Mr Alex Abisheganaden, one of Singapore’s pre-eminent guitar maestros, passed away peacefully on 16 Mar 2023, aged 97. Widely known as Singapore’s “Father of the Guitar”, Mr Abisheganaden’s 60-year career, more than half of which was dedicated to his work at the National University of Singapore, saw him nurturing generations of young music aficionados and touching the lives of those he created music with. For his achievements and contributions to the Singapore arts scene, Mr Abisheganaden was conferred the Public Administration Medal (Bronze) in 1976, as well as the Cultural Medallion, Singapore’s highest arts accolade, in 1988.
Nurturing Singapore’s guitarists
A pioneer of the guitar playing community, Mr Abisheganaden led the establishment of two of Singapore’s oldest guitar societies, the Singapore Classical Guitar Society in 1967 and the NUS Guitar Ensemble (GENUS) in 1981. Through his efforts to raise standards of guitar performance, he introduced the Niibori method from Japan and cultivated an ensemble of 10 students who played classical prime guitars to a full-fledged guitar orchestra, which became a key force in introducing Niibori guitar music to the region. Today, the membership stands at over 50 students across various faculties in NUS.
It was also for GENUS that he composed original music for the guitar orchestra. These seminal works drew from the many cultural influences in Singapore in an attempt to define a Singapore sound for the guitar. Works such as “Huan Yin – Vanakam”, scored for sitar and erhu soloists and guitar orchestra and “Gela Nexus” were created to be used for instructional and didactic purposes and continue to be performed at annual concerts.
NUS Emeritus Professor Bernard Tan Tiong Gie, then-Associate Director of the Centre for Music Activities (CMA) when GENUS was set up, has fond memories of his colleague and friend. “Alex Abisheganaden was one of Singapore’s most important and accomplished musical pioneers. He will always remain an inspiration as a person who was most generous with his time and talents, especially to all young and aspiring musicians”, he said.
Agreeing with Professor Tan, Ms Christine Khor, Director of NUS Centre for the Arts from 2005 to 2015, said “He was an extraordinary giant of a leader, pioneering the early Singapore music scene and popularising music among the young on campus and beyond. I will never forget his generous support, even into retirement, attending CFA concerts,”
An inspiring arts educator
Over its 42-year history, hundreds of students have passed through GENUS, many such as Balraj Gopal, Ow Leong San and Tan Han Siang have gone on to become full-time music educators.
Balraj Gopal, Assistant Conductor to GENUS since 1999, is the only Singaporean graduate from the acclaimed International Niibori Guitar Academy in Japan, and attributes his success to Mr Abisheganaden’s guidance.
“Maestro Alex has been pivotal in encouraging the love for music and the classical guitar through the generations. The guitar orchestra fraternity in Singapore has been thriving for the past 40 years, solely due to his pioneering work in this field here,” said Balraj.
Prof Chan Tze Law, Vice Dean of Centre for the Arts remembers Mr Abisheganaden fondly as a fellow educator and artist. “Mr Abisheganaden was a wonderful combination of both an educator and a performer. I recall an opera performance where we were both performing , albeit in different roles. He exuded warmth, collegiality and lots of humour and was loved by the cast, musicians and crew alike. I join the many who will miss this wonderful artist.”
Mr Abisheganaden’s artistry and his passion for raising new generations of musicians blazed a trail for others to follow but in the eyes of many, he has set a standard most others can only aspire to. His life and his work has left an enduring imprint and he will most certainly be missed.
“Imparting knowledge, having rapport with people is a great kind of blessing,” said Mr Abisheganaden. “It is a great thing… because I have been able to help a number of people along the way through life. And it seems to me that this has been my great commitment which I was destined to do. I had been able to touch people’s lives, help them through and see them progress.” – Alex Abisheganaden
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