NAFA Chinese Orchestra
NAFA is the only government-funded arts institution in Singapore offering a Chinese Instrumental Studies programme. Since 2012, Sunny Wong has led the programme, which trains over 40 full-time students from across Asia. The NAFA Chinese Orchestra is one of the academy’s most active ensembles, performing regularly and representing the school both locally and abroad.
The programme emphasizes solo performance, ensemble playing, orchestral work, and pedagogy, aligning with industry standards while nurturing a distinctive Singaporean Chinese music identity. Students have excelled in competitions across Singapore, Hong Kong, Russia, the U.S., and beyond.
The ensemble has toured extensively across China, the United Kingdom, and Taiwan, and has collaborated with top institutions such as the Central Conservatory of Music and the National Taiwan University of Arts.
Lim Yau, conductor
Lim Yau’s status as Singapore’s preeminent conductor is anchored in a distinguished and enduring career. In addition to his long-standing association with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra since its inception, Lim Yau’s contributions to choral music, opera, ballet, and contemporary music remain unmatched.
A recipient of the Cultural Medallion, he was conferred the COMPASS Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011 and, more recently, the Fellowship of the Royal College of Music (FRCM) in 2022 by the Royal College of Music, London.
A frequent collaborator with internationally acclaimed artists, Lim Yau has partnered with Sumi Jo, Giacomo Aragall, Marc-André Hamelin, Steven Osborne, Dmitri Makhtin, Gordon Hunt, Sharon Isbin, Isabelle Moretti, Simon Preston, the Anonymous Four, and Omara Portuondo.
An avid opera and ballet conductor, he has directed over 20 productions with the Singapore Lyric Opera, Singapore Dance Theatre, and others.
Founded under his direction, The Philharmonic Orchestra and The Philharmonic Chamber Chorus have become integral to Singapore’s musical landscape, recognised for their high-calibre performances and distinctive programming.
A testament to his commitment to new music is the breadth of repertoire he has introduced to Singaporean audiences. Beyond premiering works by James MacMillan, Tan Dun, John Adams, and John Corigliano, Lim Yau is the only conductor to have premiered works by every major Singaporean composer—most notably Bunga Mawar by the late Leong Yoon Pin, Singapore’s first opera.
Currently Artistic Director of the School of Music, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, University of the Arts Singapore (NAFA-UAS), Lim Yau remains deeply committed to the nurturing and development of young musicians.
Wong Sun Tat, erhu
Wong Sun Tat was born into a family of musicians and is a graduate of the Central Conservatory of Music Affiliated Middle School and its undergraduate programme, as well as the Masters’ programme at the China Conservatory of Music. He was the only international student of his generation to be admitted on a full scholarship from middle school through undergraduate studies at the Central Conservatory. In 1997, he joined the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, where he served as Associate Principal Gaohu for over ten years. He is currently the Head of Chinese Instrumental Studies at the School of Music, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, University of the Arts Singapore (NAFA-UAS).
Wong began performing at the age of seven in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, and was a frequent guest on television and radio. At age eight, he appeared in a charity concert at the Hong Kong Coliseum with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, where the media hailed him as a prodigy. Cultural icon James Wong (黃霞) described him as a “future maestro” in his Ming Pao column, praising his poise and radiance on stage. At nine, he won First Prize in the open erhu category at the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival, becoming the youngest winner in the history of the competition. As a student, he continued to receive top prizes at international erhu competitions in mainland China and Taiwan.
During his tenure with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, Wong was frequently featured as a soloist in performances that spanned traditional repertoire, modern concertos, pop, jazz, and commissioned works such as Tian Yuan and Mu Ran Hui Shou. His versatility in solo, chamber, and large ensemble settings has been widely recognised. He has also been invited to perform at major international arts festivals and has collaborated with leading Chinese and Western orchestras on stages around the world.
In 2012, Wong was appointed Head of Chinese Instrumental Studies at the School of Music, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, University of the Arts Singapore (NAFA-UAS). Since then, he has brought his professional orchestral experience and progressive educational philosophy into the programme. In recent years, NAFA-UAS students from the Chinese Instrumental Studies programme have delivered outstanding performances at national competitions in Singapore and prestigious international contests. Under his leadership, the department has also engaged in exchanges and joint performances with top conservatories in China, earning widespread praise from faculty and students alike.
Wong has released two solo albums under Taiwan’s Decca Records label.
Yu Jia, pipa
Yu Jia received her early music training through the Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing’s Affiliated Middle School and its undergraduate programme. She subsequently obtained Master’s degrees in both Pipa and Ruan performance from the China Conservatory of Music—distinguishing her as one of the rare musicians to hold advanced qualifications in both instruments.
