A panel of Singapore and international adjudicators will judge in the Competition.
The Adjudicating Panel reserves the right to interrupt and/or halt a participant’s performance at any point of the Competition.
The first, second and third prize winners will be determined at the Finals of the respective age/instrumental categories.
The preliminary round for Solo Section – Grand Category, will be conducted via blind listening of the submitted recordings. This process is audited independently and the decision of the Adjudicating Panel is final. The video dimension of the recording is to ensure the authenticity of the submission. Only participants who enter semi-final and final will proceed to the live performance rounds.
The Adjudicating Panel reserves the right to award, or not award any prizes as they deem fit.
The Adjudicating Panel’s decision is final and no appeal or correspondence will be entertained.
Cao Yun, Yangqin Principal of Shanghai Chinese Orchestra, National Class One Performer in China, Vice President of the Yangqin Professional Committee of the China Musical Instrument Association, member of the specialized committee of the Nationalities Orchestra Society, member of the Shanghai Musicians Association.
In 2000, Cao Yun graduated from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music with the honor of “Outstanding Graduate”. In 2003, she became the principal yangqin musician in the acclaimed Shanghai Chinese Orchestra. Since 2003, for nearly a decade, she served as the accompanist to the renowned Erhu doyenne Min Huifen. In 2006, she won the first prize in the First International Chinese Strings and Woodwind Competition, sponsored by the Nationalities Orchestra Committee of the Chinese Musicians Association.
In March 2008, Cao Yun held a yangqin solo recital at the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center. And in May 2008, she premiered “Close at Distance”, a yangqin concerto performed with a symphony orchestra, by Norwegian composer Nils Henrik Asheim. The composer drew inspiration from a wildly popular song The Wandering Songstress. In 2013, she won the highest prize in the Chinese Traditional Instruments and Folk Music Invitation Only Contest, hosted by the Ministry of Culture.
With the experience she has accumulated throughout hundreds of stage performances in China and overseas, Cao Yun is a strong advocate in promoting and popularising yangqin in innovative ways. She transcribed multiple western classical works into yangqin solos, notably the Introduction et Rondo Capriccioso, which was published and selected as professional teaching material.
Yui Hong’s journey in music began early. As a student, she was proficient in the piano, harp and guzheng, and achieved notable distinctions including being the youngest winner of the National Chinese Music Competition at that time. She had the honour of being among the first to hold concurrent memberships in both the Singapore Youth Orchestra and the Singapore Youth Chinese Orchestra.
Her passion for music led her to pursue further studies at the University of Birmingham, UK. Upon returning, she began her career at her alma mater, Nanyang Girls’ High School (NYGH), where she pioneered the GCE ‘O’ and ‘A’ Level Music and Higher Music programmes. From 2000 to 2017, she served as the conductor of NYGH’s Chinese Orchestra, guiding the ensemble to top honours in the Singapore Youth Festival and various national and international competitions.
Yui Hong’s contributions to education extended beyond music. She took on leadership roles overseeing aesthetics, performing arts, and talent development programmes at the school. Her dedication and innovative approaches to education have been recognised with several accolades, including a nomination for the prestigious ASCD Outstanding Young Educator Award (USA).
Currently, she contributes her expertise to the Ministry of Education, Singapore, where she plays a key role in shaping national arts education policy and overseeing performing arts programmes across Singapore schools. Her work continues to influence and inspire the next generation of artists and educators, building upon her rich experience as both a musician and an educator.
Yui Hong’s journey in music began early. As a student, she was proficient in the piano, harp and guzheng, and achieved notable distinctions including being the youngest winner of the National Chinese Music Competition at that time. She had the honour of being among the first to hold concurrent memberships in both the Singapore Youth Orchestra and the Singapore Youth Chinese Orchestra.
Her passion for music led her to pursue further studies at the University of Birmingham, UK. Upon returning, she began her career at her alma mater, Nanyang Girls’ High School (NYGH), where she pioneered the GCE ‘O’ and ‘A’ Level Music and Higher Music programmes. From 2000 to 2017, she served as the conductor of NYGH’s Chinese Orchestra, guiding the ensemble to top honours in the Singapore Youth Festival and various national and international competitions.
Yui Hong’s contributions to education extended beyond music. She took on leadership roles overseeing aesthetics, performing arts, and talent development programmes at the school. Her dedication and innovative approaches to education have been recognised with several accolades, including a nomination for the prestigious ASCD Outstanding Young Educator Award (USA).
Currently, she contributes her expertise to the Ministry of Education, Singapore, where she plays a key role in shaping national arts education policy and overseeing performing arts programmes across Singapore schools. Her work continues to influence and inspire the next generation of artists and educators, building upon her rich experience as both a musician and an educator.
Huang Guifang enrolled in the affiliated high school of the Central Conservatory of Music at age 13 and began her full-time professional learning of the sanxian from renowned sanxian musician Professor Xiao Jiansheng. In 1986, Huang Guifang graduated from the conservatory with outstanding results and stayed on to teach at the affiliated high school.
