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Arts community, institutions pay tribute to Mr Lee Kuan Yew

SINGAPORE — Members of the arts community and arts institutions have paid tribute to Mr Lee Kuan Yew, who passed away earlier today (March 23).

SINGAPORE — Members of the arts community and arts institutions have paid tribute to Mr Lee Kuan Yew, who passed away earlier today (March 23).

“I speak not just as a film-maker, but a homegrown Singapore boy. Without Mr Lee Kuan Yew, there wouldn’t be Singapore as we see it today. I thank him for all that he has done for our country. The future is in our hands now as we strive to fly the Singapore flag high on the international stage,” said film-maker Mr Anthony Chen.

Added fellow film-maker Mr Eric Khoo: “He painted a beautiful canvas that is Singapore - a true visionary and an inspiration.”

The National Arts Council (NAC) has also issued tributes. “Even as all Singaporeans weigh the profound loss of Mr Lee’s passing, the impact he has made on modern Singapore is enduring and will continue to inspire many. This is testimony to his visionary leadership, his moral courage and strength of his convictions. As we mark Singapore’s 50th birthday as an independent state this year, it will be especially painful and poignant that Mr Lee will not attend this year’s National Day celebrations,” said NAC chairperson Professor Chan Heng Chee.

NAC chief executive officer Ms Kathy Lai added: “His extraordinary commitment to building a nation and his sense of purpose have created a city-state renowned globally for its distinctive multi-ethnic fabric, its social harmony and safety, and its high standard of living — all of which have laid a strong foundation for the thriving arts and cultural scene today.”

Theatre director and Singapore International Festival of Arts director Mr Ong Keng Sen offered his condolences to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on behalf of the festival team. “We have just lost Singapore’s founding patriarch who built us up from a small island to a nation that stands head and shoulders together with developed countries around the world,” he said. “We are touched by the passing of Lee Kuan Yew, whose far-sighted vision, tenacity and courage in the face of often insurmountable challenges shaped an economically strong and politically stable Singapore.

Mr Ong added: “We have lost a leader who inspired us to stretch out and reach for the stars. It is my hope that we will continue to build on the bedrock that he laid down.”

Actor Mr Adrian Pang, who is set to play Mr Lee in The LKY Musical, which opens in July, said: “He was a man among men, endlessly fascinating and flawed, deeply passionate and principled about his goals. He leaves behind a legacy for future generations who will probably never fully comprehend what he has done for Singapore.”

Further details about the musical will only be announced next month but Mr Tan Choon Hiong, director of Metropolitan Productions, which is producing the musical, said there won’t likely be any changes timing- and content-wise. “The musical itself will be in the third quarter of this year so it’s not something that’s immediate. And it will focus on the early life of Mr Lee, until the independence of Singapore,” he said, adding: “I think everyone involved in this musical will rightfully treat this as a tribute to the man and his legacy.”

Meanwhile, while Singapura: The Musical doesn’t depict Mr Lee as a character in the production, which opens in May, its creators consider it as a tribute to the leader as well.

“Needless to say, Mr Lee’s passing has undoubtedly saddened us all, cast and crew alike. If anything it has heightened our resolve to deliver the best possible show we can, as a tribute to the man who was instrumental in creating the Singapore we enjoy today,” said Mr Ed Gatchalian, the musical’s composer and music director.

He added there will be no changes to the musical, which follows the life of a Singaporean family from 1955 to 1965.

Some arts events have been cancelled during the period of National Mourning as a mark of respect. The Esplanade has stopped all scheduled non-ticketed performances at the Concourse and Outdoor Theatre; the last of five satellite Chingay parades, originally slated for Saturday at Nee Soon, is cancelled; and the school-oriented *SCAPE Invasion Tour has been postponed until next month. However, others are soldiering on. Jazz icon Jeremy Monteiro, who has his Shanghai Jazz Project shows at The Arts House on Thursday and Friday, said he will include a tribute to Mr Lee during the show. There will be more ballads, said Mr Monteiro, and he will play a special rendition of the national song that he co-wrote: One People, One Nation, One Singapore.

“I will also get the audience to offer one minute of silence, followed by one minute of applause,” he said. “We are playing in the very chamber where he sat in as Prime Minister. So I want to offer a mark of respect as well as to celebrate and thank him for his contributions.”

Also set to continue is the three-month-long Singapore Festival in France, which will be launched on Thursday in Paris and includes programmes in various French cities. It is organised by the National Heritage Board (NHB), NAC and Institut Francais and is one of the international SG50 events that also marks 50 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

“Even as we grieve and reflect on the loss of our Founding Father, we will continue to honour his vision of establishing Singapore on the international stage, and this unique showcase of our arts and culture will be an enduring testament to his legacy,” said a spokesperson from NHB.

Meanwhile, the National Library Board has announced a special exhibition on Mr Lee’s public life and quotes at the National Library Building at Victoria Street from Wednesday until April 22. A showcase of books, archival photos, newspaper articles, recordings and transcripts of his speeches will also be exhibited. The public can also leave their tributes at memory collection booths installed at 25 libraries, or through the Singapore Memory Project website (http://www.singaporememory.sg) and the irememberSG Facebook page (www.facebook.com/irememberSG). You can also place a tribute “digital pin” via PicBadge (http://bit.ly/RememberLKYBadge) on your Facebook page and Twitter account. WITH ADDITIONAL REPORTING FROM GENEVIEVE LOH, CHRISTOPHER TOH, DON MENDOZA

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