here, the setting lose consciousness. She is even- new life into traditional Malay arts 33. “By combining these aspects up of musical groups, arts compa- tually rescued by a prince. [email protected] and culture. and creating a refreshing approach, nies and events, we’re on the right For Ikan Girl, Syafiqah is working From weaving in bits of Malay lit- we want to see more people taking track. It’s a healthy scene.” with The Bhumi Collective, an arts Morestories on D2 erature into their music, to bringing a step forward and contributing Meanwhile, coming up on Oct 21 group which champions Malay tra- instruments from the East and creative works to the scene.” and 23 is Ikan Girl, a multidiscipli- ditional dance and music. Nabillah West together, they are not just The works will be performed by nary performance featuring an orig- is one of its founders. BOOK IT / B3 CONCERT preserving their traditions, but also the group’s ensemble, Nusantara, inal composition by 26-year-old The music will be performed by WHERE: School Of The Arts reimagining and reinterpreting which showcases keroncong instru- Syafiqah ’Adha Sallehin, accompa- what Syafiqah describes as a “stand- them in contemporary pop and clas- ments such the and the cuk, nied by elements of traditional ard Malay ensemble”, comprising Concert Hall, 1 Zubir Said Drive sical music. two -like instruments. Malay dance, Bharatanatyam (tradi- the accordion, flute and violin, as WHEN: Saturday, 8pm Their efforts can be heard in two Keroncong is an Indonesian style tional Indian dance from South well as the piano and percussion ADMISSION: $35 from upcoming performances: B3 of music, but Nusantara also fea- India) and contemporary dance. instruments. Concert by youth group Nusantara tures the piano, flute and saxo- Ikan Girl is part of the Singapore She adds: “The music is a fusion www.nstarts.sg/btiga-tix Arts on Saturday, and contempo- phone. International Festival of Music, of contemporary and tradition. I rary music and dance creation Ikan Zulkifli, who has at least 150 com- which runs from Oct 13 to 30, and used not only rhythms from Malay BOOK IT /IKAN GIRL Girl on Oct 21 and 23. positions under his belt, is inspired Syafiqah, who teaches music at the music that go together with the WHERE: Chamber, The Arts Music and language will collide at by the structure, sounds and inter- School of the Arts, is the festival’s Malay dance repertoire, for exam- House, 1 Old Parliament Lane Saturday’s B3 Concert – which locking patterns of the artist-in-residence this year. ple, the joget, but I also used con- stands for Belia. Bahasa. Budaya, or orchestra. The Oct 21 performance will be temporary sound colours.” WHEN: Oct 21 (with Portrait Of A Youth. Language. Culture – when “This has a deep impact on my preceded by Portrait Of A Com- For example, to produce scenes Composer) and 23 (with Portrait nine Malay poems will be reinter- compositions either by the use of poser, with original compositions of excitement or anger, the musi- Of A Virtuoso), 7.30pm preted as musical compositions. or mimicking gamelan music by Syafiqah performed by the festi- cians might play their instruments The show at the School of the Arts and its harmony,” he says. “There’s val ensemble. in unconventional ways, such as ADMISSION: $36 from Sistic Concert Hall is a culmination of a so much to discover in this region On Oct 23, it will be preceded by producing screeching sounds on a (call 6348-5555 or go to three-month project done in and every day is a new discovery.” Portrait Of A Virtuoso, with a violin or a harsh note on the flute. www.sistic.com.sg) conjunction with this year’s Bulan Young Malay composers, he recital by Syafiqah on the accordi- “I hope audiences will be open- INFO: www.sifom-sg.com Bahasa, or Malay Language Month. notes, tend to infuse elements of on and Nabillah Jalal on the piano. minded, especially those who don’t Winning entries from a poetry Malay music into their works – a Nabillah, 24, is the music director usually listen to classical music. It D2 life arts | THE STRAITS TIMES | TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2016 |

Five young Malay composers 1 2 SYAFIQAH ’ADHA SALLEHIN, 26 NABILLAH JALAL, 24

