Bravissimo! August 2019

National Day Awards for SSO Founding Director, and Conductor Laureate

Two men who inspired and paved the way for the Singapore Symphony Orchestra were recipients of the National Day Awards 2019. The SSO congratulates Mr J Y Pillay and Conductor Laureate Lan Shui on their awards.

National Day Awards 2019

SSO pioneer Mr J Y Pillay received the top honour at this year’s National Day Awards, The Order of Temasek (With Distinction).
The longest-serving Chairman of the Council of Presidential Advisers (CPA) and former Chairman of Singapore Airlines (SIA) as well as of the Singapore Exchange (SGX), has strong links to the SSO. Mr Pillay was there right from the beginning, at the birth of the Singapore Symphonia Company Limited (SSCL), which manages the SSO. Then the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of National Development, he worked alongside the team that Dr Goh Keng Swee had drawn in to bring the national orchestra into being. Mr Pillay went on to serve as a founding member of the SSCL Board from 1979–1996. Today, Mr Pillay remains a staunch champion of the SSO, serving as a member of its Advisory Council.

Mr J Y Pillay with the 2018 President’s Young Performers Concert soloist Kong Xianlong. An SSO Council member, Mr Pillay was former Chairman, Council of Presidential Advisers and former Board Director at the SSO (1979–1996). He received The Order of Temasek (With Distinction) at the Singapore National Day Awards 2019.

SSO Conductor Laureate Lan Shui was awarded The Public Service Star [Bintang Bakti Masyarakat]. For generations of Singaporeans, his name is synonymous with the SSO, where the maestro was Music Director from 1997 to January 2019.

“This is the only place in my life I feel so connected with. It's my home. Nothing before has been like it, and nothing after will be like it.

Lan Shui explaining his bond with Singapore in an interview with The Straits Times.

The Singapore National Day Awards are bestowed by the Singapore government and recognises various forms of merit and service to Singapore. Our warmest congratulations to Mr Pillay and Maestro Lan Shui.

For more information on the National Day Awards 2019, click here

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