Ding Yi Music Company
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| Ding Yi Music Company | |
|---|---|
| Chamber music ensemble | |
| Short name | DYMC |
| Former name | Arts Sphere Chamber Ensemble |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Location | Singapore |
| Principal conductor | Tay Teow Kiat |
| Website | www |
Ding Yi Music Company (previously known as Arts Sphere Chamber Ensemble), established in 2007, is a Chinese chamber music ensemble based in Singapore. The ensemble consists of 20 musicians currently, most having attended professional training at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. Their repertoire range from traditional Chinese music to contemporary avant-garde interpretations and cross-genre works, also premiering many compositions by award-winning composers like Eric James Watson and Cao Wen Gong. They have also collaborated with prominent musicians such as Min Huifen and Lu Chun Ling in various concerts. Ding Yi Music Company is under the direction of the Music Director Dr Tay Teow Kiat, and the Conductor Mr Quek Ling Kiong.
Accolades
The ensemble won First Prize in the Singapore National Arts Council Chinese Music Competition in 2008. In 2009, they came first in the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod held in Wales, United Kingdom; and in 2012, they won the Silver Award in the 28th Shanghai Spring International Music Festival.
Musicians
Music Director[1]
Dr. Tay Teow Kiat is the Music Director of Ding Yi Music Company, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts City Chinese Orchestra, the Dunman High School Performing Arts Centre, as well as the President of the Singapore Chinese Music Federation. He has received numerous awards, including the Cultural Medallion in 1993 and the Long Service Medal (Education Service) in 1997.
Dr. Tay has presented concerts that delight local audiences and enhanced the ties between Singapore and China through music. He has been invited to conduct professional Chinese orchestras in Shanghai, Tianjin, Shanxi and Shandong. Dr. Tay was also invited to grace many international Chinese music conferences and competitions, where he was a judge for some competitions.
With 40 years of experience in presenting concerts, Dr. Tay has brought many wonderful music experiences to audiences. His passion and interest in grooming young talents has motivated him to nurture many Chinese instrumentalists, contributing to the development of Chinese music in Singapore.
Conductor[2]
Quek Ling Kiong was recipient of the National Arts Council’s (NAC) Singapore Young Artist Award (2002) and the NAC Cultural Fellowship (2013). He studied at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music under the NAC Overseas Scholarship, as well as the Lee Foundation and Singapore Hokkien Huay Kwan scholarships. He learned Chinese percussion from renowned master Li Min Xiong and Western classical percussion from Xue Bao Lun. He also explored various Chinese percussion arts with masters such as Li Zhen Gui, An Zhi Shun and Zhu Xiao Lin. After graduating from the Conservatory in 1997, he joined the Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) and became its Percussion Principal.
Quek Ling Kiong learned conducting from Cultural Medallion recipient Tay Teow Kiat and famed Chinese conductor Xia Fei Yun. He attended the workshops and masterclasses of such luminaries as Tsung Yeh, Kirk Trevor, Colin Metters and Harold Farberman as well as Johannes Schlaefli, Marc Kissoczy, Oleg Proskumya and Leonid Korchmar.
Quek Ling Kiong’s career in professional conducting took off when he became SCO’s first Conducting Assistant in 2003. In 2004, he became SCO’s Assistant Conductor as well as the Conductor for the Singapore Youth Chinese Orchestra (SYCO). In 2005, he debuted with SCO at the opening concert of the 12th International Conference of WASBE (World Association for Symphonic Band and Ensembles). In 2006 and 2013, he led SYCO to perform at the Tainan International Arts Festival and Hsinchu Chinese Music Festival in Taiwan respectively.
Besides conducting orchestras in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, he has conducted symphony orchestras in the Europe including Westbohmisches Symphonieorchester in Marienbad, Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra and Berg Komorni Orchestra of Prague. In September 2006, he was again awarded the NAC overseas bursary and scholarship from the Hokkien Huay Kwan to pursue Conducting Studies in Zurich, Switzerland. He obtained his Diploma in Advanced Studies from Zürcher Hochschule der Künste in 2007. Upon his return to SCO in 2008, he was promoted to Associate Conductor. During his appointment as an Associate Conductor, he introduced and choreographed many well-received SCO concerts – SCO’s Mother’s Day Concert, Concerts for Children, Community Series concerts, Outdoor Rhapsody, Caring Series concerts, Lunchtime Concerts and SYCO Concerts. Quek Ling Kiong is currently an adjunct teacher at the Singapore School Of The Arts and the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts.
Quek Ling Kiong was promoted to SCO’s Resident Conductor from 1 January 2013.
Full-Time Musicians[3]
| Instrument | Name | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Erhu | Chin Yen Choong | Concertmaster |
| Dizi | Tan Qing Lun | |
| Pipa | Chua Yew Kok | |
| Zhongruan | Kenny Chan | |
| Percussion | Eugene Toh |
Instrumental Musicians[4]
| Instrument | Name | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Erhu | Lim Kwuan Boon | Associate Strings Principal |
| Heng Lena | – | |
| Fred Chan* | - | |
| Zhonghu | Phang Kok Jun | – |
| Double Bass | Li Yongrui | – |
| Yangqin | Yick Jueru | – |
| Guzheng | Tay Yvonne | – |
| Zhongruan/Liuqin | Jonathan Ngeow | – |
| Loi Ee Vian* | – | |
| Dizi | Heng Xiangle | |
| Ng Hsien Han* | ||
| Soprano Sheng | Soh Swee Kiat* | – |
| Soprano/Alto Sheng | Teo Kah Chin | – |
| Alto Sheng/Suona | Wong De Li | – |
| Percussion | Derek Koh | Associate Percussion Principal |
| Goh Ek Jun | – | |
| Low Yik Hang | – |
- Contract Musician
Composer-in-Residence
| Name | School Attended |
|---|---|
| Phang Kok Jun | Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music |
| Chow Jun Yi | Jacobs School of Music |
| Liu Chang | Central Conservatory of Music |
DYMC Composium
To promote new music compositions for Chinese chamber ensembles, Ding Yi Music Company has established the Composium, a triennial composition festival which includes composition competitions, symposiums and performances that encourages new compositions from local and international composers.
Education and Outreach Programmes
The ensemble has initiated several engagements to educate and reach out to the public about their music and the genre of Chinese chamber music. Their projects include:
| Title | Summary |
|---|---|
| Feed Your Imagination (F.Y.I.) | Collaboration with Esplanade that allows students to have a musical experience, featuring narration, visual animation and music of traditional Chinese instruments. |
| Modular Co-Curricular Activities | Ding Yi Music Company musicians will provide music programmes for primary to secondary schools, introducing students to Chinese musical instruments and Chinese music. |
| Joy Project | Campaign and free performances targeted towards the elderly in Singapore. |
| Outdoor Fantasia | Outdoor concerts to bring Chinese chamber music to the masses. |
| Arts Education Programmes | Programmes to cater to student needs through the National Arts Council, showcasing the versatility of Chinese chamber music to students. |
| Masterclasses | Sessions hosted by invited maestros to allow audiences to gain in-depth knowledge of Chinese musical instruments and music. |