ismahairie
Ismahairie's music journey is all about discovering, experimenting, and making music fun. As part of his heritage, his musical inspiration stems largely from traditional Malay music, a place extremely close to his heart.
Ismahairie was first introduced to the world of music at the tender age of nine when he picked up Classical violin. He joined the Singapore Malay Orchestra (Orkestra Melayu Singapura, OMS) as its youngest musician in 1995 and is still a currently, an active member of the orchestra. Graduating from Lasalle College of the Arts with a Diploma in Music (Classiscal Violin Performance), Ismahairie is well versed in both Classical Music and Traditional Malay Music. It was also in Lasalle where Ismahairie’s fascination for World Music grew further, after being exposed to traditional Malay drums and the Gambus (Oud). This is especially so in the realm of Middle Eastern and Turkish music. With passion and keenness for further musical growth, Ismahairie later sought out Singapore’s Cultural Ambassador Zubir Abdullah for Oud lessons. He also travelled to Istanbul, Turkey to attend Oud Masterclasses conducted by the Turkey Oud virtuoso, Yurdal Tokcan.
Till date, Ismahairie has represented Singapore in many music platforms overseas such as the ASEAN Youth Camp (2008) in Jogjakarta, Indonesia, and International Dance/Music Festivals in Japan, South Korea, United State, France, Turkey, Indonesia, Netherlands, Italy, China, Greece, Thailand, Myanmmar, Cambodia, and Malaysia.
