Singapore Malay Orchestra Will Release Four New Songs and Perform a Concert in Honor of 30th Anniversary

The Singapore Malay Orchestra will release four new songs, and present a year-end performance, to celebrate its 30th anniversary, The Straits Times reports.

The songs will be released on milestone occasions and will each be on a different theme. The first song is released today, April 29, and is called Ramadan Yang Mulia, Syawal Yang Indah, inspired by the Malay-Muslim community celebrating Ramadan and Hari Raya Puasa in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It was performed live at Wisma Geylang Serai (WGS) by the orchestra alongside Mr Hady Mirza. The song will be played on local Malay radio stations and a video with lyrics will be uploaded to the WGS Facebook page late on Thursday evening.

Be sure to tune in at https://www.facebook.com/WismaGeylangSerai/.

The other three new songs include a National Day-themed song that will be released in August, a pop song to be released during the year-end concert and a Geylang Serai-themed song to be released during third anniversary celebrations of WGS in January 2022.

The end-of-year concert will be performed live and also streamed online. More details about the concert will be revealed later.

Read more on The Straits Times.

The Orkestra Melayu Singapura (OMS) was formed in 1991 to preserve and promote Malay music in Singapore. OMS is the only orchestra in Singapore to perform Malay music with traditional and modern instruments, and popular Western, Chinese and Indian music with traditional Malay instruments. Currently, Amri Amin is its Music Director and assisted by Mohd Jais Minsawi.

In September 2001, the Orchestra formed the OMS Traditional and Gamelan Ensemble to specialise in traditional Malay repertoire. Its Arts Education Programmes like "Introduction to Gamelan Music" and "Gema Warisan - The Malay Musical Heritage" are popular choices among many schools in Singapore. Over the years, the OMS has matured into a promising Malay orchestra with percussion and pop ensembles under its umbrella.

The OMS formed its youth wing, OMS Belia in March 2004, with the objective of introducing Malay youths to different genres of Malay music - be it traditional, contemporary or pop music. Currently, OMS Belia consists of youths from secondary schools, junior colleges, polytechnics, Institutes of Technical Education and Universities. The OMS is dedicated to preserving the essence of traditional Malay music while contributing to its sustained development in Singapore. Since its formation, OMS has given more than 500 local performances at major national and community events. It is a favourite at functions organised by the Malay community. It has also been very well received at all its overseas performances in countries such as Indonesia, Japan, Hong Kong and Korea for its engaging and soulful rendition of traditional and modern Malay music. In 2007, OMS was invited to stage a special concert at the Tong Tong Festival in The Netherlands.

Learn more at https://www.orkestramelayusingapura.org/.