The last of the Singapore Arts Festival trilogy, Our Lost Poems (2012), took place recently from 18 May to 2 June 2012. Tan Chin Tuan Foundation, a founding sponsor of Singapore Arts Festival’s Kids Arts Village, had 278 children and youths from 12 of TCTF-supported organisations participating as performers, reporters and photojournalists throughout the festival. Cub reporters and photojournalists covered various activities happening at Singapore Arts Festival where their articles will be featured in the upcoming Young Arts Reporter Project booklet.
Apart from the Kids Arts Village, 435 guests from 35 other TCTF-supported organisations and partners were also treated to six of the ticketed shows at the festival; Flight of the Jade Bird, Lan Fang Chronicles 2012, Very Wagnerian Night, End of the Road, Advanced Studies in… (10 lessons for life) and Rite(s) of Spring, which ranges from musicals to theatrical plays. Many of the guests enjoyed this experience as it was their first opportunity watching a performance at the Singapore Arts Festival.
Here is an excerpt from a beneficiary at Help FSC who attended ‘End of the Road’:
“It was so awe inspiring for myself and Barath. We have never come across such a senior, talented cast before. It was a new, fresh and enriching experience for us. It was an awesome performance done by the cast who showcased all their wonderful talents in singing, dancing and playing the background scores.
The songs sung brought me down memory lane. They had a good and varied selection of evergreen hits over the decades. Their voices and sense of humour plus their expressions were superb as well. It is really not the end of road for all of us. As senior citizens, if they can do wonders to enlighten people around the world, it gets one to think how much more one can offer to the world, society, family, friends and others around them. It was time well spent for us with lots of food for thought indeed.”
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On Thursday, 22 March 2012, TCTF hosted a luncheon for the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Tan Chin Tuan Centennial (TCTC) Professors to thank Professor Ng Wun Jern for completing his tenure as a TCTC Professor, and to welcome Professor Gehan Amaratunga, the incoming TCTC Professor. The Foundation also invited the 2011 Exchange Fellows (outbound) to share about their experiences of their exchange fellowships.
The guests were brought on a tour of the Mansion, before they had lunch together with the Foundation’s Deputy Chairman, Ms Chew Gek Khim, and Council Member, Ms Chew Gek Hiang.
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On 20th November 2011, TCTF together with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) held our annual centennial concert, “SSO Casual Concert, A Tan Chin Tuan Centennial Concert” at the Esplanade Concert Hall.
Our Chairman, Dr Tan Kheng Lian, along with her family and friends hosted our beneficiary organisations (Man Fut Tong Welfare Society, Fei Yue Family Service Centre, Pasir Ris Family Service Centre, Sathya Sai social Services for Tembusu and Association for Persons with Special Needs (APSN)) who came to enjoy the opportunity of watching an interactive concert conducted by the SSO conductor, Mr Jason Lai.
With his crisp accent and witty humour, Mr Lai and the lovely soprano Ms Ee-Ping, charmed the audience throughout the hour and a half long performance. It was indeed an invigorating evening as the audience relished tunes that included Dvořák and Puccini before heading home after slurping up a cup of Häagen-Dazs ice-cream, lovingly dished out to invited guests of the Tan Chin Tuan Foundation.
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On Friday 21 Oct 2011, TCTF hosted a luncheon for 19 Tan Chin Tuan scholars/award recipients from NAFA, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Nanyang Technological University and the National Council of Social Service. The guests were seated around four tables for their western buffet treat. Over the luncheon, each scholar received a pen (with his/her scholarship engraved) as a token from the Foundation. A representative from each institution shared about the gift of the scholarship and thanked the Foundation heartily. All were happily mingling over lunch and got to know more about the Founder and the Foundation through their interactions with council member, Mr Chew Kwee San, and the team members of TCTF, and the tour of the Conservation House.
Invited guest, SSO Conductor Mr Jason Lai, shared with all present about the upcoming SSO Casual Concert (Tan Chin Tuan Centennial concert) at the Esplanade Concert Hall.
Later that afternoon, a tea reception was hosted for six of our scholars from the Republic and Ngee Ann Polytechnics. Ms Adelina Ong (Little Arts Academy), Ms Mamie Cheong (SIFE Singapore) and Ms Le Ly (Global Village Foundation) from our partner organisations also shared about the work of their respective organisations and internship opportunities.
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28 July 2011, award recipients of the 11 scholarships set up by the late banker and philanthropist Tan Sri (Dr) Tan Chin Tuan were invited to the Tan Chin Tuan Mansion to receive their scholarship keepsakes and also partake in a tea and tour of the Mansion.
The award recipients were from the Methodist Girls School, Anglo Chinese group of schools (Independent, Barker Road and Junior College) and Hwa Chong Institution were accompanied by their proud parents as they received the their pens engraved with the scholarship that was awarded to each individual. The session also provided the students with a platform to learn and understand more of the legacy of Tan Chin Tuan’s heart for education and extensive philanthropic work.
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On 22 July, Friday, 50 elderly day care residents of the St Luke’s Eldercare were treated to an afternoon of hip hop dance and games. The hip hop dance led by four young girls from the Little Arts Academy entertained the residents with their quick and fluid dance movements and this was followed on with a few boisterous rounds of the game ‘pass the parcel’ with prizes being dished out by the dance volunteers to the residents at every round of the game.
The dance volunteers then helped out in giving out refreshments to the elderly and interacting with them. After which it was time for the elderly residents to be picked up and transported home. The volunteers and residents alike were pleased with the time of interaction and entertainment. The girls (dance volunteers) also got a deeper insight into the lives of these residents who are placed in day care centers to help spend their time in a purposeful way.
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On the 10 June 2011, a tete-a-tete session was specially organized for the teaching staff, current students and alumni of the UM-NUS Joint Studio Programme. A total of 36 students and teaching associates from Singapore and Malaysia, were offered the privilege to visit and view the private mansion of Tan Sri (Dr) Tan Chin Tuan. 24 of these students were from NUS (National University of Singapore), 11 Students from UM (University of Malaya) & two Alumni from NUS.
Through this tea session, our guests got an opportunity to understand the philanthropic efforts of the foundation and also study the structural design of the Tan Chin Tuan Mansion, of which was built in the 1920s.
Since 2005, the University of Malaya and National University of Singapore (UM-NUS) Joint Studio Programme has been supported by the Tan Chin Tuan Foundation (TCTF).
The aim of the UM-NUS programme is to study conserved historical buildings within historic districts and also look at the adaptive re-use of shop houses in Malaysia and Singapore. Students are required to attend seminars and field work in both Singapore and Malaysia as part of the curriculum of this programme.
More crucially, through this collaboration between the two universities, ties between the two departments of architecture of UM and NUS have been strengthened, especially as both universities have historical connections to when the University of Malaya was first established in Singapore, Bukit Timah in 1949.
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On 8th May 2011, TCTF sponsored an evening concert by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra at Botanic Gardens in celebration of Mothers’ Day. Children, youths and families from TCTF’s beneficiary organisations (e.g. Association of Persons with Special Needs (APSN) and Persatuan Pemudi Islam Singapura (PPIS)) and our colleagues shared in the joy and festivity of the celebration. Our Foundation’s Chairman, Dr Tan Kheng Lian and Council member, Mr Chew Kwee San, joined us at the concert too.
The SSO impressed the audience, of approximately 5,000, throughout the hour by beautifully performing a wide repertoire of music featuring classics from composers such as Johann Strauss II and musicals like ‘My Fair Lady’ in honour of mothers. The Botanic Gardens was filled with a celebratory mood despite the hot weather. The audience received lovely SSO goodie-bags, each containing a concert programme, an SSO CD ‘Symphony Romanze’, a TCTF fan and a Mothers’ Day gift as a memento of the concert. TCTF also provided its beneficiaries with complimentary snacks and water to complement their memorable experience of the celebration.
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On 29 April 2011, as part of its regular Tête-à-tête @ TCTF series, TCTF organised a dialogue on “Restorative Practice” in relation to youth work. Restorative Justice is a way of addressing wrongdoings when relationships are harmed and need to be made right by persons responsible for the harm.
The panelists, Mr Daniel Ang, Mr Gerard Ee, Rev Sam Kuna and Dr Daniel Fung provided insightful knowledge about their experiences and challenges using Restorative Justice in their work, especially with youths. 49 guests from 29 agencies attended the dialogue. They ranged from heads of volunteer welfare organisations to educators and representatives from various ministries. Our award recipients for the Tan Chin Tuan Award for Social Service and Tan Chin Tuan SSTI Award were present too.
The dialogue proved to be insightful and provocative. The speakers and guests discussed the possibilities that Restorative Practice offer in complementing existing work with juvenile offenders and the means of adopting it on a larger scale among the various organisations. The dialogue served as a platform for discussion about the prospects and challenges of using the Restorative Justice approach. The session concluded with a tour of the mansion and a cocktail tea.
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37 TCTF youth beneficiaries participated in the Singapore Biennale 2011 Young Arts Writers Programme from 15th to 17th March 2011, at the Old Kallang Airport and the Singapore Art Museum. This sponsored opportunity was extended by the Foundation as part of the Foundation’s Young Arts Reporter Project (YARP). Since 2008, YARP has widened the learning horizons of youth beneficiaries from charities and schools supported by TCTF.
At the workshops, the students learnt about contemporary art, art journalism and writing from different perspectives. They discussed about different art pieces and had the opportunity to present their interpretations of the art works to their groups. The workshops culminate with the students visiting the Singapore Biennale on their own and submitting a writing piece in April 2011. Selected pieces will be published on various platforms.
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