HOME / PROGRAMME

Profile

 

The Philippine Cultural College Chinese Orchestra started in 1963 and organized several events to celebrate Chinese music over the years. In 1970 and 1972, Su Zhi Xiang led the orchestra and the rehearsals. In 1979, the Folk Music Group staged a successful show called " Peacock Spreading its Tail" with Lin Kuang Shi as the conductor. In 1983, the group performed at the school's anniversary with Shi Chun Ze as the conductor. In 1984, the group took part in a concert at Rizal Park. PCCCO has performed on various occasions and venues, such as the 80th anniversary of the alma mater in 2003, the 40th anniversary of the orchestra in 2004, and the 60th anniversary of the Pipa player Mr. Tang Liang Zhou in 2005. The orchestra has also collaborated with renowned musicians such as Wang Yi Qin, Huang An Yuan, and the Tang Family from Shanghai. In 2007, the orchestra held a concert titled "Er Quan Qin Rhyme" at the concert hall of Philam Life.

​

The group's musical journey spanned from 2010 to 2019, highlighting their talents in various countries and occasions. They performed with Erhu soloist Jiang Ke Mei at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in 2010, participated in the World Expo and a joint concert in Shanghai in 2010, paid tribute to a renowned Chinese artist with "Spring River Flower and Moon Night" in 2012, joined the "6th Sabah Chinese Music Festival" in Malaysia in 2013, co-directed a concert with conductor Simon Kong and Erhu soloist Yu Hong Mei in 2014, received the Overseas Youth Sea Silk Culture Award in Fuzhou in 2014, exchanged folk music with a Chinese orchestra in Sichuan Province in 2016, celebrated their 55th anniversary with conductor Simon Kong and Erhu Soloist Duan Ai Ai in 2018, and took part in the Yangtze River Delta National Orchestra performance in Shanghai in 2019.

​

PCCCO has been active in various musical events in the past two years. Despite the pandemic, they collaborated online with the Yangtze River Delta National Orchestra in August 2021. They reunited in person in May 2022 to celebrate PCC's 99th anniversary. They also participated in a cultural event by the Chinese Embassy and the NCCA at Metropolitan theatre on October 26, 2022, and at Ayala Museum on November 23, 2022, which promoted cultural exchange and mutual learning between China and the Philippines. In addition, they were invited by the Quezon city government to perform at the Chinese New Year celebration on January 23, 2023. This year, PCCCO is also celebrating the 100th year anniversary of the Philippine Cultural College.

​

The Philippine Cultural College Chinese Orchestra (PCCCO) is a musical ensemble that highlights the rich and diverse heritage of Chinese music. The orchestra was founded by students and alumni from the Philippine Cultural College (PCC), a school that promotes bilingual education and cultural awareness. The PCCCO aims to share the beauty and harmony of Chinese music with the Filipino audience and beyond.

​

 

The CO Peeps is a non-profit arts organisation dedicated to building an inclusive and vibrant Chinese Orchestra (CO) community for youths in Singapore to learn, explore and collaborate through music.

 

The CO Peeps humbly began as a small group of friends playing music together, which grew organically into a community of youths, and now becoming an arts organisation that creates and organises programmes and projects that provide value and unique experiences for youths in Singapore.

 

The CO Peeps’ community comprises youths of different ages from across Singapore, connecting youths through digital platforms such as Discord, Instagram, Tik Tok and Facebook. The community prides itself in being an inclusive space where all are welcomed, no matter their skill level or background, providing everyone with an open and supportive environment to share, explore and learn from each other.

​

Conductor

​

Simon Kong Su Leong is a Malaysian composer and conductor of Chinese descent. He was born in Sabah state and his ancestral hometown is Bao'an, Shenzhen, China. He is the first "foreign student" to graduate with outstanding achievements from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music's major in Chinese instrumental composition. He studied under the guidance of the renowned composer Professor Zhu Xiaogu. During his studies, Simon also learned conducting from the distinguished music educator Professor Xia Feiyun, modern music composition from the renowned composer Professor Xu Jianqiang, suona performance from the esteemed suona player Professor Liu Ying, percussion performance from the acclaimed percussionist Professor Yang Ruwen, and Chinese folk song theory from the ethnomusicologist Professor Huang Bai. Jiang's mentor during his formative years was the well-known Malaysian Chinese music educator Teo Seng Chong.

 

In recent years, Simon has been dedicated to exploring the creative composition, orchestration, and therapeutic applications of Chinese "Wuxing" instrumental music. He frequently collaborates with professional orchestras such as the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, Taipei Chinese Orchestra, Taiwan National Chinese Orchestra, and Kaohsiung City Chinese Orchestra. Simon's works have been performed not only in Malaysia but also in Taiwan, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Europe, and Macau. He has received awards such as the Ethnic Music Composition Award from Taiwan's National Culture and Arts Foundation and the Composition Grand Prize from the Singapore International Chinese Orchestra Composition Competition. Some of his composed works are included in albums published by BIS Records in Sweden, Taipei Chinese Orchestra, Singapore Chinese Orchestra, Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, Chinese instrumental music textbooks, and the Chinese National Music Collection.

 

Simon is a highly respected musician and conductor, and his musical talent and skills have been widely recognized in the industry. In 2019, as the only invited overseas guest, Simon participated in the Chinese Orchestration Seminar for Chinese Orchestras at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, where he shared his ideas and insights on "Wuxing Wisdom in Chinese Instrumental Orchestration." In 2020, Simon produced ten episodes of the live streaming program "Chatting about Chinese Instrumental Music through Eating and Drinking" for the Huifu Yuefang app platform and served as the host. The program received high praise and had a viewership of up to 1.5 million people. Additionally, Simon was invited to teach live in the "Chinese Orchestration Workshop" of the Taipei Chinese Orchestra. In 2021, he was invited to curate and host five live streaming sessions of the Singapore-Malaysia Cross-Strait Forum for the Chinese Orchestra.In March 2023, Simon was invited by the Taipei Chinese Orchestra to participate in the opening concert of the Traditional Arts Festival in Taipei. In August, Simon was invited by the Hong Kong Music Office to conduct the Hong Kong Youth Music Camp's Chinese Orchestra and Junior Chinese Orchestra.

 

Furthermore, Simon has been invited multiple times to conduct Chinese orchestras and serve as an international competition judge in various locations worldwide, including the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Brunei, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Wuhan. He currently holds the position of Secretary-General in the Sabah Chinese Music Society in Malaysia.

​

​

Lu Jietao is an up-and-coming young musician and leader in the local arts scene, he is a two-time recipient of The Hokkien Foundation Arts & Culture Award (2020 and 2021) and was also awarded the Mapletree-Teng Academy Scholarship (2018-2020).

He is the Founder of The CO Peeps, a non-profit arts organisation dedicated to building an inclusive and vibrant Chinese Orchestra (CO) community here in Singapore for youths to learn, explore and collaborate through music.

In 2022, Jietao was appointed a Council Member of the Singapore Chinese Music Federation Youth Chapter, a hand-picked team of young leaders tasked to lead and conceptualise productions and programmes, and to raise awareness of Chinese music among the youths of Singapore.

Besides his work in arts management and community building, Jietao is also an aspiring Conductor, taking the podium and serving as Music Director in recent productions such as at the Singapore Chinese Music Festival (2021), The CO Peeps Community Gala Concert 2022, Nam Hwa Blazes: Converging Harmonies (2022) and Klavier Wonderland Piano Recital (2022).

 

He is privileged to be mentored by both the Executive Director of SCO, Mr Terence Ho, and Music Director of SCO, Maestro Tsung Yeh.