Home-Grown Music Conductor Adrian Tan Dies at 44 Years Old

The scary thing about cardiac arrest is that it can happen to anyone, even the fittest of individuals.

While 80% of cases are due to existing coronary artery disease, sudden cardiac arrest can happen in people without heart disease.

We witnessed this during the 2020 European Football Championships a few weeks ago when Danish footballer Christian Eriksen suddenly collapsed on the pitch just after receiving the ball.

The 29-year-old survived, but not everyone who suffers from sudden heart failure will.

Home-Grown Music Conductor Adrian Tan Dies at 44 Years Old

Adrian Tan, a home-grown music conductor, died on Monday (12 July) at the age of 44.

He passed away in his sleep due to cardiac arrest, leaving behind his mother, whom he lived with.

Earlier this year, Tan co-founded the Conductors Collegium Asia, which aimed to provide professional training to aspiring ensemble conductors in the country and Asia.

The first training session for the conductors was supposed to start on Monday at 7.30pm over Zoom. But Tan never showed up, as it was the night he passed away.

“I thought he had fallen asleep and I wanted to scold him for making everyone wait for him,” said his friend and co-founder Adrian Chiang, who had known Tan for more than 20 years.

“He was always full of energy and a very enjoyable person to talk to. He always seemed very healthy, so I was wondering what happened.”

Served as a Naval Officer Before Pursuing Career in Music

Tan studied at the National University of Singapore, graduating with an honours in theatre studies in 2000.

He then served in the Republic of Singapore Navy as a naval officer for a decade before deciding to pursue a career in music.

After being awarded an overseas scholarship by the National Arts Council to pursue his postgraduate degree, Tan completed a master’s in music studies (conducting) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

There, he was trained by Hungarian conductor Imre Pallo.

Since 2012, he had been serving as music director of the Singapore Wind Symphony and the Braddell Heights Symphony Symphony Orchestra in Singapore.

He also served as music director in several overseas orchestras, including the Saigon Philharmonic Orchestra in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, from 2014 to 2019.

Supported Local Composers

As Mr Chaing told local media, Tan was known for supporting local musicians and their compositions.

“He always said this: ‘If we don’t play local composers’ works, who will?’ It was his belief that it was the way to help the Singapore music scene – by creating a better ecosystem,” Mr Chiang said.

According to Mr Terence Ho, a former Nominated Member of Parliament, Tan would always listen to his parliamentary speeches and contact him to talk about what more can be done for the arts community.

With his passion and skill for his craft, as well as the way he championed local composers, Tan will be a big loss to the arts community.

As for the Conductors Collegium Asia, Mr Chiang said he hopes to continue the project.

“We will still push on with the project. If he knew, he would want us to push on as well.”

Featured Image: Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay