The Society

The Society began humbly in 1949 with only 12 members.

​Today, it has an Executive Director, 35 highly qualified full-time and part-time tutors, over 1800 members and students
​​with a pan-Indian curriculum of 18 disciplines.

SIFAS aims to parallel Singapore in achieving its goal of moving towards a multi-cultural platform from a quintessentially Indian one, without losing its spirit and flavour.

From the beginning

In the early years, the Society’s efforts were principally directed towards the organisation of concerts in music and dance by local and visiting performers. In the 1950s, efforts were channelled towards the creation of an Academy to provide tuition in Indian fine arts, specifically Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam.

​The Academy was formally established in 1959.
​To a large extent, the growth of SIFAS has paralleled the growth of Singapore. From its tough, early years, it continued to undergo an expansive period through the 80s and early 90s when it received much government support. With that support, SIFAS has been able to consolidate its position and play a vital role in the transformation of Singapore into a global city for the arts.

Where We Are Today

SIFAS is now a non-profit Indian cultural organisation that has achieved a high level of artistic and technical excellence in the Indian fine arts.

Students can choose to graduate in their 5th year with a Certificate or in their 8th year with a Diploma from SIFAS Academy. Graduates educated and trained at SIFAS go on to provide principal support to arts and culture in Singapore and the region. As such, the contribution of the Society to the Indian fine arts in Singapore has been extensive.

In addition, through promoting and producing regular programmes on Indian music, dance and visual arts at its in-house auditorium, The SIFAS Stage, Dhwani Black Box, SIFAS Annexe and external venues, SIFAS has created an awareness and understanding of the Indian cultural heritage in the arts community, which is particularly valuable in multi ethnic Singapore.

SIFAS will continue to resonate with the transformation of Singapore into a global city for arts.