Huang won the First Grade Prize in the First National Ethnic Music Performing Competition in 1982 and First Prize in the China International Ethnic Music Grand Competition in 1995. Huang was a member of the Musicians’ Association of China and joined the Singapore Chinese Orchestra as a sanxian and ruan musician in 1997. She is currently the Plucked String Section Leader / Sanxian Principal.
Between 1982 and 1997, Huang Guifang represented Chinese artists in her visits to more than ten countries where she participated in exchange and publicity activities, and received high acclaims. She recorded sanxian solo, ensemble and concerto music for the China Central Broadcasting Station, China Central Television and Music Channel. She also embarked on a series of experimental chambers including plucked strings quintet “Wu Duo Jin Hua” by Mr Liu Dehai, “Jiu Fang” and “AiYueNü”. These experiences developed her sanxian performing style and furthered the potential of the instrument.
Huang debuted performances of many sanxian works, including Fantasy of the Dance (Xu Xiaolin), Untitled (Zhang Qian Yi), Su Xiao Xiao (Yang Qing), Eighteen Stanzas on the Barbarian Reed Pipe (Li Heng) and the King of Single Stroke (Cui Quan) with critical acclaim.
Jiang Guoji, the well-known dizi musician who is one of the first-class performers in China. As an elite actor recognised by China’s Ministry of Culture, he enjoys government subsidies from the State Council. He is a professor at the Department of Public Sports and Art, Zhejiang University, a consultant to the Zhejiang Symphony Orchestra and an honorary villager of Zijin Village, Zhongtai Street, the hometown of dizi in China. He is also an inventor of giant flute. His teacher is Mr. Zhao Songting.
He used to be the director of Zhejiang Song & Dance Theater Chinese Orchestra and he is currently the vice president of the Bamboo Flute Society of China Musicians Association and the honorary president of Zhejiang National Orchestra Society. He is famed as a “unique and wonderful dizi musician” by the press in China and aboard. He was awarded the honorary title of “Lifelong Contribution of Folk Music Art” by the Chinese National Orchestral Society.
During G20 Hangzhou Summit, he performed for the delegation of the Presidents’ wives and was highly praised. Jiang Guoji composed and arranged many pieces of dizi music. He published three books and more than ten series of papers in core journals such as Music of China and Musical Instruments. Among them, the famous music piece Boat Song of the Water Region has been included in the primary school textbook of People’s Education Edition since 2012.
Jin Shiyi is the President of the Singapore Suona and Guan Society, Suona/Guan Principal of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra and the first musician in China to achieve a Master’s degree in guanzi performance. His biography is also recorded in The Best of Traditional Chinese Music, Instruments and Musicians. Having shown his musical talent at a young age, he received tutelage from masters such as Zhang Baoling, Liu Fengtong, Hu Haiquan, Hu Zhihou, Zhang Jigui and Cao Jianguo. Jin Shiyi was recruited by the China Movie Orchestra at age 12. In 1986, Jin Shiyi enrolled in the China Conservatory of Music and graduated with a Master’s degree in 1992. He taught in the Conservatory, Department of Instrumental Music upon his graduation.
From 1989 to 2000, Jin Shiyi staged various solo concerts in Beijing, Singapore and Malaysia. He was also invited to perform as a soloist at the Taiwan Traditional Arts Festival and Korean Seoul International Folk Music Festival. He composed and rearranged a series of suona and guanzi pieces, including Seeking Dreams In The Western Regions, Tribute To Homeland, The Dark Sky, Hip Hop Orchard Road, The Winds of Marina Bay, Xiao Bai Cai, Wife and West Beyond the Yangguan Pass. Jin Shiyi and Singapore Chinese Orchestra’s Diyin Suona player, Liu Jiang, created a single reed instrument developed based on the traditional double reed guan named SINGuan, which was highly acclaimed by music critics.
Law Wai Lun is a member of the Chinese Musicians Association and the Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong. He graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music, where he studied music composition under the tutelage of Professor Su Xia and Du Mingxin. He also served as a Composer at the Central Newsreel and Documentary Film Studio in Beijing, lecturer at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and Composer-In-Residence at the Singapore Chinese Orchestra.
Law produced more than 200 works with diverse styles, ranging from Film to Chinese ensemble music. He also won many composition awards from the Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong, Composers & Authors Society of Singapore (COMPASS) and Singapore Chinese Orchestra. In addition to music composition and education, Law Wai Lun also participates actively in numerous music events and activities, where he serves as a judge for composition competitions in Hong Kong and Taiwan, Singapore’s National Arts Council, and Chinese music competitions organised by the Ministry of Education.
In 2017, Law Wai Lun was conferred the Cultural Medallion, Singapore’s highest award in recognition of artistic excellence and distinction in arts and culture.
Li Baoshun started learning violin from his brother at the age 7 and erhu since age 8. In 1983,he entered the China Conservatory of Music and studied under renowned string master Liu Mingyuan, he was trained by Zhao Yanchen, Jiang Fengzhi, Lan Yusong, Wang Guotong, Zhang Shao, An Ruli and Ji Guizhen respectively. Since 1978, he performed with the Fuzhou Military Airbase Cultural Troupe. After his graduation in 1987, he joined the China Central Chinese Orchestra and was its erhu sectional principal in 1988. In 1995, he was the Acting Concertmaster of the China Central Chinese Orchestra. In the same year, he was appointed the Concertmaster of the Asia Orchestra comprising of musicians from China, Japan and Korea.
