Performers(’) Present 2026
Orchestral Institute: Last Words Saturday, 24 October 2026 YST Concert Hall
Saturday, 24 October 2026 YST Concert Hall
Performers(’) Present 2026
Orchestral Institute: Last Words JOSEPH N STRAUS, NARRATOR AARON COPLAND Night Thoughts (Homage to Ives) NING AN, PIANO RUTH CRAWFORD SEEGER Suite for Woodwind Quintet GAOLAT QUINTET: SIMEON YAP, FLUTE GRACE TAN, OBOE STEPHANIE TAN, CLARINET KEE RUIHAN, BASSOON XAVIER TAN, HORN ALBAN BERG Violin Concerto QIAN ZHOU, VIOLIN YST ORCHESTRAL INSTITUTE WITH JASON LAI, PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR
Vice Dean’s Message “Songs are sung as though they might continue off into space.” — Ruth Crawford Seeger Welcome to Last Words, presented by the YST Orchestral Institute as a culminating event of Performers(‘) Present 2026: Interweaving. Having convened several earlier editions of this symposium, I feel a special pride in seeing it flourish so beautifully under the imaginative leadership of Dr Adeline Wong. I am sorry to be away on the Singapore Symphony Orchestra’s China Tour and to miss this evening in person. Our special guest for tonight’s concert is one of the symposium’s keynote presenters, Joseph N. Straus, Distinguished Professor of Music Theory at the City University of New York Graduate Center. As curator and emcee for this evening, he will guide your listening with live narration throughout the programme. I have long admired Joe’s gift for bringing the threads of musical analysis, cultural studies and historical context together. He makes complex ideas clear without losing their depth, illuminating the lives of musicians and the music they make. Tonight, that gift becomes part of the performance itself. We often listen to a composer’s late works with an ear for farewell. Tonight’s programme invites us to consider the creative lives still unfolding as these works were written: how the composers’ embodied experiences, their sense of time passing, and the people they held close shaped the music they created. As an audience, we also bring lives of our own to these works, and what we hear reflected in them is shaped, in part, by our ever-evolving relationship with mortality.
YST Associate Professor Ning An opens with Aaron Copland’s Night Thoughts, an introspective homage to Charles Ives. The Gaolat Quintet performs Ruth Crawford Seeger’s inventive Suite for Woodwind Quintet, the composer’s return to experimental composition that promised much more to come. Seeger’s untimely death only a year after the work’s premiere gives particular poignancy to her moment of creative renewal. The evening culminates in Alban Berg’s extraordinary Violin Concerto, performed by Professor Qian Zhou with the YST Orchestral Institute under Principal Conductor Jason Lai. Written and dedicated to the memory of Manon Gropius – the 18-year-old daughter of Alma Mahler and Walter Gropius –the work gives profound musical shape to grief and remembrance. Berg himself died only months after completing it, never hearing the work that would become his own farewell. Thank you for joining us for tonight’s performance. Your presence is part of the continuing conversations these works invite, and of the spaciousness they weave.
Associate Professor Brett Stemple Vice Dean (Performance & Research)
Associate Professor Brett Stemple, YSTs Vice Dean of Performance & Research was Appointed Associate Professor of Music at the Conservatory in 2017, where he also served as the Head of the Brass & Percussion area. In his time at YST, Brett steered the evolution of the YST Orchestral Institute, a creative musicians’ laboratory, designed as an innovative forum for conservatory-level orchestral training.
