#Onthisday on 11 July 1982 in Victoria Concert Hall, the late Ahmad Ja’afar picked up the baton for the last time as conductor of the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation Orchestra, calling an end to a long and illustrious career as performer, composer and conductor. In 1946, the son of silent-movie operators left his home in Indonesia for Singapore to find work at the newly established Radio Malaya—a dream he realised only about a decade later. From being a musician with different bands around the island, Ahmad became also a composer and conductor at Radio Malaya, where he would write the beloved evergreen classics Ibu and Selamat Hari Raya, establishing his reputation as the Father of Modern Malay Pop. Here he is belting out a number at a Talentime Christmas show! Find out more about Ahmad Ja’afar’s life and other Singapore arts pioneers at TributeSG. esplanade.com/tributesg #esplanade #singapore #tributesg #sgpioneer #artspioneer #mydurian #ahmadjaafar