Li Baoshun has shown his talent in music since young and claimed many prizes along the way. He has been invited to perform in many big-scale performances locally and overseas,
including Asia, Europe and the United States. He frequently performed as a soloist with many orchestras, conductors and composers from China and overseas. Li Baoshun joined the Singapore Chinese Orchestra in late 1997 and is currently the Concertmaster.
Singaporean conductor Lien Boon Hua is acclaimed as one of Asia’s leading interpreters of contemporary music, celebrated for his stylistic versatility across diverse genres and emotional depth. In recognition of his accomplishments, he was invited to lead the Singapore Symphony Orchestra in a landmark concert celebrating the Esplanade’s 20th anniversary. As founder and Artistic Director of Wayfarer Sinfonietta since 2021, Lien has established the ensemble as a dynamic force known for its artistic excellence and bold programming. In 2023, he was appointed Guest Conductor of the Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra, and after his successful debut with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra in 2024, he was re-invited for numerous return appearances. A rising opera conductor, he regularly conducts acclaimed productions with companies such as Singapore Lyric Opera and The Opera People.
Lien’s international career spans engagements with renowned orchestras, including the Sichuan Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, NFM Wrocław Philharmonic, and Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. He has served as Assistant Conductor of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra and at the Richard Strauss Festival. Having appeared at prestigious festivals and studied under legendary maestros such as Bernard Haitink and Peter Eötvös, Lien also won second prize at the Antal Dorati International Conducting Competition in 2018.
Dedicated to nurturing future generations, Lien has taught at Yong Siew Toh Conservatory since 2019 and was appointed Visiting Lecturer at the Princess Galyani Vadhana Institute of Music in 2024. He holds a doctorate in orchestral conducting from the Eastman School of Music.
Lim Kiong Pin is a Diyin Sheng player in the Singapore Chinese Orchestra. His areas of expertise include performance, conducting, coaching, and composition. He learnt to play the Sheng during his secondary school years, with Mr. Ng Tok Tsai as his mentor. He also studied Suona performance with Mr. Lee Heng Quee, Mr. Jin Shiyi, and Mr. Ding Huaicheng. Since age 15, he performed regularly with the People’s Association Chinese Orchestra (predecessor of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra). He became a full-time member of the People’s Association Chinese Orchestra in 1996 and joined the Singapore Chinese Orchestra in 1997.
For music composition, he studied harmony with Mr. Phoon Yew Tien and Mr. Tan Chan Boon. His notable composition works include Dark Sky Blues (wind and percussion ensemble), Rhythm of Drums (2001 National Day Parade), Overture 2004 (SCO’s Mega Concert), Bali Dreams (ensemble), Summer Rain (ensemble for plucked-strings, harp and cello) among others. In 2002, he received a cultural scholarship from the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan to attend a conducting workshop in the Czech Republic, where he studied under mentors such as Tsung Yeh, Johannes Schlaefli, and Kirk Trevor.
Dr Ling Hock Siang holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD.) degree in art studies. He is a recipient of the 2004 Young Artist Award and Singapore Youth Award. In 2021, he was awarded the Commendation Award by Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) and received an award from the China Yangtze River Delta National Orchestra Performance, for his outstanding contributions. He is currently the Erhu Associate Principal and a Member of the Artistic Advisory Panel of SCO, Secretary-General of the Singapore Chinese Music Federation.
He joined the SCO in 1997 and performed in many Europe and Asian countries. Since 2006, Dr Ling served as an adjudicator of various Chinese music competitions both locally and abroad. He frequently represented Singapore at international conferences, performances, seminars workshops and arts meets in Asia.
Dr Ling is committed to the research on the development of Chinese music culture in Singapore. He published the book The Development of Chinese Music in Singapore, wrote and published various papers, music reviews and other artistic articles.
Liong Kit Yeng’s diverse career spans the arts, broadcasting, and education. Known for her memorable melodies and sophisticated harmonies, her compositions and arrangements have been featured at local and international music festivals and competitions. Her works have been commissioned and performed by Singapore Chinese Orchestra, Ding Yi Music Company, Schola Cantorum Singapore, Natus Cantorum (Taiwan), and Johor Bahru Chamber Choir. Her music has been showcased at the Canberra International Music Festival, New York’s Carnegie Hall, Japan’s Takarazuka International Chamber Chorus Contest, the Singapore International Festival of Music, and “Cultural Extravaganza” at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre. In 2018, she was commissioned by Singapore’s Ministry of Education to compose the set piece for choir (Little Red Dot) and later for Chinese orchestra in 2020 and 2024 (Kreta Ayer, 饮⽔思源: ⽜⻋⽔).
She is the Assistant Conductor and Composer-in-Residence for The Purple Symphony, Singapore’s largest inclusive orchestra comprising musicians with and without disabilities. Beyond composing, she is also a music critic, artistic consultant, producer, and adjudicator for festivals and competitions including the Singapore Youth Festival Arts Presentation.
