THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2015 Music LIFE! C9 2000s: Then and now

Musicians who lead in the classical scene

Paige Lim

Over the years, many Singaporean classical musicians who studied abroad have remained over- seas to pursue their careers. Renowned violinist Chan Yoong-Han and pianist Lim Yan are among the rare few who have returned here to develop their careers. And over the past 10 or more years, the pair have made waves in the local classical music scene. Besides being members of popular piano quintet Take 5, both have played as soloists with the Singa- pore Symphony Orchestra and performed in inter- national music festivals. Life! classical music reviewer Chang Tou Liang calls them “two of the most active and busiest classical musicians” in Singapore today. “They are leaders in their fields and figures whom young Singaporean musicians can relate to and emulate,” he says. Both musicians came to prominence in the 2000s after returning to Singapore from their over- seas studies. A graduate from Rice University in the United States in 1995, Chan, 40, was awarded the 2000 Shell-NAC Arts Scholarship by the National Arts Council. He then completed his masters of music at the University of Massachusetts. In 2007, he was appointed concertmaster for the Singapore Festival Orchestra, the resident orches- tra of the Singapore Arts Festival which ended in 2012. Lim, 35, the nephew of well-known conductor Lim Yau, was the first Singaporean to play in the 12th Singapore International Piano Festival in 2005. He made history again when he became the Violinist Chan first Singaporean pianist to perform all five Yoong-Han About Sing50 Beethoven piano concertos in a cycle here in 2012. (above left) and pianist Lim Yan Sing50 is organised by The Straits Times and The Business Times Chan and Lim were also recipients of the NAC to mark Singapore’s Golden Jubilee. The show celebrates 50 years Young Artist Award in 2004 and 2006 respective- (above right) are of songs and music composed, performed or made popular by ly. part of Take Five, Singapore performers, and will include different languages and a concert series Neither has any regrets for choosing to stick it music genres. It brings together some of the biggest names in the initiated together local music scene, including Stefanie Sun, JJ Lin, Dick Lee, Jeremy out in Singapore for the long run. with violinists Monteiro, Ramli Sarip and The Oddfellows. They will be joined by For Chan, he knew he wanted to contribute to Lim Shue Churn two international performers – Chinese pianist Lang Lang and the home-grown classical music scene. and Foo Say Apl.de.ap from US pop band The Black Eyed Peas. The public can He says: “The career is meaningless if you don’t have a say in which songs will be on the set list. Go to Ming (left, both www.sing50concert.sg for details. know what exactly it is you want to contribute to standing) and Mapletree Investments, Resorts World Sentosa and Zurich society. My family was here and I have built a cellist Chan Wei Insurance are the main sponsors. The show is produced by The family here as well. I used that as a base to try and Shing (seated, Rice Company and supported by Steinway Gallery Singapore. create something special here.” centre). PHOTOS: Where: National Stadium TIFFANY GOH, When: Aug 7 His wife is a corporate relations manager in the Admission: $20 tickets at the Singapore Indoor Stadium’s Box SSO and they have a six-year-old daughter and a ST FILE Office or any SingPost outlets. Go to www.sportshubtix.sg or call four-year-old son. 3158-7888 It was also a case of perfect timing that brought Info: www.sing50concert.sg/ Chan back to the sunny island for good. Though he had applied for several orchestras overseas after completing his master’s degree in 2002, it was the gone further if he had stayed overseas, Lim says tively, one can now obtain a complete musical was our duty to explore them and bring them to the SSO which first came back to him with an offer he without hesitation: “I’m not the kind of person to education up to degree level in Singapore – an public. We are here to let music come to life.” could not refuse – to be the prestigious fourth chair spend too much time thinking like that, on what option not available two decades ago. Back in the 1990s when the scene was almost first violinist, a position he still holds. would have happened if maybe I had done this.” More symphony orchestras, including semi- barren, Chan estimates that only one to two cham- Today, he is concertmaster for the Metropolitan Chan and Lim are glad they were around to professional ones from secondary schools and ber concerts took place a month. The number went Festival Orchestra, the spiritual successor of the witness the slew of significant developments in the junior colleges, have also sprung up over the years. up to about six to seven a month in the late 2000s, Singapore Festival Orchestra, as well as guest Singapore classical music scene in the early 2000s. “You could name just a handful of school ensem- as more chamber music groups such as the Cham- concertmaster for The Philharmonic Orchestra Chan recalls of the year 2002, when the bles in the 1980s, but now, there are probably 35 to ber Opera Society and I-Sis Trio popped up along- Singapore and The Orchestra of the Music Makers. country’s first world-class performing arts venue, 40 of them. There are more opportunities out there side Take 5. He is also a member of the NAC advisory com- the Esplanade, emerged: “There were a lot of chang- for people to play,” Chan says. With classical music having earned greater mittee for the National Violin and Piano Competi- es in Singapore during that period. The Esplanade He and Lim also contributed to the growth of public recognition through the years, the pair are tion and a member of the governing board in the was opening and it was a great opportunity to come the local chamber music scene, which took off in naturally optimistic about the future of their Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music at the back and see what it was all about.” 2007. They initiated their own piano quintet younger counterparts, many of whom have already National University of Singapore. Another major development was the Yong Siew concert series Take 5, together with violinists Foo started to make a name for themselves on the big Lim returned to Singapore for national service Toh Conservatory of Music at NUS, founded in Say Ming and Lim Shue Churn and cellist Chan Wei stage. after graduating from the Royal Northern College 2001. Previously known as the Singapore Conserva- Shing, who is Chan’s uncle. Chan, heartened by the high level of involve- of Music in Manchester, England, in 2003. After tory of Music, it was renamed in 2003 and was the They were the first group in Singapore to start a ment, says: “We need to have some form of conti- completing it in 2006, he got married to fellow first institution here to offer a four-year full-time series of chamber concerts dedicated to featuring nuity for the younger generation to come up and pianist Koh Jia Hwei and was content to settle Bachelor of Music degree programme. pieces from the niche quintet repertoire, which are take over us when we grow old.” down here. The couple have no children. Lim says: “It’s great that there is the choice for written for a piano and four other instruments. Agreeing, Lim adds: “Because of this emerging He is also teaching at the School of the Arts, children nowadays to stay here or go overseas.” Before them, the only well-known chamber community, I think classical music is going to be Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and Yong Siew Toh With institutions such as Nanyang Academy of music group on the scene was the T’ang Quartet. very relevant in Singapore for a long time to Conservatory of Music. Fine Arts’ School of Young Talents and School of Chan says: “We realised there were hundreds of come.” On whether he thought his career could have the Arts, which opened in 1999 and 2008 respec- piano quintets not being played often enough. It [email protected]