From age four till 16, Syafiqah ’Adha After four years of studying at the Sallehin was exposed to Western prestigious Royal College of Music classical music through her piano in London, Nabillah Jalal will lessons. return home for good later this But finding herself with free time month. after her O levels, she decided to It was in London that the young- join the Orkestra Melayu Singapura, est of three children became inter- which preserves and promotes tra- ested in Malay culture. ditional Malay music in Singapore. The pianist and conductor says: Around the same time, her father, “I felt strongly about how I was a fan of Malay keroncong music, Malay. Being away from Singapore, bought her an accordion. I realised that it formed a huge part “He wanted me to try it out. I of me.” guess because it looks like a piano,” For her thesis, she decided to she says with a laugh. research traditional Malay music Syafiqah, whose father is a techni- from the 1960s, an era with a cal officer and mother a housewife, wealth of original music from is the third of four children. genres such as pop yeh yeh, and on It took her six months to learn to film soundtracks. play the instrument. At first, Nabillah – who is the She would play it every week at school’s first Malay Singaporean weddings and events with Gendang student – was afraid that her Akustika, a traditional Malay music school would not allow her to do it. ensemble she joined in 2009. She She says: “Being a Western classi- also arranges music for the group. cal college, there is nobody who She mostly plays the accordion knows South-east Asian music.” now. Syafiqah is a teacher at the But her tutors referred her to PHOTO: JANE LAU School of the Arts’ music faculty supervisors from the School of and works on music composition Oriental and African Studies, University of London, commissions. who have the requisite expertise. She is not only the first Malay She also received help from musicians in Singapore, student to do a bachelor’s in music including Iskandar Khairuldin, a member of pop yeh at the National University of yeh band The Rhythm Boys, which was formed in the Singapore’s Yong Siew Toh Conserv- 1960s. atory of Music, but also the school’s Since then, she has developed a particular interest in first master’s student in 2014. contemporary music, in relation to her identity as a For her master’s, she wrote a con- Malay Singaporean. temporary composition with narra- Together with six other Singaporean students in Lon- tion based on the story of Singapura don, she formed The Bhumi Collective earlier this year. Dilanggar Todak, a local legend The group premiered a work titled Bhumi at the Edin- about a swordfish attack. burgh Festival Fringe last month, which married tradi- Syafiqah says she is pushing the tional Malay dance and music. Nabillah was the music boundaries even further with her director. new contemporary creation, Ikan She says: “It was a humbling experience because I Girl, based on an epic poem, Syair had to learn about instrumental Malay music. My back- Bidasari. ground is Western classical, so it was a whole new The work is part of the Singapore world.” International Festival of Music and She roped in her best friend, a Lithuanian composer, she says she is “overwhelmed and to help create some of the pieces for Bhumi. delighted” to be its artist-in-resi- She says: “He doesn’t know anything about Malay dence. music. But he told me ‘there is a certain sound when “It’s an opportunity to make a you play that cannot be achieved by anyone else’. It’s a statement that Malay music can still ‘lenggok’, a type of lyricism that Malay music has.” be explored. I hope this craft can be The collective is also part of Ikan Girl, a work featur- developed further.” ing original music by composer Syafiqah ’Adha Sallehin She wishes to set up an academy which premieres next month. It includes elements of for people to deepen their know- traditional Malay, contemporary and Bharatanatyam ledge of Malay music. dance. Nabillah is the music director of the work. She also dreams of inspiring When she returns, she will teach piano, especially to greater appreciation for classical those from lower-income groups who may not have music among the Malay community access to classical music. and hopes parents would encour- Back in 2012, her parents could not afford to send her age their children to learn other overseas, but she had help from scholarships and bursa- instruments besides the piano and ries. Her father works in shipping and her mother is a violin. housewife. Using herself as an example, she “I received a lot of help from people and now I want says: “At least the accordion didn’t to help in any way possible. My dream is for a society go to waste.” that allows individuals to realise their potential.”

