The Nature of Strings

Winner of the President’s Young Performer Concert 2021, Charmaine Teo is a concert harpist lauded by The Straits Times for her “nimble fingers and consummate musicianship” during her solo debut with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. She has clinched top prizes in international competitions such as the Camac Harp Taiwan Competition and been invited to perform at a plethora of international events including the Asia Harp Festival. Her orchestral endeavours took her to perform with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Sichuan Symphony Orchestra. Outside performing, Charmaine enjoys teaching and is currently Harp Faculty at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA).

Gildon Choo is an active pipa performer, educator and art maker who believes in bridging communities by creating meaningful experiences for both artists and audiences. A visionary at heart, Gildon realizes his dreams through his artistic endeavours, fostering an understanding between the various cultural landscapes of Singapore. Gildon is deeply attached to his roots in Chinese traditional music. It has always served as his main source of inspiration for his productions.

Aside from being a performer, Gildon also served as an Artistic Director to multiple productions. Some of which includes being the show director for Drumfeng’s A New Era, as well as ASEAN Sunburst Youth Camp’s Showcase. He also wrote and directed Get in Touch, a theatrical music concert dedicated to raising the awareness of one’s mental well-being, a commission by the Esplanade for Huayi – Chinese Festival of the Arts 2022. 

Driven by the passion to connect with musicians of different cultural backgrounds, Gildon founded the Open Score Project. He also helped to form up the Namhwa Teochew Music Ensemble and directed a few programmes over the short period since it’s founding. Most recently, together with Chua Yew Kok, he founded PipaCAN!, an initiative to connect local pipa enthusiasts.

Gildon currently coaches at NUS, Republic Polytechnic, and many other secondary schools.