Spotlight on Women Composers

Born in Singapore, pianist Frances Lee has performed internationally as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral keyboardist. She made her concerto debut with the Bard College Conservatory Orchestra under the direction of Leon Botstein, and has collaborated with artists such as violinist Cho-Liang Lin and pianist Brian Connelly. She was a guest artist multiple times on the Context concert series in Houston, including a performance that was later broadcasted on Houston Public Media. In addition to giving Texas premieres of multiple contemporary works, Lee has performed with multiple professional ensembles, such as the Da Camera Young Artists, Hoppa Project, the Houston Chamber Choir, the string ensemble Kinetic, the new music ensemble Loop38, and the Victoria Symphony (Texas, USA). Her wide-ranging interests as a performer include premiering contemporary works, performing on historical instruments, and presenting outreach projects, and she is keen to explore all aspects of music and its relation to other fields. Lee holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance from The Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, in Texas, and studied with Melvin Chen, Brian Connelly, and Peter Serkin. Lee is also a committed teacher for students of all ages, and is currently on faculty at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore.

Benedict Ng is a violist and music educator from Singapore who believes that music has a powerful and uplifting impact on the community. He read music in King’s College London, graduating with First Class Honours, before completing his master’s in viola performance at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Keen on collaboration, he freelances with the Metropolitan Festival Orchestra and has performed with the Orchestra of the Music Makers, the Hornton Chamber orchestra and L’arietta Productions. He has also been selected to partake in side-by-side projects with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, and the Hebrides Ensemble. Ng is also currently a faculty member at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music.