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National Music Competitions

Our music competitions identify potential musical talents, raise musical standards and provide opportunities to develop performing skills by performing in a competitive environment before an international panel of music veterans. These include the Singapore Chinese Music Competition (SCMC) (formerly known as National Chinese Music Competition), the National Indian Music Competition (last edition: 2020) as well as the National Piano and Violin Competition. 

Singapore Chinese Music Competition 

The biennial Singapore Chinese Music Competition (SCMC) was first organised by the National Arts Council (NAC) in 1998 and was formerly known as the National Chinese Music Competition. With a common vision to drive capability development efforts for the Chinese music scene as well as to expand the audience base of traditional Chinese music, Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) continues to organise SCMC from 2020. 

Find out more about SCMC and the past editions here

National Indian Music Competition

The triennial National Indian Music Competition (NIMC) was first organised by NAC in 1998 and had its final run in 2020 with a fully digital 10th edition. As a celebration of the young talents in Singapore’s diverse Indian music community, the competition aimed to develop the performing skills of young musicians in Singapore, raise musical standards and identify talent. NAC continues working closely with artists and community stakeholders to explore other capability development platforms including training programmes, masterclasses and residencies, as well as sector-led initiatives to strengthen the capabilities of our up-and-coming talents. 

Previous winners of NIMC:

National Piano and Violin Competition

The biennial National Piano and Violin Competition (NPVC) was first organised by NAC in 1997. From 2017, Singapore Symphony Group continues to provide a platform for music excellence to identify music talents, and develop and nurture young musicians by providing them the opportunity to develop their performing skills and musicality. Find out more about NPVC here.

Previous winners of NPVC: