baroque violoncello

Leslie Tan, a founding member of the T'ang Quartet, has performed to critical acclaim in major venues and festivals worldwide. These include the Tanglewood and Aspen Festivals in the USA; the Melbourne and Port Fairy Festivals in Australia; the New Zealand Festival; the Hong Kong Arts Festival; and the Prague-Vienna-Budapest Sommerakademie and the Edinburgh Festival in Europe

A graduate of the Trinity College of Music in London, Leslie Tan went on to the Tchaikovsky-Moscow State Conservatory as a graduate-assistant of Natalia Shahkovskaya. In the USA, he was a pupil of Paul Katz and Norman Fischer.

In a career that has spanned 35 years, ranging from orchestral to chamber and solo concerts; from contemporary and cross-disciplinary works to historically informed performances, Leslie is sought after both as a pedagogue and concert artiste.

Leslie is very active in outreach activities, and musical education in countries in the ASEAN region, teaching in different festivals and projects in Thailand and Myanmar. In Indonesia he works quite frequently with students from Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta, and Surabaya.

Leslie Tan was on the faculty of the Boston University Tanglewood Institute from 2000 - 2004; and in 2003, was appointed to the faculty of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music.

baroque violoncello

Cellist Tzu-Jou Yeh (Zoi) is a native of Taiwan. Her extensive performance and education experience encompass all areas of solo, chamber and orchestral music. Yeh holds a Doctorate in Musical Arts in Cello Performance and Master's from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University where she studied under the tutelage of Amit Peled. She is also passionate about period instruments and studied Baroque cello with John Moran during her time at Peabody.

Yeh is an enthusiastic educator. She has taught at the Peabody Preparatory Young People’s String Program, and also served as Cello Faculty for the minor lesson program at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University for two years before moving to Singapore. In 2019, Yeh was selected as an InterPlay Resident Artist at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County where she spent a year working with undergraduate music majors and coaching chamber music.

Her career as a performer has taken her across the Northeast and Midwest regions of the United States, Central America, and through East Asia.

baroque double bass

Currently an active musician in Singapore’s classical music scene, Singaporean JULIAN LI brings with him a wealth of professional orchestra experiences, having served as Associate Principal of the Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra (2017-2020) and Principal Bass of the Guiyang Symphony Orchestra (2015-2017).

Outside of his orchestral career, Julian is an established bass soloist, having won First Prizes in The Singapore International Double Bass Music Festival Competition (2019), Classical Music Competition Charleston (2020), Winter International Music Competition (2020). Most recently, he was the Gold Prize Winner of the World Classical Music Award (2022) and 2nd Prize (Professional category) winner of the London Music Competition (2022).

A winner of the Tan Kah Kee Postgraduate Scholarship (2013) and the Goh Soon Tioe Centenary Award (2013), Julian graduated with Masters in Distinction (2015) from Universität für Musik und Darstellende Graz (KUG) under the tutelage of Ernst Weissensteiner.

In his years of studies in Graz , Julian has featured as Soloist for Rotary Club, and performed extensively as a member of the KUG's Bass Quartet, culminating in live performances at the Graz Radio station.

Julian is a founding member of Bass Around Asia (BAA) , established in 2019, with the aim to promote double bass chamber music in Asia.

Since his return to Singapore in 2020, Julian has actively made his mark in the Singapore classi-cal music scene . Currently a freelance Bassist with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Julian is the Principal Bassist for numerous classical ensembles in Singapore, including the Metropolitan Festival Orchestra, Red Dot Baroque, Wayfarer Sinfonietta, Resound Collective, Singapore Lyric Opera Orchestra, The Opera People, New Opera Singapore, and the Philharmonic Orchestra. He is also the Mentor Bassist for Orchestra of Music Makers. 

A keen advocate of quality bass education in Singapore, Julian has organised bass masterclasses as well as workshops for the Singapore National Youth Orchestra and Bass Ensemble Workshop for the Kids’ Philharmonic.

Apart from providing bass coaching in schools, Julian maintains a private teaching schedule on 3 instruments: the double bass, piano and cello.

Julian plays on a Rudolf Götz, 1929

baroque double bass

Currently an undergraduate at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, Edmund Song is studying, with a full scholarship, under Guennadi Mouzyka. Edmund freelances regularly with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO), re:Sound Collective and Metropolitan Festival Orchestra, where he got the opportunity to share the stage with world-class soloists and conductors locally and from aboard. Edmund loves to perform in various genres of music and was fortunate to be paired with the highly versatile Double Bass after learning the cello and piano. It is through this versatility that he was able to expand his musical portfolio into the Wind Symphony, Chinese Orchestra and Jazz literature as well. Edmund had also collaborated with several choirs in Singapore exploring early musical works to modern contemporary pieces.

Within the conservatory, Edmund participates actively in chamber playing with many instrumental combinations as well as the Double Bass Ensemble. He is expanding his musical perspectives through leadership with the Conservatory Orchestra’s Double Bass Section in addition to understanding New Music and extended techniques through OpusNovus (Conservatory’s New Music Ensemble). Edmund was also part of the Conservatory’s Baroque Ensemble, for two consecutive years, lead by Masaaki Suzuki presenting Historically Informed Performances.

