The young Singaporean conductor Chiya Amos has published an article in the local newspaper, New Straits Times, presenting himself as a food-deliverer for Foodpanda for two months since returning to Singapore. For several years, he worked as a conductor based in Russia, notably as permanent guest conductor of the Mariinsky Theatre North Ossetia-Alania Branch, and a Riccardo Muti conducting fellow at the Spring Festival in Tokyo – Tokyo Opera Nomori.
« With the second wave of Covid-19 hitting many parts of the world late last year and having used up my savings, as well as feeling homesick, I decided to look for suitable jobs back home in Singapore.
I returned in December, and despite applying for more than 40 jobs, including sales, management, and academic positions, I received rejections from every single one of them. As I have been overseas for many years, I was also ineligible for any government relief schemes in Singapore. Facing financial instability, I found myself feeling depressed and anxious. I was constantly feeling frustrated and dejected.
Wanting to do something more useful, I applied to deliver food for Foodpanda, and have been doing so since January », Amos says.
