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Simon Kong Su Leong is a Malaysian composer and conductor of Chinese descent. He was born in Sabah state and his ancestral hometown is Bao'an, Shenzhen, China. He is the first "foreign student" to graduate with outstanding achievements from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music's major in Chinese instrumental composition. He studied under the guidance of the renowned composer Professor Zhu Xiaogu. During his studies, Simon also learned conducting from the distinguished music educator Professor Xia Feiyun, modern music composition from the renowned composer Professor Xu Jianqiang, suona performance from the esteemed suona player Professor Liu Ying, percussion performance from the acclaimed percussionist Professor Yang Ruwen, and Chinese folk song theory from the ethnomusicologist Professor Huang Bai. Jiang's mentor during his formative years was the well-known Malaysian Chinese music educator Teo Seng Chong.

 

In recent years, Simon has been dedicated to exploring the creative composition, orchestration, and therapeutic applications of Chinese "Wuxing" instrumental music. He frequently collaborates with professional orchestras such as the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, Taipei Chinese Orchestra, Taiwan National Chinese Orchestra, and Kaohsiung City Chinese Orchestra. Simon's works have been performed not only in Malaysia but also in Taiwan, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Europe, and Macau. He has received awards such as the Ethnic Music Composition Award from Taiwan's National Culture and Arts Foundation and the Composition Grand Prize from the Singapore International Chinese Orchestra Composition Competition. Some of his composed works are included in albums published by BIS Records in Sweden, Taipei Chinese Orchestra, Singapore Chinese Orchestra, Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, Chinese instrumental music textbooks, and the Chinese National Music Collection.

 

Simon is a highly respected musician and conductor, and his musical talent and skills have been widely recognized in the industry. In 2019, as the only invited overseas guest, Simon participated in the Chinese Orchestration Seminar for Chinese Orchestras at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, where he shared his ideas and insights on "Wuxing Wisdom in Chinese Instrumental Orchestration." In 2020, Simon produced ten episodes of the live streaming program "Chatting about Chinese Instrumental Music through Eating and Drinking" for the Huifu Yuefang app platform and served as the host. The program received high praise and had a viewership of up to 1.5 million people. Additionally, Simon was invited to teach live in the "Chinese Orchestration Workshop" of the Taipei Chinese Orchestra. In 2021, he was invited to curate and host five live streaming sessions of the Singapore-Malaysia Cross-Strait Forum for the Chinese Orchestra.In March 2023, Simon was invited by the Taipei Chinese Orchestra to participate in the opening concert of the Traditional Arts Festival in Taipei. In August, Simon was invited by the Hong Kong Music Office to conduct the Hong Kong Youth Music Camp's Chinese Orchestra and Junior Chinese Orchestra.

 

Furthermore, Simon has been invited multiple times to conduct Chinese orchestras and serve as an international competition judge in various locations worldwide, including the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Brunei, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Wuhan. He currently holds the position of Secretary-General in the Sabah Chinese Music Society in Malaysia.

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SPEAKERS

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Wang Chenwei is the Composer-in-Residence of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, adjunct faculty at the National Institute of Education (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore) and the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, and also a council member of the Singapore Chinese Music Federation. As Head of Research and Education at The TENG Company, he is the main co-author of The TENG Guide to the Chinese Orchestra (2019), a 624-page book on instrumentation and orchestration.

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After graduating from Raffles Institution’s Gifted Education Programme with seven academic awards, Chenwei obtained his Magister Artium (five-year Master of Arts) with distinction and an Honorary Award (Würdigungspreis) from the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, where he studied composition and audio engineering under a scholarship from Singapore’s Media Development Authority.

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Chenwei’s compositions have been performed in Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore, Malaysia, Austria, Germany, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. His notable commissions include the Erhu concerto set piece Charms of Taipei for the Taipei Chinese Instrumental Competition, Postcards from Macao for the Macao Government’s Cultural Affairs Bureau, 38 works for the Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO), four Singapore Youth Festival set pieces for Singapore’s Ministry of Education and four National Piano and Violin Competition set pieces for the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO). The SSO also performed his symphonic compositions at two National Day Concerts.

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At age 17, Chenwei composed The Sisters’ Islands, a symphonic poem which won the Singapore Composer Award at the 2006 Singapore International Competition for Chinese Orchestral Composition. Chenwei’s Confluence was broadcast on Chinese Music Banquet (Guangdong TV, 2019), and SCO’s video of this piece was shared by Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on his Facebook page and at the National Day Rally 2022. Additionally, Chenwei’s compositions have been the subject of journal articles and theses at tertiary institutions in Mainland China, Taiwan, Macao, Singapore and the UK.

