Delve into inspiring stories of 4 Cultural Medallion recipients

The arts fill our little red dot. It touches our core, inspires us, and sparks discussions around society and culture.?

In this edition of? Cultural Medallion Spotlight, we explore the world of jazz, a dance doyenne's swansong performance, theatre, and a personal look into poignant memories of a hometown through the written word. Read on to learn more about these displays of artistic excellence and creative diversity from our Cultural Medallion recipients!

1. Experience the best of jazz with Jeremy Monteiro (2002 recipient)

Kaleidoscope: An Asian Jazz Odyssey by the Jazz Association (Singapore)

The media have dubbed jazz pianist and vocalist Jeremy Monteiro "Singapore's King of Swing". His storied musical journey has seen him performing worldwide, winning critical acclaim and, most importantly, establishing organisations crucial for the growth and development of the local music scene.

Jeremy's music career began at 16 when he performed his first gig at the now-defunct Country Club Hotel in 1976. Since there, he's seen all sides of music – as a bandleader, producer and music director for local and regional artists, cementing his passion for music.?

As an all-rounded music maker, he has chalked up an enormous discography. Jeremy has over 40 albums to his credit – having collaborated in performance or on recordings with distinguished musicians such as James Moody, Herbie Mann and Simon & Garfunkel – and over 700 pieces of music composed or produced.?

The veteran has also contributed significantly to advancing the excellence of Singapore's music industry. Jeremy co-founded the Composers & Authors Society of Singapore (COMPASS), which protects and promotes the copyright interests of composers and songwriters in Singapore. He's also a founder of the Jazz Association (Singapore), which enables the participation, engagement and excellence of jazz in Singapore.?

For his invaluable contributions to Singapore's music scene, he was conferred the Cultural Medallion in 2002 for his expansive contributions to the Singapore jazz scene, making him the first jazz musician and one of the youngest artists to receive Singapore's highest arts accolade.

Today, Jeremy continues to make music, recently celebrating his 45th year in the music industry in 2022 with an anniversary concert at the Esplanade. Catch him this month in Kaleidoscope: An Asian Jazz Odyssey. This fusion jazz concert blends Asian music elements alongside talented artists, such as 2022 Young Artist Award recipient Rit Xu.?

Watch the show at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre Auditorium, Level 9, at 8pm on 30 July. Tickets are priced at $38 and $58.

2. Learn the beautiful visual language of dance through Low Mei Yoke’s eyes (2018 recipient)

MILIEU 2023

Low Mei Yoke co-founded Frontier Danceland, where she is presently the artistic director and choreographer. She is renowned as one of the pioneer choreographers in Singapore for her vision of creating a unique brand of contemporary dance with a distinctive Singaporean style.??

Dancing always took work for Mei Yoke. In the 1960s and 1970s, dance classes were considered extravagant, and she only attended her first formal dance class at seventeen. In pursuit of her dream, Mei Yoke seized every opportunity to dance – at community events or on television. Even when diagnosed with arthritis at 31 years old, she continued to dance through her pain. To her, this is about a dancer’s single-minded devotion to her art – no matter the circumstances.

Her dance teachers greatly inspired her work as a choreographer, as she started thinking about what it means to be a cultural leader and promote dance appreciation and participation in Singapore. Mei Yoke uses choreography to articulate stories from her life and others around her to express our shared? identity.?

Her work ‘Cloud’ met with much acclaim when it was showcased at the 2000 Feet – A Celebration of World Dance (1999), a dance festival held in Philadelphia, USA. It was hailed as groundbreaking for blurring the distinction between Chinese dance and modern dance. Mei Yoke continues to break boundaries in dance today, transitioning from a narrative style of choreography to focusing on the pure visual language of the body. She and her husband established contemporary dance company Frontier Danceland. The group celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2021.?

Does Mei Yoke’s artistic journey inspire you? Check out the swansong edition of MILIEU 2023 to witness a dance performance embodying Mei Yoke’s dance-making journey over four decades.

