Conductors and Tutors
Mr Yang Zheng Yi (Secondary Orchestra Conductor and Double Bass Tutor)
Yang Zheng Yi has been the music director and Secondary Orchestra conductor of the ACS (Independent) Philharmonic Orchestra since 2010.
He has served as the Associate Principal Bassist and Artistic Administrator of Chamber Music with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra since 2006. He studied the double bass on a full scholarship under Neil Tarlton and Enno Senft, and Orchestral Conducting under Neil Thomson at the Royal College of Music in London, graduating with a First Class Honors degree and as the finalist of the ‘RCM String Player of Year 2006’.
Since 2002, Zhengyi has worked closely with the Philharmonia Orchestra (UK), touring and performing with them, and winning the orchestra’s Martin Musical Fund Prize three times. He has appeared with the London Symphony Orchestra, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra in Norway, the Halle Orchestra in Manchester, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. In addition, he has been invited to join the international tours of the orchestras of the UBS Verbier Music Festival in Switzerland, the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival in Germany, the Shanghai International Music Festival in China and the Pacific Music Festival in Japan.
Zhengyi continues to share his passion for music as a tutor with the Singapore National Youth Orchestra, and the Music Director/Conductor of the string orchestras of Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), Anglo-Chinese Junior College and Temasek Junior College.
Mr Edward Tan (IB Orchestra Conductor and Violin Tutor)**
Edward Tan holds a Master’s Degree from the Yale School of Music and a Bachelor’s Degree with Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music. In his time in the USA, he was privileged to learn from Oleh Krysa, Syoko Aki, as well as members of the Ying Quartet and Tokyo String Quartet. In the course of his studies at Yale, he received the Presser Foundation Award, a grant awarded to one promising musician each year.
Since returning home after his studies in 2012, Edward has been actively performing in both chamber and orchestral settings. In addition to his work as the founding first violinist of the Concordia Quartet, he also regularly freelances with re:SOUND, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, and the Metropolitan Festival Orchestra. Edward strongly believes in the importance of teaching the next generation of performers and audiences, and teaches the violin at the School of the Arts and the National Institute of Education.
His love of education has also led him into the field of conducting – he is Associate Conductor of The Musicians’ Initiative, and conducts student orchestras in secondary schools and JCs, the Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) Philharmonic Orchestra (IB) being one of the orchestras under his baton.
Dr Yeo Jan Wea (Viola Tutor)**
Dr. Yeo Jan Wea received a scholarship from the Loke Cheng Kim Foundation to study viola performance at the Eastman School of Music in 1990. He graduated in 1994 and subsequently obtained Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the Michigan State University School of Music. Dr. Yeo is the first person from Singapore to be selected as orchestral fellow at the prestigious Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan in 1990 and was invited to return in 1991 and 1992. He was also selected to participate in the inaugural season of the Asian Youth Orchestra that year. He has worked with conductors such as Leonard Bernstein, Yehudi Menuhin, Neeme Jarvi, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Tan Dun.
Since his return to Singapore, Dr. Yeo has been a much sought after teacher and performer. He was invited to be the founding principal violist of both the Singapore Festival Orchestra and the Metropolitan Festival Orchestra. He freelances regularly with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. He is currently the viola instructor at various Secondary schools, the conductor of the Republic Polytechnic string ensemble, and also the Leader-Mentor to the viola section of the Orchestra of Music Makers.
Ms Zhao Yu Er (Cello Tutor)**
Zhao Yu Er began studies on the cello at the age of eight and was admitted into the prestigious Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing at the age of ten. As a cellist of the Chinese Female Youth String Quartet, she was the winner of the Portsmouth International String Quartet Competition in 1982 in England. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in 1984 and joined the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. Within a year, she was awarded a full scholarship to study cello at Northern Illinois University, USA, studying under well known cello pedagogue Marc Johnson. Upon receiving her Master’s Degree in 1987, she successfully auditioned for the Singapore Symphony Orchestra in 1988. She has since made Singapore her home.
Yu Er is a well established cello teacher to both individuals and school orchestras in Singapore for the last 35 years. Under her tutelage, many young cellists have been guided to high scoring performances in examinations, with her students going on to renowned schools like the Cleveland School of Music in Cleveland, USA, the Royal School of Music in London and the Royal Northern College of Music. Under her guidance, her students have also achieved excellent results at the biennial Singapore Youth Festival Arts Presentations.