Creatives & Production
Joseph N Straus NARRATOR
Joseph Straus is Distinguished Professor of Music Theory at the CUNY Graduate Center. With a specialization in music since 1900, he has written numerous technical music-theoretical articles and scholarly monographs on a variety of topics in modernist music, including Remaking the Past: Musical Modernism and the Influence of the Tonal Tradition (Harvard University Press, 1990), The Music of Ruth Crawford Seeger (Cambridge University Press, 1995), Stravinsky’s Late Music (Cambridge University Press, 2001), and Twelve-Tone Music in America (Cambridge University Press, 2009). He has also written a series of articles and books that engage disability as a cultural practice, including Extraordinary Measures: Music and Disability (Oxford University Press, 2011) and Broken Beauty: Musical Modernism and the Representation of Disability (Oxford University Press, 2018). His most recent book is Cultural Narratives of Old Age in the Lives, Work, and Reception of Old Musicians (Routledge, 2025). He has also written textbooks that have become standard references, including Introduction to Post-Tonal Theory, now in its fourth edition, and Concise Introduction to Tonal Harmony (co-authored with Poundie Burstein). Many of his books and articles have received publication awards from the Society for Music Theory, of which he was President from 1997–99.
Ning An PIANO
Pianist Ning An is a rare pianist who has been hailed as a musician who “combines a flawless technique and mastery of the instrument with an expressive power that is fueled by profound and insightful understanding.” (New York Concert Review) His top prizes from the Queen Elizabeth, Cleveland, and William Kapell Piano Competitions led to performances at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall, Salle Verdi (Milan), and to the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. He has been invited to perform at numerous festivals, including the International Chopin Festival in Duszinski, Poland, the Gina Bachauer Piano Festival in Salt Lake City, New Hampshire’s Monadnock Music Festival, the Bourglinster Festival in Luxembourg, and the Interlaken Music Festival in Switzerland. A passionate chamber musician as well as soloist, Mr. An has performed with distinguished groups such as the Ysaye, Daedalus, and Takacs Quartets as well as instrumentalists James Ehnes, Paul Neubauer, and Andres Diaz. Since making his orchestral debut at the age of 16 with the Cleveland Orchestra, Mr. An has been a featured soloist with orchestras that include the London Symphony Orchestra, Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, the Stuttgart Philharmonic, Tivoli Symphony Orchestra, the Belgian National Symphony, the Flemish Radio Symphony, and many more under the batons of conductors such as Vladimir Fedosseyev, Jorg-Peter Weigle, Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos, and others. Mr. An was also a featured soloist on the 100th Anniversary American tour made by the Warsaw Philharmonic under the direction of Maestro Kazimierz Kord.
In recent years, Mr. An has increased his travels to Asia where he made solo debuts in the National Grand Theatre in Beijing as well the major concert halls of Shanghai, Guanzhou and Shenzhen. Recent concerto appearances have included the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan as well as the Guangzhou and Shenzhen Symphony Orchestras. Ning An has also been a top prize winner of the Paloma O’Shea Santander Competition, the Tivoli International Piano Competition, the Rachmaninoff International Piano Competition, the National Chopin Competition, the American Pianist Association and the Alfred Cortot Prize winner of the International Chopin Piano Competition. This artist began his musical studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music with Olga Radosavljevich and Sergei Babayan. Subsequently, Mr. An continued his studies under the tutelage of Russell Sherman at the New England Conservatory of Music. As a frequent guest lecturer, Mr. An has given masterclasses throughout the United States and Asia. He has served previously on the piano faculty of Lee University and as Associate Professor at the California State University Fullerton. He is currently an Associate Professor at Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, NUS.
Gaolat Quintet Gaolat is a Singapore-based woodwind quintet born from a shared love for quality music-making and creative risk. Our name carries a dual weight: it is at once 侯栗 (Teochew for traditional roasted chestnuts) and 够力 (Hokkien for power or intensity). This duality reflects the tensions we navigate as modern Singaporean musicians—balancing the warmth of our Asian heritage against our Western classical training, and the grit required to pursue art in a pragmatic world. Through collaboration with diverse creatives, we aim to redefine the woodwind quintet, proving that our music can be as comforting as a childhood snack and as formidable as the city we call home.
