Simplicius Cheong Quintet

Violinist David Loke is a multi-faceted musician. Trained in classical and jazz performance, David is active as a performer, composer, producer and arranger. An Artist Faculty at the Yong Siew Toh (YST) Conservatory of Music, he also works for the Music & Drama Company.

David graduated with a Bachelor’s of Music from YST and obtained his Masters from the Yale School of Music, and in jazz performance from the New England Conservatory of Music.

As a performer, David traverses solo and chamber classical repertoire alongside pop and jazz settings.

Singapore based Japanese musician Hiroaki Maekawa has been actively performing and collaborating with artists in the region for past 17 years. As an artist, Hiroaki has produced and released two albums comprising original compositions with his progressive jazz rock band, Tokyo Blue.

Composer and pianist Simplicius Cheong became a professional jazz pianist at 18, playing in various jazz venues in Singapore. A producer of music programmes on radio and television in Singapore and at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Cheong has composed a range of works such as his Symphony No 1, three flute sonatas and various chamber works.

In 1965, his first Australian jazz quintet The Baroque Jazz Ensemble recorded a Long Playing Album for EMI (Parlophone PMCO 7531), which was released worldwide. His Movement for 6 Instruments was premiered live over Minnesota public radio in 1982 by the Australian Chamber Ensemble and his recent composition Jazz Movement for Flute & Piano was given its world premiere in London at the Purcell Room.

As an educator, Cheong has conducted courses in jazz, composition and aesthetics in various tertiary institutions, including the University of New South Wales. Now in his 80s, Cheong divides his time between music and a daily swim in the ocean near his home in Sydney.

Apart from being a percussionist of all kinds of music from jazz and classical to Latin and contemporary, Tama Goh is also a producer for major concerts, Singapore television, music festivals and special events. In his career, he has performed with Jeremy Monteiro, Sandy Lam, Francis Yip, FIR, Laura Fygi, Ronald Keating, Chris Brubeck, James Moody, Ernie Watts, Carmen Bradford, Eric Manriental, Eldee Young, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Chinese Orchestra and the Singapore Festival Orchestra. In addition to his role as music advisor to Mus’Art Wind Orchestra and Mus’Art Percussion Ensemble, Goh also mentors young artists and aspiring teachers in music performance and visual arts.