Founding of Singapore Symphony Orchestra

SSO conductor Choo Huey and his orchestra performing at the opening of the 1978 Singapore Festival of Arts at Victoria Theatre.

The Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) was set up on May 13, 1978 and operated by a government-backed private company called the Singapore Symphonia Company Ltd. The idea of establishing a professional symphony orchestra in Singapore was envisaged by Dr Goh Keng Swee during his term as Deputy Prime Minister. Under his patronage, the SSO was inaugurated in 1979 with 41 musicians, performing its first concerts at the Singapore Conference Hall. 

Under the leadership of conductor Choo Hoey, the SSO built up a large performing repertoire, with a strong emphasis on 20th-century music. The orchestra toured regularly and established itself as one of Asia’s leading orchestras. In 1994, the SSO performed at the Salle Pleyel in Paris and was hailed as one of the ‘top twenty orchestras in the world’.

Photograph courtesy of National Archives of Singapore

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