Alvin Arumugam is the Music Director of the Musicians’ Initiative (Singapore). His international engagements have resulted in notable appointments in the last 3 years including Music Director of the South Asian Symphony Orchestra (South Asia) and Nimrod Orchestra (London). From 2001 to 2021 he also served as resident conductor at several award winning wind orchestras in Singapore.

 

Beginning his musical journey at the age of twelve as a percussionist in the Yu Hua Secondary School Concert Band, Alvin Arumugam joined the Singapore Wind Symphony two years later. His association with this ensemble then gave him the opportunity to perform at events such as the ASEAN Pacific and Directors Association conference in the Sydney Opera House. Under the tutelage of Mr. Jin Ta, the Principal Flute of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, obtained a Diploma from the Associate Board of the Royal Schools of Music in flute performance. Among other professional engagements, Alvin served in the SIngapore Armed Forces Central band as its concert-master from 2001 to 2005.

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In Singapore, Alvin led the foremost of award winning bands and orchestras. The ensembles have constantly performed well in the biennial Singapore Youth Festival Central Judging for Concert Bands in the past decade. Internationally, his musical direction has also steered the Anderson Junior College Symphonic Band to attain the 2nd prize in the open division of the 2nd Australian Yamaha National Band Competition in 2008. 2014 has also seen the Anglo-Chinese Junior College Band being awarded with the overall Champion in the 1st and Open Division of the Singapore International Band Festival respectively under his baton.

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In 2016, he was one of two conductors selected to represent Singapore in the World Music Contest Conducting Masterclass and Competition to be held in 2017. As of 2017, he was appointed the Music Director of the Musicians’ Initiative which has developed into one of the leading orchestras with innovative and bold programming that continues to challenge the conventional music-loving public. In 2019, Alvin was appointed as the Music Director of the South Asian Symphony Orchestra (SASO) by the former foreign secretary of India, Ambassador Nirupama Rao. In 2022, Alvin assumed directorship of the Nimrod Orchestra that is composed of the top musicians located in Greater London.

 

As an opera conductor, Alvin made his debut as assistant conductor to Darrell Ang with Manila Symphony Orchestra in it’s 2015 production of La Cenerentola. In 2018 and 2019 he conducted the Musicians’ Initiative in its collaboration with The Opera People in staging Il Re Pastore and Der Zwerg respectively. Alvin has collaborated with outstanding artists such as Kanon Matsuda (Deutsche Grammophon) and Neil Varon (Eastman School of Music).

 

Alvin is a graduate of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (NUS) with a degree in Masters of Music (Conducting). He is currently pursuing a Masters’ degree in Performance (Orchestral Conducting) at the Royal College of Music, London which has consistently ranked as the top conservatoire globally.