Bringing ASEAN together through music at One Voice

Ambassadors,

Friends of the Arts Community,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

1. A very good evening to all. I’m very happy to be here with you tonight, celebrating One Voice – The Best of ASEAN Performing Arts. To our friends from ASEAN and further afield – a warm welcome to Singapore and thank you for sharing a part of your culture with us. I hope you will have the opportunity to experience Singapore. You can try our local food at hawker centres, enjoy the vibrant arts and culture scene in Singapore, or simply soak up the sights and sounds of the city.

Resilient and innovate

2. Every culture expresses itself through music. While ASEAN as an entity and the member states of ASEAN, as we know them now, are relatively young in the history of mankind, the influences and interactions of our cultures go back to thousands of years ago. Through the movements of goods and traders, religions, rituals and customs have followed kingdoms and empires such as the Srivijaya, Khmer, Pagan, Majapahit and Sukhothai and left their imprints on various parts of South East Asia.

3. The vastness of these kingdoms spanned many countries which gave us much of the similarities in our cultures that we see today. Yet over time, our traditions have evolved to reflect the distinctive characters of our own communities. Centuries after sharing common histories, do we have the same emotional resonance to our respective music? What I am confident about is that music is still a common language - to give voice to what we cannot articulate, to express our thoughts and emotions, and to unite diverse peoples.

4. The National Arts Council was tasked to bring together the music of ASEAN through One Voice. Through the involvement of all 10 ASEAN countries, we hope to showcase the resilience of some of these musical traditions which have withstood the test of time.  By bringing artists from different ASEAN countries together, we also hope to demonstrate how we can innovatively blend the best of what we each have to offer into new and harmonious works. Together, tonight’s performances seek to be a tangible expression of Singapore’s theme for its ASEAN Chairmanship this year, and our vision for an ASEAN which is “Resilient and Innovative”.

Best of ASEAN performing arts

5. One Voice will feature six original works that have been composed by talents from across ASEAN, and will be presented collaboratively by them. Such collaborations are wonderful opportunities for our artists to learn about other cultures, and draw inspiration from the richness and diversity of ASEAN. In turn, we will be able to appreciate how the arts and culture can bridge diverse communities, and deepen friendships among individuals as well as nations. In this way, tonight’s performance will show what we can achieve beyond boundaries, when we work together as friends and partners driving towards the same goal, with One Voice.

Conclusion

6. I would like to congratulate all the talented musicians and artists who are a part of this event, and who have come together to celebrate ASEAN with one united, powerful and melodious voice. Thank you particularly to our ASEAN neighbours for your enthusiastic participation and support, without which we would not be treated to tonight’s offerings. My thanks also go to the creative and music director of One Voice – Singapore’s 2007 Young Artist Award recipient Philip Tan, who composed two of the new works we will experience shortly, and the team from Singapore represented by Tim De Cotta, Anson Koh and Redwan Hamzah.

7. I wish everyone a pleasant and enjoyable evening.

8. Thank you.