In 1997, she joined the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, where she has served as Principal Pipa since. Over the course of her tenure, she has collaborated with numerous esteemed conductors and performed a wide range of major pipa concertos, including Man Jiang Hong, Se, Nu, Ancient Path Meditations, Sisters on the Grassland, Mulan, Spring and Autumn, and Toast and Hu Xuan Dance. She has also premiered commissioned works such as Heavenly Affinity, a concerto for pipa and erhu, and the pipa concerto Flying Apsaras.
In 2015, she premiered Dance of the Lion City, a pipa concerto that emerged as the winning work of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra’s International Chinese Music Composition Competition, receiving both the First Prize in Composition and the Audience Choice Award. The concerto has since become a hallmark of the orchestra’s touring repertoire.
Yu Jia remains active on the international stage, having performed across China, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Czech Republic, Russia, Denmark, Mexico, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau.
In 2023, she performed the pipa concerto The Scholar-Warrior at an arts festival in Shanghai. The following year, her performance of The Heavenly Ladder during the orchestra’s tour of Suzhou, Tianjin, and Beijing received widespread critical acclaim.
Yu Jia currently serves as Lecturer in Pipa and Ruan at the School of Music, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, University of the Arts Singapore (NAFA-UAS).
Zhan Yongming, dizi
Zhan Yongming is a renowned dizi performer and educator. He currently serves as Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the Department of Chinese Music, Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and as Visiting Professor at the School of Music, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, University of the Arts Singapore (NAFA-UAS). In addition to his academic roles, he is Council Member of the Singapore Chinese Music Federation and President of the Singapore Dizi Society.
Widely regarded as one of the foremost figures in dizi performance today, Zhan has received numerous awards in both national and international music competitions. He has performed and conducted masterclasses in over 20 countries and regions across Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. Lauded as “The Enchanting Magic Flute,” he was described by The Washington Post as “one of today’s outstanding performers.”
In 1991, Zhan became the first prominent dizi artist from mainland China to engage in academic exchange in Taiwan—a landmark event that significantly contributed to the development of dizi performance and education across the Taiwan Strait. Over the past two decades, he has trained a generation of accomplished performers in China and abroad, and has authored a substantial body of original works and pedagogical materials for the instrument.
His contributions have been documented in The Who’s Who of Contemporary Chinese Arts, The Dictionary of Chinese Musicians, and The International Who’s Who of Contemporary Figures.
Qu Jianqing, yangqin
Qu Jianqing is currently Principal Yangqin Musician of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra. She also serves as Committee Member of the Singapore Chinese Instrumental Music Association and the Cimbalom (Yangqin) World Association, Honorary Committee Member of the Yangqin Professional Committee under the China Ethnic Music Society, and Member of the China Musicians’ Association (Shanghai Branch).
Born in Shanghai, Qu began learning the yangqin at the age of nine under the guidance of Wang You De. Recognised for her exceptional musical talent, she was admitted to the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra at the age of thirteen. Over the years, she has studied with esteemed yangqin masters including Xiang Zu Hua, Pang Bo-er, and Zhang Xiao Feng.
She has received numerous accolades, including the Shanghai City “Literary Arts New Talent” title in 1980, the “Striker of the New Long March” (Outstanding Youth) title in 1981, the China National Ethnic Music Emulation Performance Prize in 1982, and the 14th Spring of Shanghai Outstanding Performance Prize in 1991.
Qu Jianqing has performed extensively across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, in countries such as the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Greece, Switzerland, Hungary, Belarus, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Malaysia, and Taiwan. A regular participant in World Yangqin Festivals, she has represented Singapore at the International Yangqin Conventions in Belarus (1997), Moldova (1999), Switzerland (2003), Beijing (2005), Hungary (2011), and Hefei (2019), where she presented solo recitals. In 2006, she was invited to perform Phoenix for yangqin and chamber ensemble at the ‘Arsenal Nights’ Chamber Music Festival in Poland, with the Wrocław Chamber Orchestra.
As a prominent performer, she has premiered many significant works for yangqin, including The Phoenix by Xu Changjun, Yellow River (arr. Qu Chunquan), and Rhapsody on Dinühua by Phoon Yew Tien. She has also released four solo albums.
Since migrating to Singapore in 1994, Qu has dedicated herself to music education. She currently teaches at the School of Music, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, University of the Arts Singapore (NAFA-UAS), the National University of Singapore, and the National Institute of Education. Her students have won First Prizes across all categories at the Singapore Chinese Music Competition.
