my Story

Niranjan Pandian is a Singaporean Indian bamboo flautist, award-winning composer-performer, music director and artistic director of Brahmastra Arts House. His work spans performance, composition and collaborative productions across Singapore and the wider Southeast Asian region, working across musical traditions, art forms and performance platforms. Growing up at the crossroads of traditions in Singapore, he develops ensembles, productions and artistic platforms that connect music, culture, language and community.

His training began at the age of 10 under the tutelage of Cultural Medallion recipient Dr Ghanavenothan Retnam at the Nrityalaya Aesthetics Society, where he was immersed in Indian classical and folk music traditions. He later pursued formal music studies at LASALLE College of the Arts as a recipient of the National Arts Council Arts Scholarship, graduating with a BA (Hons) in Music in 2022. His studies continued through advanced mentorship with Vidwan Amith Nadig and Pandit Deepak Ram, deepening his engagement with both Karnatic and Hindustani classical traditions. He was a resident artist at the Indian Performing Arts Convention Music Residency Programme (2023) and the National Arts Council Traditional Arts Residency Programme (2024), which further shaped his direction as a performer, composer and artistic director.

As a performing artist, Niranjan explores the many possibilities of the Indian bamboo flute across diverse musical contexts and performance platforms. His work traverses Bharatanatyam accompaniment, Indian classical concerts, orchestral performances, intercultural collaborations and contemporary crossover productions, and includes several new works and world premieres. Over the past five years, he has been involved in more than 850 engagements as a performer and recording artist. His sound has resonated across Singapore, Southeast Asia and international festivals including the Shanghai Spring International Music Festival (2017), Guangxi Arts Festival (2017, 2023), the International Symposium on Music Culture of the Maritime Silk Road at the Xinghai Conservatory of Music (2024) and World Expo Osaka (2025). Alongside orchestral performances with groups such as the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Ding Yi Ensemble and Malaysia Traditional Orchestra, he continues to collaborate with intercultural and multicultural collectives including C ASEAN Consonant, Open Score Project and Nanyang Collective, as well as world ethnic fusion groups such as Flame of the Forest, Skunk Jive and TYOY Ensemble.

As a composer-performer, Niranjan approaches composition from the perspective of a performer, allowing him to work closely with musicians in both recording and performance settings. His work often brings together Indian classical, folk and Western-trained musicians, creating music that moves between different musical traditions and ensemble settings. With over 60 original compositions and more than 550 recorded tracks, his work has been widely performed and recorded across various ensembles and collaborative projects. He directs music for ensembles including Brahmastra, The Vamshika Quintet, The NP Collective, Brahmastra Multi-Ethnic Ensemble and the Singhanagara Contemporary Orchestra. His work also extends into theatre, film and large-scale productions including the Indian segment of Chingay Parade (2023–2025), Muchanthi by Agam Theatre presented at the Singa Festival in Chennai (2025), and Ainthinai: A Timeless Bond, a film musical (2023 and 2025).

Beyond performing and composing, Niranjan’s work as the Artistic Director and co-founder of Brahmastra Arts House revolves around bringing artists, communities and traditions together through collaborative and multidisciplinary productions. Many of these projects focus on bringing together young artists and practitioners from different disciplines and genres to collaborate, exchange artistic ideas and develop new initiatives from the ground up. Working with organisations such as the National Heritage Board, National Arts Council, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, National Youth Council, Tamil Language Council and Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, he has developed productions and platforms including 7 Wonders of Punggol (2019), Kuralum Kuralum (2020–2023), 7 Wonders of Tamizh (2022), My Identity Series (2023–2024), Ainthinai – A Timeless Bond (2023–2025), In Sanga Senses as part of the Tamil Language Festival (2024), River of Life – An Intercultural Odyssey (2024), Kannama – Beyond the Lines and Rhymes (2024), The Last Blue Forest (2025) and the Venu Nadam Series (2022–2026), continuing his work in building collaborative platforms and community-centred arts projects.

Through his work with artists, communities and collaborative platforms, Niranjan is also actively involved in education, mentorship and youth empowerment. He conducts guest lectures and workshops on Indian music and the Indian bamboo flute at institutions including LASALLE College of the Arts, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, School of the Arts, the Ministry of Education, Capitol College of the Arts and Technology, United World College and Pesat Merdu by Straits Collective. He also speaks on youth empowerment and artistic identity at platforms such as the National Library Board’s What Is Your Passion series (2022), the Ministry of Education’s Human Library for Curriculum Development (2026), the Singapore–China Youth Story Session in Chongqing (2025) and TEDx GIIS (2024). His work has been featured on Vasantham (meWATCH), Channel U and Mediacorp platforms, and has been included in press publications, educational materials and school textbooks. His contributions to the arts and cultural sector have been recognised through several awards, including the Mandolin U. Shrinivas International Award (2022), the SG60 Dynamic Tamil Youth Award (2025) for his work as an arts and cultural changemaker, and the inaugural Outstanding Youth in Intangible Cultural Heritage Award by the National Heritage Board (2026).

Niranjan continues to grow as an artist through mentorship, collaboration and performance, while building platforms that make the arts accessible, collaborative and meaningful for people and communities across Singapore and the region.