Marina Bay Sands Celebrates the Sands Innovative Arts Fund’s First-Year Accomplishments

In August, Marina Bay Sands celebrated the first seven Singaporean arts groups that have successfully presented impactful programs for the community through the Sands Innovative Arts Fund’s initial year – the first of a three-year partnership with the National Arts Council’s Sustain the Arts (stART) Fund.

The resort established the fund in January 2024 with a donation of more than $380,000 to support the future of emerging art forms and innovative creators. The program aims to propel their growth, expand programs to inspire communities creatively, strengthen societal bonds between generations and foster Singapore’s unique cultural identity.

Marina Bay Sands’ investment in the fund represented one of its largest donations in support of local arts and is part of the resort’s efforts to drive impact and inspire change through the global community engagement program Sands Cares, which prioritizes promoting the local culture and heritage of Sands’ regions as a key pillar.

The Sands Innovative Arts Fund awarded grants to seven Singaporean groups in the first year with two new grantees announced for the second year. First-year grantees spanned a wide spectrum of art forms, including:

Brahmastra: This multi-ethnic youth ensemble used its grant funding to present “River of Life: An Intercultural Odyssey” in September 2024. Featuring a blend of Indian classical and folk music with Western classical compositions, the showcase depicted the timeless beauty of the world’s most iconic rivers brought to life through music and imagery.

Chinese Opera Studio: The Teochew opera troupe focuses on promoting Singapore’s traditional culture and value through cross-training for local Teochew musicians. While opera music is usually pre-recorded in China due to lower costs and higher standards, funding from the Sands Innovative Arts Fund supported a year-long cross-training program for local Singapore Teochew musicians to present Teochew opera music in a digitized format, which will culminate in a live show titled “Four Indictments” on November 29.

inwardBOUND: The Singapore-based drama education company empowers youth through applied theater and creative expression. Through grant funding, the company expanded its community theater arm re:ACT with a presentation of the re:ACT Festival: Intergenerational Issues on July 21. The performance demonstrated community connection between youths and seniors, and inwardBOUND will receive a second grant from the Sands Innovative Arts Fund to expand its impact through theater and digital media and continue its focus on preserving the voices of older Singaporeans and contributing to the nation’s collective cultural memory.

Orchestra of the Music Makers: In August, this symphony orchestra for young people organized a workshop for underprivileged students to introduce them to different orchestral instruments, and the workshop featured a new work by Singaporean composer Gu Wei. In December, young musicians from across Singapore will join a seven-day orchestra camp at the School of the Arts, and the camp will culminate with a concert on December 13.

Pasat Merdu: The nonprofit orchestral ensemble focuses on fostering intercultural understanding and uncovering the essence of “the Singaporean sound” through education, commissions, presentations and promotion of new works. With grant funding, the ensemble successfully premiered the works of aspiring Singaporean composers at Stamford Arts Center on July 26.

These composers are part of the organization’s New Sights Fellowship Programme, an initiative to help them pursue their artistic visions while contributing meaningfully to Singapore’s growing canon of music works. Pasat Merdu also will receive a second grant from the Sands Innovative Arts Fund to extend artist reach across the region.

Polarity: This dance company pushes the boundaries of street dance through conversation, collaboration and platforms. With the grant, it hosted the “What’s Your Flavour” performance on June 29.

Reverberance: The award-winning Chinese wind-percussion ensemble presented “Journey to Singapura,” which took audiences on a journey through Singapore’s history at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre in April 2025. The group held a second performance in October due to popular demand.

New grantees for year two are:

Lirica Arts: This group actively collaborates with under-represented populations to create an authentic and immersive experience that blends digital technology with traditional theater, making Western vocal classic music accessible to all.

The Singapore Indian Orchestra and Choir: This group is planning to develop a digital documentary to commemorate its 40th anniversary of promoting rich Indian musical forms infused with Singapore’s multicultural identity in conjunction with SG60, which marks Singapore’s 60th year of independence.

“We are proud of what these local arts groups have achieved and will continue to do, as we support the continued evolution of Singapore’s thriving arts scene through initiatives like the Sands Innovative Arts Fund,” Paul Town, chief operating officer of Marina Bay Sands, said. “As Singapore celebrated its diamond jubilee in 2025, we too will continue to invest in a shared future to foster a culturally rich and diverse Singapore identity for future generations to be proud of.”

The Sands Innovative Arts Fund is part of Marina Bay Sands’ multi-faceted commitment to supporting the arts, which includes the onsite ArtScience Museum and Art Path, an amalgamation of creativity, innovations and craftsmanship featuring 11 large-scale art installations that were created by eight globally renowned artists and marked a trail throughout the integrated resort.

Opened in 2011, the renowned ArtScience Museum is a major cultural institution that explores the intersection between art, science, technology and culture. Large-scale exhibitions have featured renowned artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, M.C. Escher, Salvador Dalí, Andy Warhol, Vincent Van Gogh, Olafur Eliasson, Anish Kapoor and Mariko Mori.

Supporting the culture and heritage of its regions is one of Sands’ core priorities under Sands Cares and the Communities pillar of its corporate responsibility platform. To learn more about local arts initiatives in Sands’ regions around the world, read the company’s environmental, social and governance report: https://www.sands.com/resources/reports/.