Not restricting his music expression to double bass, Edmund has conducted ensembles and performed as a cellist, percussionist and piano accompanist on many occasions. He was also fortunate to have his arrangements and compositions be performed by the Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO), National University of Singapore Chinese Orchestra (NUSCO), Amalgamate^5 and Asian Cultural Symphony Orchestra.

Edmund is also an active curator of concerts in Singapore where he organised formal performances and outreach activities of different levels and genres. In 2018, Edmund curated several big-scaled performances and projects with the National Arts Council, Esplanade, Asian Cultural Symphony Orchestra and even cultural performances with Sing! China Finalist Olinda Cho. Edmund have also collaborated with Esplanade to organise projects for their HuaYi Festival, Moonfest and Beautiful Sunday Series.

baroque bassoon

Born in Singapore, Tian Aw Yong was the first graduate of the YongSiew Toh Conservatory of Music, attaining first class honours. He studied at the Conservatory with Zhang Jin Min (Principal Bassoon ofthe Singapore Symphony Orchestra) for three years before heading off to the Berne University of the Arts for Konzertdiplom studies with Lyndon Watts (Principal Bassoon of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra). Thereafter he went on to complete two postgraduate programs on the bassoon and the historical bassoons at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München with Eberhard Marshall and Lyndon Watts. He also studied the contrabassoon with Gernot Friedrich (Principal Contrabassoon of the Bavarian State Orchestra) and Vincent Godel (Principal Bassoon of the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana). He was a recipient of the National Arts Council Arts Overseas Bursary (Singapore), the “Gebrüder Mönnig – Oscar Adler & Co.” & “Frank & Meyer Holzblasinstrumente Berlin” Scholarship for the bassoon master class with Professor Klaus Thunemann and was supported generously by other various German foundations such as the “Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now”.

As a soloist, Tian gave his debut solo performance at the age of 18 with the Singapore National Youth Orchestra and has held solo recitals in Europe and Asia. He has also collaborated with different professional ensembles such as the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Orchestra, Niederbayerische Philharmonie, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Bieler Sinfonie Orchester, Vienna Academy, Georgisches Kammerorchester Ingolstadt, Singapore Festival Orchestra, Singapore Lyric Opera, Berner Kammerorchester, Kammeroper München, La Banda, Ensemble Risonanze Erranti. In addition, he often performs chamber music with his group, the Munich Wind Quintet, which has won 5th Prize at the 7th “Henri Tomasi” International Woodwind Quintet Competition (www.muenchner-holzblaeserquintett.de). Tian has had the privilege of having masterclasses and workshops with Klaus Thunemann, Eberhard Marshall, Bernard Garfield, John Cran, Alberto Grazzi, Sergio Azzolini, Lyndon Watts, Barry Tuckwell, Maurice Bourgue, Henrik Rabien, Robin O’ Neill, Benkocs Tamas, Daniel Hrinda, Catherine Maguire, Frank Forst, Stephan von Hoff, Gabor Meszaros and Afonso Venturieri. He has collaborated with renowned personalities such as Charles Dutoit, Yan Pascal Tortelier, Lan Shui, Martha Argerich, Yefim Bronfman, Ulf Schirmer, Renaud Capuçon, Gautier Capuçon, Teri Murai, Robert Carsteels, Thomas Rösner, Facundo Agudin, Qian Zhou, Alexandre Dubach, Barbara Doll, Nikolaj Znaider, Kirill Gerstein, just to name a few.

Tian believes that talent needs to be complemented by hard work, and that nothing great can be achieved without effort. In pursuing a musical career, he desires not only self-actualisation, but also to share his love for music with the communities that he finds himself placed in.

theorbo

Christopher Johann Clarke Shirui is a Singaporean fretted instrument performer currently pursuing a Masters in Music Composition at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore [2017-2019]. He graduated with First-Class Honours for his Bachelor of Arts (Music) and was awarded an Honourable Mention for the Phillip Holt Prize from the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts [2017] after studying the mandolin, classical and electric guitar under the tutelage of Paul Mitchell-Davidson, Jim Faulkner, and Steve Berry.

As a composer, Christopher’s undergraduate research was in the understanding of how different notation-types influence our behavioural field, and how this can apply to compositional gestalt, relating to how the musician perceives notation from both a sonic and visual viewpoint. Finding a happy medium in software, hardware, composed music, and performance – His work spans from indeterminacy and agent-based compositional algorithms to building and designing analog hardware synthesisers from recycled materials – a combination of cross-genre multidisciplinary devices that runs the gamut of musical experimentation. Hyphenating to other mediums of musical expression, Christopher often embodies concepts of acoustics and psycho-acoustics in his composition through computer music devices such as MaxMSP, and various other clients for synthesisers such as SuperCollider. He is interested in pursuing further research/education in acoustics. Christopher is currently working on realtime Audio DSP interfaces with machine learning environments, and is investigating the usage of metacognitive data derived from such experiments to challenge issues relating to the human perception of audio.

