Government grants for the local arts and cultural landscape have been on the upswing. Between 2012 and 2022, the Ministry of Culture, Community & Youth poured $5.27 billion into bolstering the domain.
But not everyone will agree that it is an eye-watering amount. “Look at the arts funding in, say, Germany, and you will inevitably feel that the number in Singapore still falls short. This is why private support is important,” says Lionel Choi, Founder of Altenburg Arts.
Singapore’s only independent presenter of classical music concerts, it aims to enrich the local classical music calendar with solo recitals and small-scale chamber music performances. It currently holds at least nine recitals per year—most of which are solo recitals performed by pianists as they generally sell better. In addition, according to Choi, they are easier to organise logistically. Although he hopes to introduce trios and quartets eventually, chamber music remains a difficult proposition for audiences who prefer soloists.
To address the elephant in the room: Altenburg Arts hasn’t made a profit, especially since Singapore is a small market and there isn’t an economy of scale in the region. Furthermore, convincing a European maestro to fly across the world for just one concert is no easy feat.
“It’s hard to break even on any concert without sponsorship and I am terrible when it comes to asking for money and selling tickets, so I fund all Altenburg Arts concerts,” Choi says. When concerts run at a loss, he writes them off as money spent on a hobby.
Not that he is unfamiliar with music. He picked up the piano at age three, but didn’t find joy in playing it until he enrolled in a secondary school music elective programme at 13, when he was introduced to music history, recordings and concerts.
“Everything became more alive, meaningful, and exciting. Instead of names on scores, composers became human beings. This made me realise that all facets of high-quality art are honest and sincere reflections of life.”
Lionel Choi on the colour music brought to his life
If anything, Choi is a lot more than a classical music enthusiast. From 1997 to 2007, he was The Straits Times’ classical music reviewer, and from 2010 to 2018, the artistic director of the Singapore International Piano Festival. Few people are as qualified to comment on local music education and he sure has opinions.
In his view, Singapore’s music-making standard has improved significantly, but private music instruction needs to improve. “I cannot understand why teachers do not encourage their students to attend concerts and listen widely. Is there nothing to learn from hearing professionals perform at a high level? How do we develop taste if we haven’t had a chance to hear a wide variety of different approaches to a piece of music?”
For this reason, he makes it a point to contribute to the classical music landscape in various ways. Apart from his efforts through Altenburg Arts, he makes monetary contributions. In August, he received the Distinguished Patron of the Arts Award for donating money to the Orchestra of the Music Makers, a symphony orchestra based in Singapore. Individual patrons who contribute $100,000 or more are eligible for the award.
As it is, contributing financially to the arts scene in Singapore is crucial to helping arts groups create quality content and explore new growth opportunities.
Can’t contribute funds? Attend performances instead. “Don’t wait until you have a free ticket to decide whether you want to attend,” Choi advises.
“A full and complete ecosystem in a world-class city cannot be just about airports, highways, skyscrapers, technology, finance, and business. Arts and culture are equally important, not mere good-to-haves. Art reflects life. It does not deserve to be in second place in our daily existence.”
Art direction: Ed Harland
Photography: Mun Kong
Photography assistant: Melvin Lee
Makeup: Keith Bryant Lee using Estee Lauder
Hair: Crystal Loh using Goldwell