Luo Jing is currently the professor, doctoral supervisor of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. She is a zheng recitalist and an honorary director of the Guzheng Professional Committee under the China Nationalities Orchestra Society. She is also a guest professor of Guizhou University and artistic director of the Luo Jing Guzheng Art Ensemble and He Feng Shao Hua Guzheng Ensemble.
She entered the middle school affiliated to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in 1986, under the tutelage of the well-known soloists and teachers He Baoquan and Sun Wenyan. She once worked in the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra and the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra as the Zheng principal. She also teaches in the Music Department of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, The Education University of Hong Kong and The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.
Luo came in first in the Junior Section (Majors) of the ART Cup International Chinese Instruments Competition in 1989. She participated in the ‘Spring of Shanghai’ music festival for 4 consecutive years since 1993 and won the Music Performance Award. In 1995, she won a Class Two Award in the Youth Section at the Oriental Cup National Zheng Competition organised by the Ministry of Culture. She gave a zheng solo recital at the Carnegie Hall in New York in 1999. Luo has been on tour to more than twenty countries and regions.
She premiered many new works for the zheng repertoire and released dozens of recordings to her credit. She also participated in the publication of multiple books, including examination pieces collection, ensemble pieces etc.
Ng Seng Hong is the President of the Impressions of Nanyang Arts Association and Nanyang Technological University Chinese Orchestra (NTUCO). He attained the Licentiate Diploma of the London College of Music (LLCM) in Conducting, Master of Fine Arts in 2014 and was awarded the Doctor of Philosophy in Buddhism in 2017 by Dharma Buddhist University. Ng Seng Hong is an accomplished erhu musician who performed with many world renowned Chinese Orchestras and won several accolades at international Chinese music competitions.
In 1987, Ng Seng Hong became the first foreign winner of China Jiang-Nan String and Woodwind Competition held in Shanghai. In 1992, he was awarded the Singapore Youth Award. Ng Seng Hong was a Young Artist Award (1993) recipient conferred by the National Arts Council and was awarded a scholarship to study erhu in Shanghai, China, where he performed with the Shanghai National Orchestra at the Shanghai Festival.
Ng Seng Hong’s biography and achievements are recorded in the Chinese Ethnic Music Best Selections, published by China Zhong Hua Publications in 2004. He has been actively involved in the development and promotion of fusion between traditional and modern music. He also led PAYCO to numerous overseas performances including Malaysia and India. He is currently serving as National Arts Council External Assessor.
Qu Chunquan is an internationally renowned conductor and composer, he is also a National Class One Conductor in China and the honorary conductor of the Taipei Chinese Orchestra.
He was the Principal Conductor of the Taipei Chinese Orchestra from January 2013 to December 2021. He was formerly the Vice President of the Shanghai Conductor Association, Principal Conductor of the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra, Conductor and Deputy Music Director of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, Conductor of the National Chinese Orchestra of Taiwan and Resident Conductor of the Fo-Guang-Shan “Sounds of the Human World” Chinese Orchestra. He also served as adjunct professor at the National Taiwan University of Arts, National Taiwan Normal University and Chinese Culture University.
In 2019, he was the recipient of the Mackay Project (outstanding devotee for 20 years of service to Taiwan’s culture and education) awarded by Ministry of the Interior, and in 2020, the Chinese Music Contribution Award by the Chinese Music Association of the Republic of China (Taiwan). The album titled Jiangnan Sizhu Classy Chinese Chamber Music he jointly produced with Taoyuan Chinese Orchestra won “The Golden Melody Awards for Traditional Arts and Music” in 2021. He was also awarded the Taipei Culture Awards in 2022.
Qu has received a great number of outstanding awards, performance awards, and composition awards issued by the People’s Republic of China Ministry of Culture, State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television, and by City of Shanghai. He has been included in The International Who’s Who of Intellectuals, The Famous Figures of the Contemporary Arts Circles in China, Dictionary of China Contemporary Music Celebrities, and Dictionary of China Musicians.
Qu Jianqing is currently the Yangqin Principal of Singapore Chinese Orchestra. She is also a Committee Member of the Cimbalom (Yangqin) World Association, guest professor at the Tianjin Conservatory of Music, advisor at the Hong Kong Yangqin Association and Honorary Committee Member of the Yangqin Professional Committee of the China Ethnic Music Society.
Qu Jianqing was born in Shanghai, China, where she began learning yangqin at age 9 under the tutelage of Wang Youde, and was accepted by Shanghai Chinese Orchestra at age 13 based on her extraordinary musical talent. Over the years, Qu Jianqing also received tutelage under various Yangqin masters like Xiang Zuhua, renowned Yangqin performer Pang Bo-er and Zhang Xiaofeng. She received many awards such as Shanghai City “Literary Arts New Talent” in 1980, Shanghai City “Striker of the New Long March” (and Outstanding Youth) in 1981, China National Ethnic Music Emulation Performance Prize in 1982, 14th “Spring of Shanghai” Outstanding Performance Prize in 1991. In 1993, she held her solo concert.
Qu Jianqing premiered numerous influential yangqin pieces, including The Phoenix, Yellow River, Rhapsody on Dinühua etc. She recorded five personal albums. She performed in many countries and participated in many World Yangqin Festivals.
