The British Council is proud to be the Principal Partner of the inaugural True Colours Festival.
With British Council support, Drake Music Scotland’s five-strong Digital Orchestra performed at the True Colours Festival concert to an audience of over 10,000 people, introducing their unique brand of music-making to an Asian audience.
The festival was presented by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) and Japan-based philanthropic organisation The Nippon Foundation.
The concert, part of the wider festival, was the first live performance in the Asian region to feature outstanding disabled talent from the Asia Pacific. Drake Music was the only European representative out of 20 disabled performers and groups. Singaporeans also had the opportunity to learn about Drake’s work at the Arts & Disability International Conference.
The Conference aimed to provide insights on innovative ways to increase arts accessibility and facilitate the sharing of best practices. Featuring a stellar line-up of international and local guest speakers and arts groups from Australia, Cambodia, Canada, Japan, Singapore and UK, the conference welcomed over 400 conference participants from overseas and Singapore, comprising social service professionals, disabled and able-bodied artistes and policy makers.
Pete Sparkes, Artistic Director, spoke on the panel and breakout sessions on Day 1 and conducted a practical Soundbeam workshop on Day 2, demonstrating how music can be made accessible to everyone. Pete and the performers also appeared on local TV and radio. About 145,000 listeners on radio and several hundred thousand more on TV now understand what disabled musicians can achieve.
To cap a fruitful visit to Singapore, the visiting musicians joined Mdm Halimah Yacob at her Istana residence to celebrate the transformative power of arts.
Arts & Disability International Conference (22 and 23 March 2018)
Sands Expo and Convention Centre and Enabling Village
Straits Times Article
Singapore's first festival for artistes with disabilities
Insight Recent
True Colours Festival celebrates the most exceptional talents