Exploring Roots and Routes: Felix Phang's intercultural perspective on local music

Photo Credits: Pasat Merdu, by Zinkie Aw.

Participants, The Straits Ensemble and Guest-of-Honour Mr Eric Chua, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth at the 'Roots & Routes' Finale Concert.

From 13th-century Temasek to modern-day Singapore, our island is a melting pot of cultures, where fostering harmony and understanding between diverse communities has always been pivotal for us to thrive.

In our day-to-day conversations, English and a smattering of Singlish serve as our lingua franca. But where words fail us, the universal language of music can step in.

We speak to acclaimed composer Felix Phang about his vision for intercultural musical exchanges. Through his four-day intercultural music symposium “Roots & Routes”, presented by his non-profit Pasat Merdu, here’s how the 41-year-old explores music as a medium to deepen racial ties and celebrate Singapore’s unique heritage.

Expressing our diverse identity through intercultural cultural music

Felix Phang posing with his violin.

At 15, Felix decided he wanted to be a musician. He was formally introduced to music when he was gifted a violin on his 12th birthday. Subsequently, he played the trombone and euphonium in his school band.

At the Berklee College of Music, he pursued a major in jazz composition and wrote original pieces upon graduation. However, he felt disconnected from his music as it did not reflect his origins.

“Interestingly, the music we mostly practise in Singapore does not come from here. Percussion artists commonly use orchestral percussion and Latin percussion instruments such as bongos and cowbells. I wondered, ‘What about bells from India or drums from the Middle East that had a strong influence on the local Malay culture?’ I wanted to explore the sounds around us more deeply.”

He goes on to explain how intercultural music typically has two or more cultural elements integrated into the composition, but the piece does not have to sound ‘traditional'. Composers also need to understand the diverse backgrounds of musicians before writing and they tend to leave greater room for embellishments so artists can interpret the scores freely. Additionally, it is possible to write an intercultural music composition for a traditional Western ensemble.

“When I presented some intercultural compositions overseas, people were curious. They asked, ‘What is this sound?’ They couldn’t pinpoint where this music came from as it was not solely Chinese, Malay, or Indian. In turn, they became interested in understanding where I'm from.”

Through intercultural music, we have yet another platform to explore our shared identity and express what it means to be a Singaporean.

One of the cultural music workshops at ‘Roots & Routes’.

Setting the stage for musical learning with Pasat Merdu

In 2023, Felix decided to pursue intercultural music more strongly. The result was the non-profit musical entity, Pasat Merdu.

Translated from colloquial Hokkien and Bahasa Melayu, Pasat Merdu means “melodious marketplace”. It aims to deepen intercultural understanding and present a “distinctive Singaporean Sound on the world stage”.

“When I was researching cultural music, I found it difficult to understand efforts from the various cultural arts groups as different cultures have their own ways of passing on music. Online resources also showed conflicting instructions and instructions are often in their native languages. There wasn’t a single, structured way of learning. I needed someone to guide me.”

Felix recognised that when learning becomes more accessible, local musicians can be equipped with new tools for song-making. This strengthened his desire to introduce intercultural music to schools through a structured programme like what he experienced at Berklee. “Roots & Routes” was born out of this idea.

Striking a chord with the “Roots and Routes” programme

A guided improvisation workshop done at ‘Roots & Routes’.

Through intensive workshops, attendees explore the various music cultures and practices within Singapore's Chinese, Malay, and Indian communities. The symposium, which is a collaboration between Youth Harmony and Singapore Polytechnic’s Media, Arts & Design School, culminated in a concert at Singapore Polytechnic Convention Center on 21 June.

“Because the symposium was a new idea, I spent a lot of time trying to get funding and support. Thankfully, I managed to put it together through support from various sources, including MCCY’s Harmony Fund.

The hard work paid off on Day Three. Participants and volunteers told me they found the experience to be very meaningful. Not only did they appreciate having a safe space to learn, play, and perform music together, but they also enjoyed forming friendships and interacting with other like-minded musicians from different cultures and races. After the finale concert, some of them even went to have supper together. It was at that moment I realised the project had become bigger than myself.”

The future of intercultural music

While there have been great leaps forward, having audiences understand and appreciate intercultural music on a wider scale is still a work in progress.

For one, Felix shared that it is difficult to garner enough attention from the mass audience. Music lovers may find the concept hard to grasp unless they are practitioners themselves. Furthermore, culture is often bound tightly with tradition and each culture has its unique practices and considerations.

Photo Credits: Pasat Merdu, by Zinkie Aw.

Participants performing "Zapin Bunga Hutan" at the 'Roots & Routes’ Finale Concert.

“Aside from striking a balance between the music, there’s also the issue of pleasing the existing audience or pursuing a new audience. Even in the classical music world, we should be mindful of each group’s practices.”

Still, Felix remains optimistic. He believes all music is intercultural to an extent.

“It all starts from what you’re exposed to and what resources are available. One of our long-term goals is to have a talented pool of culturally sensitive musicians and composers who can perform and compose music in an intercultural setting. Hopefully, this will come true with more versions of ‘Roots & Routes’.”

MCCY’s Harmony Fund seeks to support creative ground-up projects which foster racial and religious harmony. Successful applicants can receive up to 80% of supporting project expenditure (capped at $100,000). Find out more and view past Harmony Fund projects.