Kris Foundation

Kris Foundation is a non-profit initiative set up in 2009 by Singaporean philanthropist Kris Tan. The Foundation is dedicated to empowering young classical musicians in Singapore and the region. Over the past 12 years, the Foundation has expanded to supporting the wider arts community. Through its signature recital series, Kris Foundation has established a professional concert platform in Singapore, presenting over 30 concerts with more than 58 top classical musicians from Southeast Asia. With a desire to develop a uniquely Singaporean sound and encourage new music, the Foundation has commissioned and presented works by Singaporean composers. The Foundation supports organisations with a strong ethos and innovative initiatives with a transformative impact. These include the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Singapore International Violin Competition, Asian Civilisations Museum, National Gallery Singapore, KKheART, Metropolitan Festival Orchestra, Ding Yi Music Company, More Than Music concert series and New Opera Singapore. The Foundation has previously awarded scholarships to music students at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) and sponsored the annual NAFA— Kris Foundation Fund Concerto Competition from 2017 to 2020. In 2020, the Foundation established the Kris Foundation Viola Masterclass Fund at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore. In 2021, Kris Foundation supported ACMtalks - a monthly webinar series by the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore, that brings leading scholars in conversation with the ACM’s curators. Our additional philanthropic initiatives include sponsoring tertiary students with special needs, specialising in the performing arts. In recognition of the Foundation’s contributions towards the development of the arts in Singapore, the Foundation has received the National Arts Council’s Patron of the Arts Award annually since 2012, including the Distinguished Patron of the Arts Award from 2019 to 2022.