The International College of Music (ICOM), established in 1995, is registered with the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education and its full-time programs are accredited by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA).
Officially opened by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, ICOM’s opening witnessed its induction to the Berklee International Network (now rebranded as Berklee Global Partners), together with its offering of Malaysia’s first “3+0” UK degree in professional music.
ICOM is a recipient of the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System, and holds the much vied for Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) status for music technology education.
From 2005 to current, ICOM initiated numerous nation-building and corporate social responsibility projects and has contributed over RM10 million towards The ICOM Patriotic Songwriting Competition (2001), The ICOM Asian Tsunami Relief Concert (2005), GEGAR-U, and a range of music teacher training and music industry training and development programs.
ICOM’s vision is to be THE music education hub in Asia.
The College strives to offer innovative programs that produce employable graduates in an environment that fosters diversity and honors compliance to legal authorities.
ICOM’s leadership is comprised of the Founder President, Executive Officers and the Board of Governors.
Tan Sri Dato’ Seri A. P. Arumugam is an engineer by education and is a highly revered industrialist who owns and leads his business interests in manufacturing, oil and gas, telecommunications, ski resort, financial services, mineral water, agriculture, travel and tours, and education. He takes an active interest in public service and is the President of St. John’s Ambulance (Wilayah). He is a Hon. Fellow of St. Catherine’s College and a Member of the Chancellor’s Court at the University of Oxford (UK). He is also the member of the governing council of Imperial College, UK and Universiti Multimedia, Malaysia.
The Board of Governors preside over a community of stakeholders, ensuring that good order is being maintained in the interests of all stakeholders. The Board of Governors is responsible for defining the role and mission of the College and, thereby, setting the strategic directions for the college.
Dato’ Kamarudin Bin Abu has been a Malaysian diplomat for many years. His last posting prior to retirement was as the Malaysian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. He was one of the original members of the committee to staff the members of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. He is currently a Director with ING Insurance Berhad, People in Motion and Mahkota Technologies.
General Tan Sri Dato' Seri Panglima Mohamed Azumi Bin Mohamed (Rtd) has more than 40 years' experience in the armed forces and security operations. He is a recipient of the UN medal for Peacekeeping and the French Award Officer Ordre National du Mérite by President Chirac. He has great contribution to the UN Mission in Iraq/Kuwait following the First Gulf War and the deployment of Malaysian Peacekeepers to Somalia, Kuwait, Iraq, Bosnia Herzegovina and Cambodia.
Dato’ Sri Haji Abd Rahim has more than 30 years' experience in the government departments. He was Deputy Secretary General of Treasury, Ministry of Finance before his retirement. He held various posts in government departments, namely Federal Treasury, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Prime Minister’s Department, National Registration Department, Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia and the State Financial Officer of Perlis and Pahang respectively before being appointed as the State Secretary of Pahang in 2001. Dato' Sri is also the chairman/directors of several other private companies.
Irene Savaree is a musician and educationist who was instrumental in the establishment of ICOM in 1993 and continues her leadership role in governance, curriculum development, strategic enrolment management and institutional research and assessment. She enjoyed an illustrious career as an EMI vocal recording artiste with the group Cenderawasih from 1984-86 and was a music entrepreneur prior to joining ICOM. Ms Savaree has an MSc in Higher Education (Drexel University, USA) and a Bachelor of Music in Commercial Arranging (Berklee College of Music, USA).
Sharmilaa Tan is an MBA graduate majoring in International Business from Universiti Putra Malaysia and heads the operations of the college. She brings with her vast experience in the areas of business development, finance, accounting and management which spans over 17 years. She started her career with a Japanese MNC and held Group General Manager post with the commercial arm of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM Holdings Sdn. Bhd for a decade prior to her tenure with ICOM.
The faculty team is made up of highly experienced professionals and qualified educators who combine the passion for teaching with a broad range of industry experience in music performance, arranging, music production and music business. The faculty members bring with them a wealth of knowledge, experience and industry networking into the ICOM classrooms and they play a significant role in mentoring and shaping students’ development and growth.
Boasting an investment of over RM45 million in facilities, ICOM is one of the best-equipped music colleges in Asia. Every square foot space across the 6 floors of the campus building is dedicated to meet the highest standards for teaching and learning.