The show will be held at the Esplanade Annexe Studio at various times on 3 and 4 August. Tickets are priced at $38 and $48.?

3. Discover the power of systemic perspectives in critical facilitation with Kok Heng Leun (2022 recipient)

Workshop for Critical Facilitation

Kok Heng Leun is renowned as an exemplary theatre artist who has contributed widely as director, playwright, dramaturg, educator, and artistic director of multidisciplinary community arts projects. He is committed to socially engaged frameworks which generate platforms for participatory and co-creative processes, often developed in collaboration with marginalised communities.?

After majoring in Mathematics at university, he almost pursued a teaching career. That changed when he attended a talk by the late theatre legend, the late Kuo Pao Kun, which ignited his passion for theatre. He co-founded Drama Box after various stints at the former Ministry of Community Development, The Substation and The Necessary stage. In this leading Singapore theatre company, he served as Artistic Director from 1998 to 2022.?

Through his practice and pedagogy, Heng Leun has inspired fellow artists and students to continually review the role of the arts in society. Renowned internationally for his ability to spearhead contextually grounded processes that are inclusive and adaptive, he is frequently invited to direct, dramaturg and teach in varied spaces.?

For example, his forum theatre work has been used to train community and grassroots leaders, as Heng Leun believes that well-structured participatory processes have the capacity to bring us closer as a mature society that can weather the strain of dissension. Heng Leun’s passion for community work and care extends to his stint as a Nominated Member of Parliament (2016-2018). He championed the importance of the arts sector in contemporary urban society, addressing issues such as social justice, cultural equity and gender parity. His contributions to Singapore’s civic society and theatre scene have landed him multiple awards, such as the Young Artist Award (2000), the Cultural Fellowship (2014) and the Cultural Medallion (2022).??

Encounter Heng Leun’s drama techniques for critical facilitation for yourself at the Workshop for Critical Facilitation. Conducted by him, the workshop will cover various topics from listening and questioning, to critical thinking and problem-solving by dissecting how different social and cultural constructs shape issues, and by viewing problems from a systemic point of view.

Held from 6 to 7 Sep 2023, 10am to 5pm, at Goodman Arts Centre, the workshop is priced at $360. Registration closes on 9 August 2023, so fastest fingers first!

4. ?Appreciate the beauty of Malaya through Wong Yoon Wah’s words (1986 recipient)

Durians Are Not the Only Fruit: Notes from the Tropics?

Prof. Wong Yoon Wah is a veteran writer, contemporary poet, scholar and critic of international standing with a global following. A former Head of the Department of Chinese Studies at the National University of Singapore, he has published over 20 books and over 50 articles on classical and modern Chinese literature, comparative and postcolonial Chinese literature.

For his commitment to promoting literature regionally, his many distinctions include The Epoch Poetry Award (1974); The China Times Literary Award (1981); the Southeast Asia Write Award (1984); and the ASEAN Cultural Award (1993). He also received the Cultural Medallion Award for Literature in 1986.

Born in 1941 and brought up in Malaysia, Wong grew up amongst rubber plantations against the tumultuous background of the Malayan Emergency. This was an often horrific experience that he could not talk about for many years but was clearly a formative period and has remained a source of inspiration for his literary output.?

This includes Durians Are Not the Only Fruit: Notes from the Tropics, a collection of personal essays about the beauty and seduction of the tropical rainforest and rubber plantations of his childhood in Malaya.?

“My writing has many of the stories of my youth in Malaysia. You need a special source of inspiration and for me, my childhood surroundings, the tropical forest, give me something to bring to the world.”, he said.?

Be transported back to the lush nature of Malaya in the 1940s and 50s through his book. Check out the physical or e-book version in our National Libraries, or purchase it at Epigram Books’ online store.

To learn more, visit Our Cultural Medallion Story at The Arts House –? which celebrates the achievements of 130 award recipients through both physical and online presentations. Discover how the Cultural Medallion story started, what inspires our Cultural Medallion recipients, and dive into their creative journeys through publications written by and about them.?

The showcase is open Tues – Sun from 10am to 7pm. Admission is free for all.