Qian Zhou VIOLIN
Born in Hangzhou, China, Qian Zhou had her early training at the Shanghai Conservatory, winning first prize in the China National Competition in 1984. In 1985, she went to the United States where she completed her studies with Berl Senofsky at the Peabody Conservatory, before being also personally mentored by Piero Weiss. At the age of 18, Qian Zhou received instant world-wide recognition with her brilliant triumph at the 1987 Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud Competition in Paris, breaking all precedent in the competition’s 50-year history by winning the First Grand Prize and all five major prizes. Her victory and the international attention it drew enabled her immediate access to the major halls and performing opportunities around the globe. For more than 20 years, she has been a frequent recitalist and soloist with orchestras in Europe, United States, Asia and Africa. Past engagements include concerts with the Baltimore Symphony and Chamber, Beijing Central Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, BBC Scottish, Bournemouth Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, National Orchestra of Ile de France, New Japan Philharmonic , Osaka Symphony, Rome Symphony, Russian Philharmonic, Singapore Symphony, Shanghai Symphony, Spanish National, Taipei Symphony and the Vienna Chamber Orchestras amongst others while recital highlights include performances at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Centre, Royal Festival Hall, Suntory Hall in Tokyo and the Vienna Concert Hall. While the Washington Post praised “her expressive talents, fluid phrases and delicate, at times almost weeping, vibrato, ” Le Figaro commended her “great violin playing”, acknowledging her as “a very great artist”, and La Nazione in Florence noted “her performance was an inspired force…accompanied by a technical polish, communicative capacity, and an expressive candor that was absolutely enchanting”. After a
performance at the Evian Festival under Rostropovich, the Dauphiné Libéré offered “she is a poet in the etymological sense: one who creates beauty and happiness”. Qian Zhou’s ten CDs with the Naxos, Hugo and Hungaraton labels have embraced a wide range of repertoire from Bach to Bartok to also drawn praise of the highest calibre. Her recording of the Beethoven concerto was described by Henry Roth in The Strad as “technically impeccable… burnished with beautifully-focused tone, a vibrato that spans the full gamut of colour, and an astute sense of pacing, all replete with sensitive nuances“. He noted, “her phrasing is breath-taking; not a note is ‘wasted’ or ignored, all delivered with a rare nobility of spirit”. Her Glazunov concerto was perceived as “extraordinary: full-blooded, suave and sophisticated, yet uncommonly thoughtful”, while her recordings of the complete Dvorak works for violin piano were praised as “strikingly confident, each note invested with glowing lyrical import”. Recent performances have included performances in Argentina, China, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, combining her enthusiasms and capacities as a soloist, recitalist, chamber musician and teacher. In December 2012, she was selected by CCTV for a programme which highlighted the 10 Outstanding Violinists of China. Upcoming performances include concertos in Australia, China, Hungary, Italy, Japan Russia and the Ukraine, with festivals including Qingdao (China), Bangalow, (Australia), InterHarmony (Italy) and Keshet Eilon (Israel). As the founding Head of Strings at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, she has combined her very active performance career with a passion for teaching which has now received equivalent high-level endorsement to that of her playing. With students already achieving considerable international success in Europe, Asia, America and Australasia, she is in much demand world-wide for masterclasses and as a participant in international juries. Qian Zhou was promoted to Full Professor by NUS from 1 July. Qian Zhou’s contributions to the Conservatory from its inception have been of profound significance in shaping our identity and reputation. The distinctive quality of her teaching, mentorship (of students, curriculum and faculty), performances, leadership of a range of institutional, national and international projects and international ambassadorial interactions are now recognised globally.
Jason Lai PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR
Jason Lai is the Principal Conductor at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory, Principal Guest Conductor at the Orchestra of the Swan, and former Associate Conductor of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and Hong Kong Sinfonietta. Jason has been a prominent figure in Singapore’s musical life since his arrival in 2010, but also active internationally giving masterclasses in Europe and China. He has also guest conducted the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, New Japan Philharmonic, Podlasie Opera Philharmonic in Poland, Macao Orchestra, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, and Hong Kong Philharmonic. Intent on broadening the appeal of classical music to audiences who would not normally think of going into a concert hall, Jason has built a unique reputation as a communicator with mass appeal through his television appearances in both the UK and Asia. He has appeared on the BBC as a judge in both the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition and the classical talent show Classical Star. He was also a conducting mentor in the series Maestro and won the competition with his celebrity protégé. Since settling in Singapore he has continued with his television work and was presenter and conductor for Project Symphony, an eight part series which followed him in his quest to set up a community orchestra. Other shows for BBC World News include Heart of Asia exploring the contemporary arts and culture scene in Thailand, Indonesia, Korea and the Philippines, and Tales from Modern China, a voyage through contemporary China. Most recently in Singing to Remember for Channel News Asia, Jason set out to test the theory that regular group singing in choirs helps slow down the damaging effects of dementia.