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Chenwei has adjudicated Singapore’s National Chinese Music Competition, the Singapore Youth Festival Arts Presentation, the Taipei Chinese Instrumental Competition and the Nanyang International Music Competition. He has also been an examiner for the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts.

Chenwei’s efforts in composing, conducting, playing 12 musical instruments and writing in 12 languages were featured in the 2009 Singaporean TV documentary Extraordinary People. He received the Young Outstanding Singaporeans award from Junior Chamber International in 2011 and the Top Local Classical Music award from the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore (COMPASS) in 2022.

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Eni Agustien  is a Guzheng teacher from Indonesia. She initially studied Guzheng with Teacher Wang Xiuzhen from Taiwan. Later, she learned from Teacher Lian Rong Shi from Singapore, Professor He Baoquan and Professor Sun Wenyan in Shanghai. She has also collaborated with Singapore Guzheng Teacher, Mr. Thum Soon Boon in several activities.

 

In 2004, she organized the "Melody of Guzheng" concert in Jakarta, featuring performances by Mr. Thum Soon Boon and his students; Vietnamese Danh Tranh players, and Indonesian harpist. In 2005, she performed in three cities in Japan and organized the first-ever Guzheng competition in Indonesia, inviting Mr. Thum Soon Boon  and other Guzheng teachers from different Indonesian cities as judges. In 2006, she held a solo concert titled "The Inspiration of Guzheng" and participated in Mr. Thum Soon Boon’s  "Hundred Guzheng Concert" in Singapore. She also took part in a charity concert at a church in Singapore and performed in "The Spirit From China" concert.

 

In 2008, she opened a music school called "Miladomus Music School" and invited Professor Sun Wenyan to teach Guzheng to the school's teachers and conduct workshops for all the students. She collaborated with Lembaga Indonesia China (LIC), Shanghai Ruijin Corporation, and "Miladomus Music School" to host the "Denting Simphoni 100 Kecapi" concert, featuring performances by Professor Sun Wenyan, Teacher He Xiaotong with hers students, and conductor Professor Zhu Xiaogu.

 

In 2009, she participated in the training program "Gaung" by the Sacred Bridge Foundation and met Sitomu Yamashita (a Japanese music director, producer, and composer), Prof. Greg Schiemer (an Australian electronic music composer, instrument builder, and teacher), Jean Claude Eloy (a French composer of instrumental, vocal, and electroacoustic music), and Franki Raden (an Indonesian music arranger and composer). She also took part in the Asian Traditional Music Forum in Thailand from 2009 to 2010.

 

In 2011, she participated in “3rd Rondalla music festival” in the Philippines; performed with Franki Raden's "Indonesian National Orchestra," representing Indonesian Traditional Music in concerts held in Melbourne, Canberra, and Sydney, Australia. From 2011 to 2013, she join her friend to organized the annual "Turning Point" concerts. Since 2013, she has been involved in various showcases with Teater Koma, an Indonesian theater group.

 

In 2016, she invited her students to participate in the "Yangzhou Guzheng International Competition," where they won gold medals. In 2018, her students participated in the "Guzheng International Competition" and won gold medals in the group competition, securing the second place. In 2019, she attended "The 45th International Council for Traditional Music World Conference" in Thailand and collaborated on concerts with two universities from Taiwan, Feng Chia University and Chung Cheng University.

 

From 2008 to 2019, she organized Guzheng competitions, exams, and other small-scale performance activities at her school. From 2020 to 2022, she held online concerts, exams, and led her students to participate in the "Shenzhen Online Guzheng International Competition," where they won gold and silver medals. In 2022, she led her students to participate in an international competition in Singapore and won silver and bronze medals. She also collaborated with Professor Greg Schiemer from Australia to complete the composition "Butterfly Dekany" (a piece for butterfly-shaped Guzheng).

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Pham Thi Thu An, an artist specializing in Guzheng (a traditional Chinese musical instrument), started learning the instrument under the guidance of her mother, Teacher Ding, from a young age. From September 1986 to July 2000, she studied Vietnamese zither at the National Music Academy in Hanoi. In 1992, she was awarded the "Outstanding Student Scholarship" sponsored by South Korea. In 1998, she received a consolation prize at the National Guzheng Youth Talent Competition held in Ho Chi Minh City. From 2000 to 2003, she taught Guzheng at the National Music Academy in Vietnam. From 2003 to 2007, she was awarded a scholarship by the Chinese government to pursue a master's degree in Guzheng at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, studying under Professor Sun Wenyan and Professor He Baoquan. After obtaining her master's degree in Shanghai, she returned to the National Music Academy in Vietnam to continue her teaching career.

