Composers Society of Singapore – New Membership Structure from 2020

For the year 2020, the Composers Society of Singapore (CSS) will be introducing a new membership structure, with new requirements.

New Membership Structure from 2020

From 2020 onwards, there will be three categories of CSS membership:

1) Member (SGD60/year, 3-year package SGD150)

For professional practising composers only [see note 1 below]
Must be a Singaporean citizen or PR, or based in Singapore with a valid work permit or long-term visa [2]
Submit copy of ID, work permit, or visa
Must provide a concert bio, and your CV/resume

AND

EITHER Hold a degree/diploma in composition or related field (e.g. film composition, sound design, mixed media, improvisation, sound engineering, computer music)
Submit copy of degree/diploma
OR in the absence of any of the above-mentioned degrees or diplomas, provide proof of professional work in composition, improvisation, sound design, sound engineering or computer music
Submit proof of professional work. They can be in the form of concert booklets or other publicity material for public ticketed concerts, commercials, film samples, publications or recordings by registered companies/institutions.

2) Student Member (SGD30/year, 3-year package SGD75)

Must be a Singaporean citizen or PR, or based in Singapore with a valid student pass or study visa [2]
Submit copy of ID, student pass, or visa

AND

EITHER currently majoring in composition or related field in an official institution
Submit proof of attendance (e.g. copy of valid student ID)
OR private study with a composition teacher
Submit a referral letter – the teacher may or may not be a member of CSS, but must be recognised within the local scene as a professional practising composer
Bio, CV and resume optional

3) Associate Member (SGD30/year, 3-year package SGD75)

Includes

Professional musicians in other fields (e.g. performance, conducting, musicology, theory, music therapy, music education), or
Artists in other fields (e.g. theatre, dance, literature), or
Arts administrators, or
Students who do not major in composition or related field in an official institution. E.g. general MEP students or performers. They may convert their membership to or when they meet the requirements i.e. change to composition study/major or decide to venture into composition
Must be citizen/PR or based in Singapore with a valid work permit, student pass or long-term visa [2]
Submit copy of ID, work permit, student pass, or visa
Bio, CV and resume optional
As this category of membership is recognised as being for non-composers, associate members will be ineligible for participation in our call for scores (e.g. those by Asian Composers League (ACL) and CSS)

Membership Registration

All membership registration is to be done online via our website. The new signup page for the year 2020 will appear soon.

Please note that all membership applications are subjected to approval by the current EXCO. Membership payment will only be made upon the approval of your application.

Membership Period

The membership period will continue to be based on the calendar year, i.e. from 1 Jan to 31 Dec every year. Membership fees are not pro-rated. Thus for 2020, if you order the 1-year membership, it will run from 1 Jan 2020 to 31 Dec 2020, whereas the 3-year membership will last from 1 Jan 2020 to 31 Dec 2022.

Membership Benefits

As a CSS member (in one of the membership categories), you will be able to:

Be on the mailing list
Receive discounts on CSS events
Receive opportunities to be featured on various CSS platforms
Be eligible to participate in members-only initiatives and events
Vote at the AGM

In addition, to promote greater awareness of the composition practice, by the year 2022, CSS will also celebrate individuals who have made significant contributions to the composition/new music scene in Singapore, by conferring them “Honorary Members” of the Society. These individuals may or may not be existing CSS members. Only a maximum of one honorary member will be inducted into CSS each year.

You may have noticed the increase in membership fees. This is because we are introducing a whole new range of initiatives in the new year. Stay tuned for more!

Notes

[1] The Composers Society of Singapore (hereinafter called “CSS”) defines a “Composer” as an individual who actively create artworks in the fields of concert music, film composition, sound design, mixed media, improvisation, sound engineering, or computer music.

[2] Please refer to Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower’s website.