Orchestral Institute FIRST VIOLIN
Syu Cheng-Yi, concertmaster Chen Yi-Tien Viktoria Ivaylova Marinova Chen Yun-Li Huang Chia-Ying Ng Ee-Jun Siew Xuan Ying Zhan Qihui Foong Shu Yan Ashley Yin Chen Ziyue
SECOND VIOLIN
Lin Yi-Hsuan, principal Aureitsevich Natallia Chien Hsin Wu Yingtong Li Hao Neville Ang^ Zhang Hanzhi Zheng Xiyan
VIOLA
Kung Yu-Ning, principal Yang Yvonne Chen Wei-Yan Lee Hung Maryia Kazarez Lu Mina
CELLO
Ren Zhiyi, principal Lai Shin-Yen Assenbay Alan Liu Yuyang Lev Alieiev
DOUBLE BASS
Huang Yung-Ting, principal Yu Wenpeng Loewe Lim Li Tong Cheng Hsu-You
FLUTE/PICCOLO
TRUMPET
OBOE
TROMBONE
Oh Seonyoung, principal Chen Chih-Ying
Goh Jing Zhong, Jasper, principal Huang Xingyang
ENGLISH HORN
Huang Xingyang
CLARINET
Zhang Liangliang, principal Dominic Koh Su Geli
BASS CLARINET
Hayden Chung-Hei Butt
ALTO SAXOPHONE
Phua Peh Ming Samuel^
BASSOON
Zhang Jinghao, principal Chang Ching-Hsuan
Conan Pierce Moraal, principal
BASS TROMBONE
Kwai Ming Yang Lucas
TUBA
Lim Jun Yi
TIMPANI
Hsu Zih-Ciao
HARP
Zeng Yan
PERCUSSION
Kuo Yan-Shin, principal Ko I-Ting
Liu Jiayu, principal Li Zhiguang
CONTRABASSOON Chen Chia-Wei
HORN
Lim Ngee Cheng Lewis, principal Lim Shi Zheng, Lucas Luo Tianhao Lau En Qi, Chloe
^Guest/Alumni
Administration Team ORCHESTRAL INSTITUTE
PRODUCTIONS
Vice Dean (Performance & Research) Brett Stemple
Artistic Coordinator & Strategic Project Manager Kenny Ooi
Orchestra & Ensembles Manager Yap Zi Qi Orchestra & Ensembles Assistant Uvahraaj S/O Anbarasan
Production Coordinators Benny Lim Wei Cheah Christopher Ong Yadao
PROGRAMMING COMMITTEE
Technical & Operations Manager Tee Zhang Feng William Yee
Committee Chair Brett Stemple
Sound & Video YST Audio Arts & Sciences
Committee Members Abigail Sin Albert Tiu Eric Lamb Faezah Zulkifli Jason Lai Kelsey Tan Kenny Ooi Lim Yan Lim Yang Zhi Qin Li-Wei Yap Zi Qi
DEAN’S OFFICE Development Office Kelsey Tan Communications Office Faezah Zulkifli Toh Yan Ee Executive Assistant to the Dean Lim Yang Zhi
Symposium Team SYMPOSIUM COMMITTEE Symposium Convenor Adeline Wong Symposium Coordinator Toh Yan Ee Committee Members Brett Stemple Karst de Jong Eric Lamb Abigail Sin
@ystconservatory
ystmusic.nus.edu.sg