SINGAPORE : An eight-month-long European arts and cultural festival kicks off in Singapore on Tuesday.

"Encore! The European Season" aims to broaden Singaporeans' awareness of the European Union beyond the trade and political arenas.

The European Film Festival starts on Tuesday and marks the official opening of the Encore! festival.

Pierre Buhler, French Ambassador to Singapore, said, "The European Union is not well known in Singapore, individual countries are, but the European Union is not. So it was a rationale for re-addressing that and we thought there was no better vehicle for doing that than the culture, the arts."

One example is an interactive exhibition about Austrian composer Mozart now on at the National Museum of Singapore. It is among 60 to 70 events that will be held until the end of the year under the Encore!.

The European Season is being driven by the French Embassy in Singapore, as France takes over the six-month rotating Presidency of the EU on July 1 this year.

The cultures of the EU member states are as diverse as their national dishes, but they do share some common ground. And the Festival hopes to build on this to introduce Singaporeans to that European flavour.

A sculpture will also be unveiled at the Botanic Gardens in October to commemorate the life and works of Polish composer Frederic Chopin, who had strong links with France.

Boguslaw Marcin Majewski, Polish Ambassador to Singapore, said: "The best performers at competition shows of Chopin's music come from Korea, Japan and China, and I think Singapore could be very much in line with these cultures because of the love of culture and of music."

The season's programme includes a range of free and ticketed performances, both in the city centre and in the heartlands such as Bedok and Woodlands. - CNA/ms