Quek Ling Kiong is the first Principal Conductor of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) to have been born and bred in Singapore. Hailed as the “People’s Conductor”, he joined the SCO in 1997 as Percussion Principal after graduating from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. He pursued conducting studies at Zurich University of the Arts, and was promoted to Principal Conductor in 2023 after two decades of conducting the SCO.
Besides leading one of the world’s top Chinese orchestras, Quek has guest-conducted esteemed ensembles such as the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra, Guangdong Chinese Orchestra, Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, as well as European symphony orchestras.
He is also the Music Director of the Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra; former Principal Guest Conductor of Singapore’s Ding Yi Music Company (2016-2022); and Artistic Director of Singapore and Hong Kong’s largest inclusive orchestras, The Purple Symphony and True Colors Symphony respectively.
Quek’s accolades include the Singapore National Arts Council’s (NAC) prestigious Young Artist Award (2002), NAC Cultural Fellowship (2013), and the Meritorious Award by the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore (2016). The Quek Ling Kiong Arts and Culture Scholarship was also established at the Singapore Management University in his honour.
Dr Tay Teow Kiat is the President of the Singapore Chinese Music Federation, Music Director of the Dunman High School Performing Arts Centre, Music Director of City Chinese Orchestra, Emeritus Music Director of Ding Yi Music Company and Music Director of Reverberance, a Chinese Wind Percussion Ensemble.
Dr Tay was awarded the Efficiency Medal (Pingat Berkebolehan) at the Singapore National Day Awards in 1989, Cultural Medallion in 1993 and Long Service Medal for Education in 1997. In 2017, Dr Tay was awarded the Outstanding Contribution Award by Composers and Authors Society of Singapore. In 2022, he was awarded the Singapore Chinese Cultural Contribution Award (individual), and Advanced Individual Award from the Headquarters of Yangtze River Delta Chinese Orchestra Performing Group in Shanghai, China.
Since the 1980s, he has been a guest conductor to numerous Chinese orchestras internationally and adjudicator at Chinese music competitions both locally and abroad.
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 Vice Secretary-General of the Singapore Chinese Music Federation. As the 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.
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.
Chenwei has been regularly commissioned to compose for professional orchestras in Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao. Notable commissions include over 40 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. In 2023, the SCO presented For Our Dreams: Wang Chenwei’s Composition Showcase, a concert dedicated to his works.
Chenwei’s accolades include the national Young Artist Award, the Young Outstanding Singaporeans award from Junior Chamber International and the Top Local Classical Music award from the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore (COMPASS).
Born in the UK, Eric Watson received musical training at Trinity College of Music in London where his principal studies were piano, violin, composition, and conducting for which he was awarded the Ricordi prize. After graduating he worked as a repetiteur in opera and music director for musicals.
Since 1991, Eric has lived in Singapore where he is active as a composer, conductor, music technologist and pedagogue. His experience embraces opera, musical theatre, film and television and he has written scores in many diverse and different genres. In 2001 he was the composer and musical director for the Singapore National Day parade for which he recorded an orchestral score with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and again in 2007 he wrote and arranged orchestral music for National day this time with four different orchestras, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, a smaller Indian ensemble and a Malay ensemble.
In 2006, Eric was awarded first prize in the first Singapore International Competition for Chinese Orchestral Composition for his work, “Tapestries I – Time Dances” ; and in 2011 he wrote the first prize winning piece “Aftermath” for the Singapore Piano and Violin competition.
Since residing in Singapore, he has written the musical, ‘A River In Time’ in which he achieved a fusion of Western orchestra, gamelan and small Chinese orchestra, followed by a second musical, “Land of A Thousand Dreams”, and many other solo, chamber and orchestral works. In 2014 Eric was awarded the Kou Pao Kun Award in Arts and Culture for New Immigrants. From 2016 to 2018, Eric was composer-in-residence at the SCO and in 2019 he was conferred the Cultural Medallion, Singapore’s highest award in recognition of artistic excellence and distinction in the Arts.
Resident Conductor and One of the founders of the Ding Yi Music Company
Music Director of the Asian Cultural Symphony Orchestra and Nanyang Collective.
2014 National Arts Council Arts Scholarship Recipient
2019 Straits Times Scholars’ Choice
2019 Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth Singapore Youth Action Plan Panelist
2024 Prestige 40 under 40 Artist
Dedric graduated with Masters in Orchestral Conducting at the China Conservatory of Music, under the tutelage of Prof Yang You Qing, with the guidance of Maestro Tsung Yeh in 2018.
He graduated from The Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 2007, majoring in Suona performance and received guidance in conducting from Singapore renowned Chinese music Educator, Dr. Tay Teow Kiat.
Since 2016, he worked with various orchestras and ensembles such as The China Conservatory of Music Middle School Youth Chinese Orchestra, Sze Chuan Tian Zi Ensemble, Macao Chinese Orchestra, Suzhou Symphony Orchestra String Ensemble, Hong Kong Windpipe Chinese Music Ensemble, Canada Sound of Dragon Ensemble and the Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra etc. He was also being invited to conduct the Hong Kong Youth Music Camp Junior Chinese Orchestra in 2024.