 

She has participated in numerous international performances, including:

China: Guizhou (1993), Shandong (1998), Shanghai (2003-2007) Japan: Ishikawa (1996), Takahagi (2006) 2nd and 3rd Southeast Asian Youth Summer Camps: Thailand (1999), Malaysia (2001) Iraq (2002)

 

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Lu Jietao is an up-and-coming young musician and leader in the local arts scene, he is a two-time recipient of The Hokkien Foundation Arts & Culture Award (2020 and 2021) and was also awarded the Mapletree-Teng Academy Scholarship (2018-2020).

He is the Founder of The CO Peeps, a non-profit arts organisation dedicated to building an inclusive and vibrant Chinese Orchestra (CO) community here in Singapore for youths to learn, explore and collaborate through music.

In 2022, Jietao was appointed a Council Member of the Singapore Chinese Music Federation Youth Chapter, a hand-picked team of young leaders tasked to lead and conceptualise productions and programmes, and to raise awareness of Chinese music among the youths of Singapore.

Besides his work in arts management and community building, Jietao is also an aspiring Conductor, taking the podium and serving as Music Director in recent productions such as at the Singapore Chinese Music Festival (2021), The CO Peeps Community Gala Concert 2022, Nam Hwa Blazes: Converging Harmonies (2022) and Klavier Wonderland Piano Recital (2022).

He is privileged to be mentored by both the Executive Director of SCO, Mr Terence Ho, and Music Director of SCO, Maestro Tsung Yeh.

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Kevin Uy is a pipa player and conductor who has been involved in Chinese music since he was a child. He began his musical journey at the Philippine Cultural College Chinese Orchestra (PCCCO) when he was nine years old, learning the Ruan from Mrs. Lizabeth Wang. He later switched to the pipa and studied under Mr. Tang Liang Zhou and Mr. Adam Cheung. He was an active member of the PCCCO and performed in various concerts and events since 2007. He also shared his passion for Chinese music with others by teaching students when he was in high school and becoming a conductor of the student's club in 2012.

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In 2013, he performed as a pipa soloist in Sabah, Malaysia, playing the piece "Spring River Flower Moonlight Night" under the baton of Mr. Tang Liang Zhou. In 2014, he was one of the soloists in the 50th anniversary concert of the PCCCO that was held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines under the baton of Mr. Simon Kong. In 2017, he became the conductor of the PCCCO and one of the organizers of the 55th anniversary concert of the PCCCO with the help of Mr. Simon Kong in 2018. He also attended the Taipei Chinese Orchestra's Young Conductor's master class as an audience member in February 2019. He further improved his skills by joining the summer program of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in June 2019 with several sessions from the Pipa soloist and professor, Han Yan.

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During the pandemic era, he participated in a cultural event organized by the Chinese Embassy and the National Commission for Culture and The Arts (NCCA) on October 26, 2022. He played the pipa solo piece: "Spring of Tianshan Mountain" at the Metropolitan Theatre in Manila. The event aimed to foster cultural exchange and mutual learning between China and the Philippines.

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Dr. Lee Ming-Yen is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Music, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. She is an ethnomusicologist of Chinese and Southeast Asian music. Her research interests include musical interactions in Greater China, modern Chinese orchestra, Indonesian music, and the pedagogy of world music. She has published articles in journals such as Asian Culture, Asian-European Music Research Journal, Journal of Aesthetic Education, Journal of the Central Conservatory of Music, Journal of South Seas Society, Kuandu Music Journal, and Modern China Studies. She is currently working on her book manuscript, "Making Music in Greater China: The Chinese Orchestras of China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan." This book explores the evolution and musical interactions of three modern Chinese orchestras across Greater China.

Dr. Lee is an editor of the category of “Singapore Chinese Music” for Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre’s Online Repository. She also serves as an editorial board member of Taipei Chinese Orchestra’s Silk Road journal and as a committee member of Taiwan Musicology Forum.

An accomplished erhu player, Dr. Lee has given performances at the National Concert Hall in Taiwan, the CHICO'S World Music Gala, and the World Music Concert at Northern Illinois University. In 2019, she performed with the Channel Islands Chamber Orchestra, where she premiered Fabian Müller's "Taiwan Rhapsody No. 1" (erhu version) and Bo-Chan Li's "Ode to Hero, Ode to Love."

Born and raised in Taiwan, Dr. Lee was an Assistant Professor of Music Education at the National Taiwan University of Arts before joining Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts.