Faizal and Friends

Chin Yen Chien started learning pipa at the age of 10. In 1992, he participated in the Inaugural Chinese Music Competition and won the 1st Prize in the Intermediate Category. The next year, he took home the 1st Prize in the “Pipa Intermediate Category” of the National Music Competition organised by National Arts Council. Yen Chien has represented Singapore in many international arts events, like the World Commonwealth Commemoration Day in New Delhi in 2004; the Inaugural ASEAN Musical Extravaganza in Kuala Lumpur in 2012; and the SAC International Conference of Folk Performing Arts in ASEAN held in Bangkok, in conjunction with the 5th Cycle Birthday of Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn in 2015.  

Mohamed Faizal has been playing the guzheng since 1999. Being hailed as the first Malay full-time guzheng player by Berita Harian, a Singapore Malay newspaper, Mohamed Faizal not only plays Chinese music but also music from different cultures like Malay, Indian, the West and also Middle Eastern music. His rearrangements of popular tunes and his own compositions have not only captivated local listeners but also those from other countries. Mohamed Faizal has been performing extensively locally and overseas. 

Chin Yen Chien and Mohamed Faizal met in late 2020 and they have been performing as duet partners ever since, bringing out the music in modern arrangements without losing its original flavours and expressions.