Aside from Composition, Christopher has also performed both as a band member and session musician in numerous musical acts, notably : "Sonic Escapade" — a collective of musicians lead by Dr Michael Spicer. Specialising in Contemporary Improvisatory Music, Sonic Escapade gave Christopher the chance to conduct workshops, along with Dr Spicer, in Improvisatory Music at Keele University (UK) in 2011 and numerous workshops in collaboration with NLB throughout 2014 and 2015.

Having worked as a recording and mixing professional for over 10 years (as well as learning it at a university level), audio engineering and studio/live-sound acoustics are second nature to Christopher. In 2015, he played a major role in developing and producing the music of local band, "Flame of the Forest", and helped them release an EP (Flame of the Forest), along with an album launch on Orchard Road. During his time with Flame of the Forest, Christopher also performed for Presidents S.R. Nathan, Tony Tan, and many other members of parliament.

Having a deep interest for early music since he was young, Christopher can also be occasionally sighted playing the theorbo with early music groups around Singapore – a form of professional enjoyment that contrasts the many commitments Christopher has; He is also a lecturer at Singapore Polytechnic and Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, teaching modules ranging from acoustical science to computing in music.

harpsichord

Gerald currently maintains a busy schedule as a freelance performer and teacher to many budding musicians. In Singapore, he has performed and collaborated with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, The Philharmonic Orchestra, re:SOUND Collective, ADDO Chamber Orchestra and the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music. His recent continuo engagements include Pergolesi's and Scarlatti's Stabat Maters, Bach Cantatas and Handel's Acis and Galatea. In 2015, he directed at the Esplanade an evening of rarely heard 18th-century German chamber music. During his time in the UK and Europe, Gerald performed with his British ensemble, Rinnovatori, at two of the world's most prestigious early music festivals, Musica Antiqua Bruges (MAfestival Brugge) and Festival Oudemuziek Utrecht.

A keen interest in keyboard performance practice led Gerald to switch his performance major from the piano to the harpsichord while reading for his undergraduate music degree at the University of Birmingham, UK. He owes much of his formative years there to his teacher, Christine Whiffen, as well as studying 17th- and 18th-century improvisation under Paula Chateauneuf. Gerald's musical diversity is reflected in his choice of double majors in harpsichord performance and a musicology dissertation on the influences in Charles-Valentin Alkan's music – the latter under the supervision of Prof. Kenneth Hamilton. He also collaborated with the university's drama department in a period revival production of Wilkie Collins' play, The Red Vial. Under the direction of Dr. Caroline Radcliffe (herself a former baroque oboist with the British period orchestra, King's Consort), he improvised and provided music to the play from an 1851 Erard fortepiano in accordance with Victorian stage performance practice. After graduating top of his cohort at Birmingham, he went on to complete his master's with distinction at the Royal Academy of Music, UK, where he studied the harpsichord and fortepiano under Carole Cerasi, and the clavichord and basso continuo with Terence Charlston. He was twice awarded the academic prize at Birmingham and the early music prizes both at Birmingham and at the Academy.

Much of Gerald’s early musical training started on the piano under Low Shao Ying in Singapore and David Quigley in the UK. Under the tutelage of the former, he went on to attain a Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music with distinction in piano performance. Gerald was also selected by the Ministry of Education in Singapore to attend the Pan Pacific Music Camps (Advanced Piano School) in Sydney, studying principally with Marc Durand.

Outside the field of music, Gerald occasionally dabbles into photography. One of his works was published in the 2012 National Day edition of National Library Board's journal, BiblioAsia.

harpsichord / viola da gamba / baroque guitar

Singaporean pianist, harpsichordist and Young Steinway Artist Mervyn Lee gave his first public performance at the age of ten during the "#1 Steinway" Roadshow held at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, making his debut a year later as soloist for the President's Young Performers Concert performing with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.

Under the guidance of Prof. Thomas Hecht, his outstanding performance of Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in D Minor earned him Second Prize in the Conservatory’s 2014 Concerto Competition and he was subsequently engaged to perform the work with the Artsakh State Chamber Orchestra at the Tnjre International Festival of Young Musicians held in the Republic of Artsakh. He later became the First Prize winner and Grand Finalist of the 2015 Yong Siew Toh Conservatory Concerto Competition, and took part in the 2015 National Piano and Violin Competition, achieving First Place in the piano senior category. He recently attained his Master of Music degree in piano performance from the Manhattan School of Music under the guidance of Dr. Marc Silverman.

In addition to his pianistic endeavours, Mervyn also studies composition with Dr. John Sharpley. His output includes a piano trio, a violin duet, string quartet, and various works for piano.

As a harpsichordist, he has performed on numerous occasions under Bach Collegium Japan conductor Masaaki Suzuki, and has attended various workshops and early music festivals in locations such as The Barn at Flintwoods, as well as in Harissonburg, Virginia as part of the Virginia Baroque Academy. He is a member of Red Dot Baroque, Singapore’s first professional early music ensemble. A versatile instrumentalist, he studies harpsichord privately with Arthur Haas, viola da gamba with Martha McGaughey, and dabbles on the Baroque guitar whenever he cans.