Billy Koh’s (right) Billy Koh made JJ Lin a big Mandopop star Ocean Butterflies Music Paige Lim artists does not lie solely with the artist. Be it turing the distinct Singaporean sound of mix- launched music producers, arrangers or songwriters, ing English and Mandarin hits – was released JJ Lin’s Not many people can say they had a hand in there’s a very strong team of Singapore under Ocean Butterflies in 2002, it sold two debut grooming one of the most successful Singapo- musicians behind many successful Mando- million copies across Asia in six months. album rean Mandopop stars of the 2000s – JJ Lin. pop acts.” Lin entered the scene a year later. None of in 2003. Billy Koh, co-founder of iconic home- Did Koh expect Lin and Chan – she was the artists under Ocean Butterflies who PHOTO: grown company Ocean Butterflies Music, has launched by Ocean Butterflies in 1994 – to entered the market after him, such as Hong COURTESY those bragging rights. His company launched be so successful? Junyang and Sing Chew Sin Huey from OF BILLY the then 22-year-old Lin’s debut album in He says: “When I do music, I don’t Mandopop Channel U singing contest Project KOH 2003. expect. I work hard to lift expectations.” SuperStar, has come close to creating the Having also produced more than 100 It is this philosophy that has pushed the impact Lin did in the 2000s. albums and groomed other regional stars veteran to keep going in spite of the odds Koh has a practical explanation: “Science such as Kit Chan, A-do and BY2, it is no local artists face. experiments do fail at times. We all live in a wonder Koh remains one of the most influen- He recalls when he first met former con- world that has competition. We have been tial music industry players today. struction foreman A-do and Lin, who was beaten up simply because the opponents are stronger.” He quit as chief executive officer of Ocean then a 17-year-old student, at Ocean But he is not one to be deterred by failure. Butterflies last year to set up Amusic Rights Butterflies’ Extraordinary Singer’s Course in “All we need to do is get up and fight – not Management, an international music 1998, the Mandopop market was dominated just with muscle but also with mind,” he company. It was reported by Lianhe Zaobao by Taiwanese idols such as Jolin Tsai, Elva says. Hsiao & F4. last month that Ocean Butterflies has been A judge on Project SuperStar for two sold to a China business group. “The idea was to study the market well seasons, he acknowledges that Singapore One of the pioneers of the blossoming but work against the existing one. Making a Mandopop talent contests have not produced xinyao scene in the 1980s, Koh started off in hit may be by luck. Continuing to make stars any stars to rival the big three in the 2000s: a band called The Straws with classmates is an art,” says Koh. Stefanie Sun, JJ Lin and Tanya Chua. Koh Nam Seng and the late Sunkist Ng. In 2002, Ocean Butterflies had become a Well-attuned to the workings of the enter- Together with two other xinyao writers Colin full-fledged recording label managing its tainment industry, he says: “The fundamen- Goh and Teo Kay Kiong, they set up Ocean own artists. tal business model of a television station is Butterflies Music in 1986. According to Koh, a decline in the that viewership numbers equal advertising In an e-mail interview with Life!, Koh, 52, popularity of Taiwan and Hong Kong music income, so it has to be an entertainment credits the xinyao movement in the 1980s for in the new millennium provided the golden show first. Whether or not it can be a success- launching the careers of local music industry opportunity for Singapore musicians to break ful talent hunt is secondary.” players such as himself, Tan Kah Beng and into the competitive Taiwan market as they He adds: “A television show in Singapore twins Lee Wei Song and Lee Si Song. The were more “multicultural”. is just a tiny part of the entire entertainment Lees went on to mentor Singapore’s top “With the exception of Jay Chou, most of world out there. Someone may have won on Mandopop export Stefanie Sun, who shot to the Taiwanese pop acts were mainly idols Singapore television, but he may have zero fame in the 2000s. who lacked interesting musicality,” he says. impact in the much more competitive enter- He says: “The success behind Singapore Indeed, when A-do’s debut album – fea- tainment world outside.”