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Pioneer artist: Georgette Chen
The cosmopolitan oil painter, known for her portraits and her still lifes of tropical fruit, was the first female visual artist in Singapore to receive the Cultural Medallion.
Pioneer artist: Chen Chong Swee
One of Singapore’s most respected first-generation artists, Chen was also a prolific writer and taught art in Singapore schools for 40 years.
Pioneer artist: Liu Kang
The painter, teacher, and writer enjoyed a long and illustrious career that was as colourful as the oil paintings he was known for.
Pioneer musician: Lian Yoong Ser
A trailblazer in the Chinese orchestral music scene here, Lian Yoong Ser is not only skilled in the guzheng and cello, but has also taken on roles in music arrangement, composing, and conducting, and even devised a new instrument.
Pioneer musician: Teng Mah Seng
Teng played an instrumental role in raising the profile of traditional nanyin music in Singapore, both as chairman of the Siong Leng Musical Association and as an innovative composer in his own right.
Pioneer musician: Goh Swee Meng
The masterful performer has dedicated his life to performing and promoting traditional Teochew music in Singapore.
Pioneer musician: William Gwee Thian Hock
Armed with an extensive knowledge of Peranakan culture, he has written songs for the Gunong Sayang Association as well as The Main Wayang Company.
Pioneer artist: Cheong Soo Pieng
Known for his paintings of Balinese women and the ‘Drying Salted Fish’, which appears on Singapore’s $50 note, Cheong depicted Southeast Asian subjects through a blend of Eastern and Western techniques.
Pioneer musician: Han Yin Juan
Adept at playing the melodic ‘wenchang’ and percussive ‘wuchang’ sections of Chinese opera, Han is a renowned Hainanese opera lead instrumentalist and percussionist.
Pioneer musician: Ye Litian
The young composer, whose music reflected the turbulence of the 1940s, was arrested and killed by the Japanese during World War II.
Pioneer musician: Michael Tien Ming Ern
Known for his captivating tenor voice, Tien was also a respected music educator who trained movie stars in singing and wrote songbooks for schools in Singapore.
Pioneer artiste: Chee Kin Foon
The founder of amateur theatre company OperaWorks Singapore has spent a lifetime performing and promoting Cantonese opera.
Pioneer musician: Shen Ping Kwang
The composer and music educator, who founded Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts’ music department in 1984, was known for his songs inspired by life in mainland China, Taiwan and Southeast Asia.
Pioneer musician: Lee Yuk Chuan
In a career spanning over 50 years, the composer and conductor has won numerous awards for his contributions and remains active in the Singapore choral scene.
Pioneer musician: Leong Yoon Pin
The pioneering musician was known for choral compositions such as ‘Good Morning, Malaya’ and ‘Dragon Dance’. He also founded the Rediffusion Youth Choir and Metropolitan Philharmonic Choir, and was the first Singaporean to compose music for an opera.
Pioneer musician: Lee Howe
The Chinese-born composer and writer dedicated more than five decades of her life to music education in Singapore, with stints at Nanyang Girls’ High School, Chung Cheng High School, and The Chinese High School.
Pioneer musician: Chew Seok Kwee
The music director of homegrown electronics firm Creative Technology was a prolific songwriter in the 1970s, known for her unique blend of Chinese and Malay musical elements.
Pioneer musician: Boh Chit Hee
Best known for his work as a Chinese orchestra conductor, Boh was also a songwriter and a master of the art of bonsai.
Pioneer musician: Samuel Ting Chu-San
The music teacher, conductor and composer founded the Heralds Choral Society in 1961 and built up a substantial oeuvre of sacred music and choral compositions through the years.
Pioneer musician: Wong Maan Shing (Mrs Lucien Wang)
Wong Maan Shing was a renowned pianist, educator, and songwriter in Singapore.
Pioneer artist: Tchang Ju Chi
The painter, cartoonist and writer was an important advocate of the arts in Singapore, helming the pictorial supplements of Chinese newspapers and serving as president of the Society of Chinese Artists.
Grandmasters of comedy: The iconic television duo Wang Sha and Ye Feng
The comedic duo’s illustrious, decades-long entertainment career spanned across television, film, and the stage.
Wang Sha, Ye Feng and Their Legacy in Films
Wang Sha and Ye Feng’s breakthrough in Hong Kong made them some of the earliest Singaporean pioneers in Chinese-language media to achieve international stardom as film stars. They were known for their chemistry and impeccable comedic timing.
Lee Dai Soh: Cantonese master storyteller
The Cantonese storyteller was one of the most famous radio talents in Singapore — regaling listeners with tales such as Journey to the West and The Return of the Condor Heroes for decades until his retirement in 1982.
Ong Toh: Hokkien master storyteller
A school principal who rose to fame narrating martial arts novels and Hokkien folklore on Rediffusion, Ong Toh was best known for his impeccable delivery and sonorous voice.
Ng Chia Keng: Teochew master storyteller
The Teochew legend was renowned for his storytelling prowess and children’s songs.
Chng Soot Fong: The Queen of Amoy-dialect Cinema
The famous getai performer toured Singapore, Malaya and the Philippines, before shifting her focus to cinema where she came to be known as the ‘Queen of Amoy-dialect Cinema’.
Pioneer artist: Yeh Chi Wei
Known for his semi-abstract oil paintings, the 20th century modern artist and teacher led the Ten Men Group of local artists on expeditions to other parts of Southeast Asia.
Lim Hak Tai: Founding principal of Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
The pioneer artist who established the academy in 1938 was a champion of the Nanyang style — a blend of Eastern and Western traditions by Chinese painters in Southeast Asia.
Pioneer artist: Sun Yee
Trained in both Chinese and Western styles of painting, the 20th century artist spent close to three decades heading the Singapore Academy of Arts. She is regarded as an important early art educator in Singapore’s art scene.
Pioneer artist: Chen Wen Hsi
Singapore’s acclaimed 20th century modern artist is known for his distinctive paintings of gibbons, herons and cranes — part of an oeuvre that combined Chinese ink tradition with experiments in Cubism, Fauvism and other Western styles of painting.