Notably in 2019, Dedric led Ding Yi Music Company in recording the music for Disney’s live action movie “Mulan”. In 2020, Dedric’s efforts in conducting and performance were featured in a Singaporean TV documentary Be My Guest.
Currently he serves as the Vice Treasurer of the Singapore Chinese Music Federation.
Resident Conductor and One of the founders of the Ding Yi Music Company
Music Director of the Asian Cultural Symphony Orchestra and Nanyang Collective.
2014 National Arts Council Arts Scholarship Recipient
2019 Straits Times Scholars’ Choice
2019 Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth Singapore Youth Action Plan Panelist
2024 Prestige 40 under 40 Artist
Dedric graduated with Masters in Orchestral Conducting at the China Conservatory of Music, under the tutelage of Prof Yang You Qing, with the guidance of Maestro Tsung Yeh in 2018.
He graduated from The Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 2007, majoring in Suona performance and received guidance in conducting from Singapore renowned Chinese music Educator, Dr. Tay Teow Kiat.
Since 2016, he worked with various orchestras and ensembles such as The China Conservatory of Music Middle School Youth Chinese Orchestra, Sze Chuan Tian Zi Ensemble, Macao Chinese Orchestra, Suzhou Symphony Orchestra String Ensemble, Hong Kong Windpipe Chinese Music Ensemble, Canada Sound of Dragon Ensemble and the Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra etc. He was also being invited to conduct the Hong Kong Youth Music Camp Junior Chinese Orchestra in 2024.
Notably in 2019, Dedric led Ding Yi Music Company in recording the music for Disney’s live action movie “Mulan”. In 2020, Dedric’s efforts in conducting and performance were featured in a Singaporean TV documentary Be My Guest.
Currently he serves as the Vice Treasurer of the Singapore Chinese Music Federation.
Xiong Yue is a well-known Guzheng player who has studied under renowned Guzheng masters such as Cao Zheng, Zhang Yan, Xiang Sihua, Fan Shang’e, Guo Ying, and Qiu Dacheng. She is currently a member of the Chinese Musicians Association, an Honorary Director of the Chinese Guzheng Professional Committee, and an academic consultant of the Chinese Guzheng Association.
In 1976, she joined the China Broadcasting Chinese Orchestra as a soloist. Since then, she performed with the orchestra in numerous overseas performances as a soloist. In 1982 and 1989, she won accolades in the Chinese Musical Instrument Solo Competition and the ART Cup Award in the International Chinese Instrumental Music Competition respectively.
Over the years, Xiong Yue has drawn on the merits of various performers to develop her own delicate and exquisite playing style. Xiong Yue spent 16 years as a member of the China Broadcasting Chinese Orchestra from 1976 to 1992, and 9 years as a member of the People’s Association Chinese Orchestra and Singapore Chinese Orchestra from 1993 to 2001. After moving to Hong Kong in 2001, she continued her work in performing arts and education, producing students who achieve excellent results in various competitions and grading examinations in the Central Conservatory of Music. In addition, she has also been invited to be on the judging panel of various Guzheng competitions.
Yan Jiemin is a professor at the Central Conservatory of Music, supervisor to doctoral candidates and erhu musician. She is the first person from China to receive a double bachelor’s degree in Chinese Instrumental Music Performance and Composition. Currently, she is the Vice-Chairperson of the Chinese Bowed Strings Music Society under the Chinese Musicians’ Association, Vice-Chairperson of the Huqin Professional Committee of the China Nationalities Orchestra Society, Distinguished Professor of the School of Arts at Peking University, Visiting Professor at the Xi’an Conservatory of Music, and Special Guest Concertmaster of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra and Shanghai Chinese Orchestra.
Yan graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music, where she studied the erhu under Professor Wang Guotong and music composition under Professor Xu Zhenmin respectively. Having recorded and published nine solo albums and numerous audiovisual products, Yan is no stranger to music production. Her works include The Butterfly Lovers, The Moon’s Reflection on the Second Spring, The Poetry of Strings, and Tan Le, just to name a few. She participated in many of the world’s major music festivals and collaborated extensively with renowned orchestras and composers around the world. de Volkskrant, the most influential newspaper in The Netherlands, described her as “a master of music filled with passion.” Le Progres, a progressive newspaper in Lyon, France, commented that Yan exhibited an extremely high level of mastery in terms of controlling the sound quality and tone of the erhu. Not only that, she also demonstrated her proficiency in manipulating the dramatic effects and musical juxtaposition during her performance.
Throughout her teaching career over 3 decades, Yan has always maintained high expectations of her students. As a result, many of her students have won Gold Awards at national-level erhu competitions.
Yang Jing,a renowned pipa performer, chamber musician and pipa educator in China. She is the professor and doctoral supervisor of the China Conservatory of Music, the director of the Liu Dehai Art Special Fund of the China Nationality Culture Foundation (CNCF), the contracted artist of the Ocean of Music, master’s supervisor of the Jilin University of the Arts, visiting professor of the Xinghai Conservatory of Music, vice-president of the Pipa Society of the Chinese Musicians’ Association, executive vice-president of the Pipa Professional Committee of the China Nationalities Orchestra Society (CNOS), leading disciplinarian of Beijing’s higher education institutions, member of the National Vocational Training Skills Appraisal Center, director of the Forbidden City Chamber Orchestra and music director of the Yang Jing chamber orchestra for pipa performance.
