Behind the Façade: Pipe Organs in Singapore

There are only a handful of working pipe organs left in Singapore: some decades old, others barely more than a few years old. Find out where they are located and how they feature in modern multicultural Singapore from speakers Dr Evelyn Lim and Ong Te-Min.

This programme is a collaboration between National Library Board and VCHpresents Series, in conjunction with the Light to Night Festival 2022.

About the speakers

Evelyn Lim is Director of Music /Organ Instructor at Methodist School of Music and also teaches part-time at Dulwich College (Singapore). She is also Pipe Organ Master at the Esplanade, where she gives organ tours, assists organists and performs on occasion. She is also grateful to work with the Singapore Symphony Group as a musician as well in collaborative projects involving organ programmes. Leading a team of passionate organists and friends in the Singapore Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, she plans community workshops, masterclasses and concerts involving local and international performers and clinicians. Despite the recent Covid-19 restrictions in Singapore, the Chapter embarked on an online series, OrganBytes, of short episodes (currently in progress) featuring organs at heritage sites, churches and educational institutions in Singapore. Evelyn holds a Doctoral degree in Organ from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA. She loves to travel – particularly if it includes exploring interesting pipe organs and playing and learning about historical organs and organ repertoire.

Ong Te-Min is a Solution Architect at a System Integrator firm in Singapore. His current interests include Cloud Computing (particularly on Microsoft Azure), DevSecOps, Data Analytics, AI/ML & IoT. Outside of work he also serves as Organist at Trinity Methodist Church and Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church. Te-Min is a founding member and Honorary Secretary of the Singapore Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. As part of the Chapter, he helps facilitate many events and concerts in Singapore. In past years he participated in organ workshops and masterclasses overseas, in cities such as Alkmaar, Groningen, Paris and others.

About Curiocity: Places & Perspectives

Once dotted with kampungs and plantations, Singapore has evolved into a modern cityscape today. By spotlighting selected leisure and entertainment places in downtown Singapore as well as presenting fascinating histories hidden in plain sight, Curiocity invites you to examine the evolution of our spaces and reflect on our relationship with them. Be inspired to discover, learn and engage with our island’s history through both in-person and online activations. For more information, visit curiocity.nlb.gov.sg