Hometown Companions – Contemporary Voice

Quek Ling Kiong is always surprising audiences with innovative programmes, charismatic conducting and engaging concert experiences. A winner of the Singapore National Arts Council (NAC) Young Artist Award (2002), recipient of NAC Cultural Fellowship (2013) and Meritorious Awards by Compass Singapore (2016), he assumed the role of Principal Guest Conductor of Ding Yi in 2016.

Aside from his current roles as the resident conductor of Singapore Chinese Orchestra and the music director for Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra, Ling Kiong is also an active guest conductor within the international scene, especially in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. He is the mastermind behind major events that promote Chinese music to the masses, including the Ding Yi Chinese Chamber Music Festival and a competition for new chamber works titled Composium.

Established in 2007, Ding Yi Music Company is Singapore’s most prodigious Chinese chamber music ensemble and a coterie of accomplished Chinese instrumentalists that trademark Singapore Chinese chamber music in the traditional and contemporary field. The ensemble has captivated audiences with its distinctive approach to music-making and dedication to showcasing a vast repertoire that ranges from traditional Chinese music to contemporary interpretations and cross-genre works.

The Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra (SNYCO) is an orchestra organised under the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) National Project of Excellence (NPOE). Members of the orchestra come from a diverse range of backgrounds and have all been selected through a rigorous process. Every year, recruitment is open to tertiary and arts institutions, and also mainstream primary and secondary schools. In the 2020 Singapore Chinese Music Competition, 17 musicians from SNYCO won 1 Solo Grand Category, 1 Audience Choice Award, 6 First Prizes, 5 Second Prizes and 4 Third Prizes. From its inception, SNYCO holds 3 major ticketed concerts annually and since 2017, it has taken the additional step of performing in outreach and educational concerts in neighbourhood schools, the heartlands and communities. Not only do these concerts give the musicians more performance opportunities and stage experience, they also help to promote Chinese music to the communities.

The Purple Symphony, facilitated by the Central Singapore Community Development Council, debuted in 2015. It is Singapore’s largest inclusive orchestra comprising musicians with and without disabilities.

The more than 100-member orchestra consists of the following key musical sections: Percussion, Strings (Plucked and Bowed), Winds, and a special Choir.

The Purple Symphony is also an avenue for musicians to learn and share music with one another, support inclusion, celebrate their abilities, and serve the community as one.