Yang Jing has been praised as ” the most outstanding and charming pipa performer of the contemporary art stage” for her pipa performances that pursue the natural beauty of simplicity, strive for the unity of form and spirit, pay attention to the harmony of rigidity and flexibility. Her performance has a comprehensive technique and a rich tone. Whether interpreting traditional music or modern works, her works will show a strong artistic vitality and appeal.
As a pipa player, Yang Jing earned numerous awards in national pipa competitions and received invitations to travel to more than 50 nations and regions. As a pipa educator, many of her students have won awards in national pipa recital competitions and have become the backbone of famous Chinese orchestras at home and abroad. The music industry, both domestically and internationally, has paid considerable attention to and praised Yang Jing for her accomplishments in theoretical study, music composition, performance, and talent training.
Yang Shoucheng,renowned sheng musician, educator and theorist. He serves as a professor and advisor to PhD candidates at the Central Conservatory of Music. He is also a member of the China Nationalities Orchestra Society, Chairperson of Sheng Committee at the China Nationalities Orchestra Society and Chairperson of Sheng Working Committee at the Beijing Musical Instrument Society. At the Central Conservatory of Music, Yang was also the Chinese Communist Party’s Main Branch Secretary, Vice-Chairperson of the Chinese Music Department, and the Chairperson of the Woodwind Division of the Chinese Music Department.
In 1974, he was admitted to the Affiliated High School of the Central Conservatory of Music and majored in the sheng. In 1979, he enrolled in the Chinese Music Department of the Central Conservatory of Music. He graduated in 1983 and stayed on in the Conservatory to serve as a staff member since. Yang visited more than 10 countries and cities across Europe, Asia, and America for performances, speaking engagements and also participated in multiple major events.
Many of his musical works and solo performance tracks have been published as albums and distributed in China and abroad. To increase opportunities for students to showcase their talents, Yang established the first orchestra in China to feature the sheng as the primary instrument – Heyun Sheng Orchestra in July 2009. In November 2009, he collaborated with the Composition Department of the Central Conservatory of Music to organize the inaugural Sheng Music Composition Competition “Yanhuang Cup” to great success. In his teaching, Yang places great importance on standardised, systematic, and scientific methods in the performance, training, and functionalities of the sheng. He has conducted in-depth investigations into sheng performance techniques such as breathwork, oral techniques, and finger training, which has, in turn, enabled him to develope a scientific and rigorous training method and system.
Ricky Yeung Wai Kit is the first Doctor of Dizi Performing Arts in China who graduated from China Conservatory of Music under the supervision of dizi and xiao maestro Zhang Weiliang. Yeung is the awardee of the China National Arts Fund’s 2024 Stage Art Creation Funding Project and a current professor at the School of Music, South China Normal University, supervising postgraduates in dizi performance and ethnomusicology; a postgraduate supervisor at the School of Music, The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA). He is now the only Hong Kong musician serving as full time dizi professor in Mainland China.
Yeung has given more than 10 recitals and performed many large-scale dizi works with renowned conductors and orchestras including Tsung Yeh, Zhang Lie, Wang Fujian, Liu Sha, Lin Daye and Jing Huan, as well as Singapore Chinese Orchestra, Guangdong National Orchestra, Shanghai Chinese Orchestra, Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra etc.
He has been coached by many dizi virtuosi including Cheung Heung Wah, Li Zhen, Zeng Yongqing, Huang Jincheng, Sun Yongzhi, Jiang Guoji and Ma Di. Yeung was awarded B.A. in Music (1st Class Hons.) and M.Phil. in Ethnomusicology degrees from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, M.Mus. in Dizi Performance degree from HKAPA.
Yeung is currently a member of Chinese Musicians’ Association; Honorary Member of Dizi Professional Committee of the China Nationalities Orchestra Society; Artistic Consultant of Hong Kong Gaudeamus Dunhuang Ensemble; President and Artistic Director of Cantonese Music Assembly. He has composed Cantonese Bamboo and Poetic Homeland for dizi. His 2CD album Listening to the Music from Guangdong: Yeung Wai Kit, Sha Jingshan and Guangdong National Orchestra was released by China Record Group in 2023. In 2024, Poetic Homeland won the National Arts Fund project grant and was the first Chinese solo piece composed by a Hong Kong musician to win this award. He was awarded the “Global Outstanding Young Leader Award” by Yazhou Zhoukan in the same year.
Yin Zhiyang started learning the violin and dizi from his father at age 8 and later, under the tutelage of professor of Shenyang Conservatory of Music, Kong Qingshan and professor of China Conservatory of Music, Zhang Weiliang. After graduating from the China Conservatory of Music in 1991, he served in the China Central Song and Dance Troupe as a soloist. He joined the SCO in October 1997 as a dizi performer and he is currently the Dizi Principal and Section Leader (Winds & Percussion). He is also the guest professor of Shenyang Conservatory of Music.
Yin Zhiyang received an Outstanding Performance Award at the China National Chinese Music Competition Shan Cheng Cup in 1989 and came in First at the China Central Song and Dance Troupe Audition in 1992. In 1988, Yin Zhiyang performed Bangdi Concerto by Taiwanese composer Ma Shuilong at the Beijing Concert Hall with the China Central Chinese Orchestra, and received critical acclaim for his interpretation. He held a well-received solo recital at the Beijing Concert Hall in 1990, and contributed to music education as an adjudicator with the First Beijing Primary and Secondary School Chinese Instrumental Music Competition in 1994. He has also produced a solo album of dizi recital pieces. His signature rendition of Divine Melody at the Singapore Arts Festival and London’s Barbican Centre remains talked about today in music circles.
In 2008, he performed with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra on Zhu Jian-er’s Fourth Symphony. Later in the same year, he performed Three Variations of the Parting at Yangguan as a soloist in a concert at The Sage Gateshead arts centre in the United Kingdom, with a chamber group from the SCO. In 2009, he returned to the UK with the orchestra, performing at the Edinburgh International Festival as a dizi soloist. In 2010, he held a concert for himself and his students proving his success once again as a remarkable artist.
Yu Jia began learning pipa at the age of four from her father Yu Song Lin, and entered the Central Conservatory of Music’s Junior Department at age of nine. She has studied under pipa master Li Guanghua and won numerous awards. In 1997, she graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music with a Bachelor of Arts degree. In the same year, she joined SCO, and is currently SCO’s pipa principal. In 2018, Yu Jia entered the China Conservatory of Music to study a Master’s degree in pipa. She graduated in 2021 and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in zhongruan.
Yu Jia was invited by the National Experimental Chinese Orchestra in Taipei and its conductor, Chen Teng-Hsiung, to take part in a collaborative project and performance, the Ink-splashed Immortal. In Mexico, Yu Jia has also shared the stage with conductor, Chen Zuohuang, to perform a pipa concerto, Spring & Autumn. Working with Taiwanese label Poem Culture, she has recorded four pipa albums dedicated to solo and concerto music. Over the past few years, she has also been invited to participate in arts festivals in Denmark, Mexico, Hong Kong and Singapore, receiving good reviews for her appearances.
In SCO, Yu Jia has performed as a soloist with many well-known conductors in concerti such as The River Red, Se, Anger, Capriccio of the Ancient Path, Hua Mu Lan, Spring & Autumn and Joy of a Toast & Whirling Dance. SCO has specially invited well-known composer Liu Xijin and Kuan Nai-chung to compose pipa and erhu concerto, Tian Yuan and pipa concerto, Flying Asparas. The award-winning piece performed by Yu Jia – pipa concerto Arise, You Lion of Glory! – won the Composition Award first prize at the Singapore International Competition for Chinese Orchestral Composition 2015 and also garnered the most votes from the audiences.
In September 2019, SCO embarked on a four-city concert tour to Europe. Yu Jia performed Arise,You Lion of Glory! by Gordon Fung Dic-Lun, in Berlin and Prague, and her performances had received well acclaims.
Zhao Jianhua is the erhu I Principal of the SCO and a member of the Chinese Musicians’ Association. Born in Shanghai, he learned erhu performance from his uncle, educator Li Liang, at a young age. Li Liang’s rigorous training laid the groundwork for Zhao Jianhua’s musical career. In 1975, Zhao Jianhua represented Shanghai City Changning District Youth Cultural Centre in the China Youth Cultural Performance (Chinese and Western Instruments) Instrumental Solo Competition and won the highest award. The following year, Zhao Jianhua performed the erhu solo in the youth category of “Shanghai Spring International Music Festival” and garnered critical acclaim.
In 1978, Zhao Jianhua was selected for the prestigious College of the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra, where he was under the tutelage of renowned erhu master Min Huifen. He won awards at numerous high-profile competitions such as the National Chinese Instrumental Music Competition in Wuhan, and the Shanghai City Young Musician Association Competition in 1985. Zhao Jianhua’s biography is also recorded in the Record of Outstanding Chinese Youths and the Record of Chinese Musicians.
Zhao Jianhua is the erhu I Principal of the SCO and a member of the Chinese Musicians’ Association. Born in Shanghai, he learned erhu performance from his uncle, educator Li Liang, at a young age. Li Liang’s rigorous training laid the groundwork for Zhao Jianhua’s musical career. In 1975, Zhao Jianhua represented Shanghai City Changning District Youth Cultural Centre in the China Youth Cultural Performance (Chinese and Western Instruments) Instrumental Solo Competition and won the highest award. The following year, Zhao Jianhua performed the erhu solo in the youth category of “Shanghai Spring International Music Festival” and garnered critical acclaim.
In 1978, Zhao Jianhua was selected for the prestigious College of the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra, where he was under the tutelage of renowned erhu master Min Huifen. He won awards at numerous high-profile competitions such as the National Chinese Instrumental Music Competition in Wuhan, and the Shanghai City Young Musician Association Competition in 1985. Zhao Jianhua’s biography is also recorded in the Record of Outstanding Chinese Youths and the Record of Chinese Musicians.
All adjudicators’ names are listed according to alphabetical order.
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