Nabilah Said ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI Nabilah Said

ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI PHOTO: SHAWNA CHIA ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI 3 4 5 DANIAL ARIFFIN AZMAN, 25 AMNI MUSFIRAH, 22 BAKTI KHAIR, 24 Danial Ariffin Azman’s love of pieces, he says. “After that, the mu- Amni Musfirah’s time in the United that he invited her to sing the Singer-songwriter Bakti Khair grew father was his keenest mentor, music started with the piano: sic I composed used both tradition- States is giving her a renewed drive theme song of the Asian Youth up listening to his father’s music. teaching him not just the technical Tinkling away at the keys in kinder- al and Western instruments. Fusing to explore and express her culture Games in Singapore the following Now, songwriting has become a processes, but also the ins and outs garten, he eked out a few tentative them creates new colours and I and identity. year. family affair. of the industry. melodies. think the young appreciate that.” The student at Berklee College of She also performed at the open- He has written about 20 songs Khair, 51, has written songs for When he joined his secondary He will be playing the piano in the Music in Boston says: “Here, I’m ing and closing ceremonies of the with his father Khair Yasin, a rock icon Ramli Sarip and rock school band, he started playing per- B3 Concert by Nusantara Arts on astounded by how passionate the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore seasoned Malay songwriter with band Lovehunters. cussion instruments, among them Saturday, for which he composed Spanish and African Americans are in 2010. more than two decades of experi- Bakti is striking out alone. the snare drum and vibraphone. three songs based on poems. in keeping their culture alive, espe- Last month, she released a Malay ence. Besides the projects he worked But he wanted to do more with Danial, who graduated with a cially through music.” single, Bisik Cintamu, which she And their shared passion for mak- on with his father, he has written his music. diploma in sonic arts from Republic She adds via e-mail: “Even when wrote with fellow Berklee students ing music has brought them closer. seven songs on his own and plans to A fan of legendary Malay enter- Polytechnic in 2014, has composed they played pop music, they would Irena Taib and Sandra Lim. It is get- Bakti, a composition major stu- release a solo album of his works. tainer P. Ramlee – whose many songs for theatre productions, make sure to weave in elements of ting airtime on Malay radio stations dent at Lasalle College of the Arts, With his music, he looks for ways talents included acting, singing and short films and symphonic bands, their backgrounds, whether rhy- here and there are plans to release says: “When I was growing up, to pay tribute to the beauty of the composing – he saw music as a way among others, and arranged music thm or instrumentation. it in Malaysia and put out a music sometimes he would be so busy Malay language. The lyrics in most to give a voice to his culture and her- for the likes of popular Singapore “So I’ve tried to do that, especially video. that we’d rarely see each other. of his songs are inspired by Malay itage. “If the young don’t want to be singer Imran Ajmain. in arrangements – insert a little For the B3 Concert, Amni com- Now, we speak every day. We poems. part of efforts to keep Malay culture His efforts to meld East and West Malay music identity. It definitely posed music built around 30-year- exchange opinions on music, talk He is now learning more about alive, who else would?” says the in his music are not just an attempt gives a different colour.” old Nur Muhammad Hidayat Nor- about our experiences. traditional instruments such as the freelance composer and arranger. to preserve Malay music, but also to The composition major first tried din’s poem Budaya Bahasa Belia “In a way, I’m seeing a different seruling – a bamboo flute – and try- “I kept asking myself this and tell- breathe new life into it. her hand at songwriting when she (Culture Language Youth), a call to side of him, not just as a father, but ing to incorporate them into his ing myself I need to do something, He says: “I want to surprise peo- was 10 years old and has been preserve and be proud of Malay cul- also as a creative partner. And he’s pieces. to go beyond my comfort zone – ple with my music. Youth may be hooked since. She has churned out ture and language. really someone to admire.” He says: “I’m still learning more the piano – and start playing Malay unfamiliar with Malay music, its about 50 pop songs and 20 instru- The message resonates with her. Bakti started writing and arrang- about my culture and there’s a lot to instruments.” rhythms and its instruments, so I mental pieces. It is, after all, the young who are ing songs in 2008, when he was learn because it’s so rich. In 2012, he joined the Orkestra want to make them go, ‘Oh, you can She has made her name as a per- crucial in keeping the culture, lan- studying for his diploma in sonic “Young people have to take Melayu Singapura Belia (Singapore do that? It can sound like that?’ former too. When she sang at the guage and music alive, she says. arts at Republic Polytechnic. Song- responsibility for our culture. We Youth Malay Orchestra) to learn “There are no limits to our tradi- ChildAid charity concert in 2008, “If it’s not us, then who else?” writing, he says, was the medium can’t wait for our parents or grand- more about his musical roots. Since tional music. It’s not dying. It’s not she impressed Cultural Medallion he felt he could best express him- parents to protect it for us.” then, he has picked up traditional in- old-fashioned. It’s about how you recipient Iskandar Ismail so much Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh self in. struments such as the , kom- use rhythms and instruments. With When he first started out, his Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh pang and gamelan, and is handy some imagination, you can do so with the accordion – which is often many things with it.” used in Malay music. This has added new depth to his Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh