July 28, 2009
Siglap Nusantara Orchestra not only has won numerous awards locally, their reputation has also grown beyond Singapore.
While the gamelan is a musical ensemble that originated in Java many centuries ago, the students in Siglap Secondary School's Siglap Nusantara Orchestra have shown that its sweet harmonies, and those of other instruments of the Malay Archipelago, can still dazzle audiences in the 21st century. With a rich repertoire of traditional and modern music, the Orchestra has made a name for itself with numerous awards at the Singapore Youth Festival (SYF), performed for ministers and foreign delegates, and wowed audiences at an overseas arts festival.
The Orchestra's name is testimony to its origins and raison d'être. Given by its music director Mr Mohamed Khamis Selamat, the word 'Nusantara' means 'archipelago' in Malay - apt because the Orchestra incorporates many instruments from across the region. What began as an angklung ensemble in 1998, grew to include the kulintang ensemble in 2000 and later the gamelan ensemble.
Today the Orchestra has 58 student-musicians, playing instruments such as the kendang (double-headed drum), bonang penerus and bonang barong (bronze kettles or gongs), saron demung and saron barong (bronze bars) and sunda drums. But that's not all.
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