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Keat Hong Chinese Orchestra (KHCO) was formed in 1974 and it is a cultural group under the administration of Singapore Chua Chu Kang Community Club. With over 80 members, KHCO is a well-known amateur orchestra in Singapore. The orchestra has been actively developing young talents and contributing to the promotion of Chinese music in Singapore.

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KHCO has been awarded with various honors. These include the Singapore National Youth Service Award (1993), first prize winner and Best Performance Award consecutively in the National Music Competition (1987-1993). In 1996, KHCO was awarded the National Youth Letter of Commendation.

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KHCO has been holding regular concerts every year and has also worked with many renowned musicians like Zhou Cheng Long, Song Guang Hai, Wai Sing Fat, Chew Hee Chiat and Zhang Nian Bing. In recent years, KHCO has also invited overseas orchestras to hold joint concerts in Singapore, including Hong Kong Music Lover Chinese Orchestra, China Chengdu National Orchestra, Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Professional Cultural Center Orchestra, Australia Melbourne Chao Feng Chinese Orchestra and Taiwan Tao Yuan Yueh You Chamber Orchestra. In recent years, KHCO has been invited to perform at Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay for its Beautiful Sunday Concert.

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In 1992, KHCO was invited to represent Singapore to perform in the Cultural Festival in honor of Her Majesty, the Queen of Thailand, in Bangkok. KHCO has also been frequently invited to perform overseas, including Hong Kong (1988, 1994, 1999 & 2004), China Chengdu (1995), Changsha (2003), Australia Melbourne (1998 & 2002) and Malaysia Kuching (1993, 1995 & 2006). In 2009, KHCO has also performed in Hong Kong Music Lover 30th anniversary concert and Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Professional Cultural Center Orchestra 20th anniversary <Twenty Years Initiator> international concert.

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In 2013, KHCO was invited by Kagoshima Prefecture Government to perform in the Cultural Music Festival event. KHCO was invited to perform for Hong Kong Youth Chinese Music Festival in 2018. In 2019, KHCO participated in two concerts in Canada, “The 3rd Edmonton Chinese Music Festival - Bonne Musique III Concert” in Edmonton and “Spring Festival Chinese Music Concert” in Vancouver.

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Music Director

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Sim Boon Yew PBM

A renowned Chinese orchestral music practitioner, Sim was a zhonghu musician (1997-2017) and former resident music arranger with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO).  His great passion in Chinese music is exhibited in his active participation and promotion of it in numerous community cultural events. In 2001, he was conferred the Public Service Award by His Excellency, the President of Singapore.

 

Since 1981, Sim has been the Conductor of the Keat Hong Chinese Orchestra (KHCO), and now is its Music Director.  Over the years, he led KHCO to perform in China, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia and Hong Kong in various music festivals and cultural events and was popularly received.

 

Enthusiastic in orchestral music, Sim has composed and arranged more than two hundred pieces of such with special interests in local ethnic tunes and render a deep impact to local Chinese music composing scene.  Besides producing works commissioned by professional orchestra locally and abroad, Sim’s works also have been frequently played by amateur orchestras locally, and in China mainland, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Malaysia.

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Conductors

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Chin Yen Choong is one of the founding members and Huqin musician of Dingyi Music Company.

 

In 1999, Yen Choong started learning the Erhu from Ms Xu Wenjing. A highly talented musician, he quickly acquired a high level of skill in the instrument.

 

Since joining the Keat Hong Chinese Orchestra in 2000, he has been featured as a soloist in various performances playing the Erhu and Banhu both locally and overseas. In 2002, Yen Choong took part in the National Music Competition and was awarded 2nd runner-up in the Erhu Open Category and lead Dingyi Music Company to win the National Music Competition Ensemble category in the same competition in 2008.

 

He was the recipient of the Arts and Cultural Scholarship awarded by Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan for his diploma studies in NAFA. Receiving the National Arts Council (Singapore) Arts Bursary, Yen Choong is the pioneer batch of Chinese instrumentalist to attain the B.A (Hons) in Music at NAFA.

 

Yen Choong studied orchestral conducting with Mr. Eric Watson, Dr Robert Casteels and renowned Hong Kong conductor Mr. Wai Sing Fat. He also attended conducting Masterclass by Mr Yan Hui Chang, Mr Xia Fei Yun.    

 

He is currently the Conductor of Keat Hong Chinese Orchestra and various schools. He conducted the International combined orchestra consisting of musicians from Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan and Australia, for an invitation concert by Shanghai Chinese Orchestra in 2012. 

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Dedric Wong De Li is the Assistant Conductor of the Ding Yi Music Company, Music Director of the Asian Cultural Symphony Orchestra and Nanyang Collective. In 2014, received the National Arts Council Arts Scholarship Recipient. 2016, He was featured by the Straits time Scholars' Choice. Panelist of the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth Singapore Youth Action Plan.

He graduated with Masters in Orchestral Conducting at the China Conservatory of Music, under the tutelage of Prof Yang You Qing, with the guidance of Maestro Tsung Yeh.

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He graduated from The Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) in 2007, Diploma in Music, majoring in Suona Performance. After his Graduation, He received guidance in conducting from Dr. Tay Teow Kiat.

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In 2016, Dedric he guest conducted and staged his conducting recital with the China Conservatory of Music Middle School Youth Chinese Orchestra. In 2016-2017 served as the conducting fellowship with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra.  2018 he was invited to be the adjudicator of the National Chinese Music Competition and in 2019 Guest Conducted the China Sze Chuan Tian Zi Ensemble. Currently the Ensemble Director of the School of the Arts, Chinese Chamber Ensemble. 

 

Soloist

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Pik Heng began his Erhu journey in South View Primary School which was then under the tutelage of Mr Ong Kok Keong who is also one of the Erhu performer in Keat Hong Chinese Orchestra.

 

As he has developed a strong fondness towards Erhu, he pursued his passion when he was in Greenridge Secondary School. Under the baton of Mr Mike Chiang, he was appointed as the student conductor during his third year with the school orchestra.

 

To refine his basic skills, he started learning from Mr Ong Kok Keong and is currently under the guidance of Mr Chin Yen Choong. Pik Heng has been an active member of Keat Hong Chinese Orchestra since 2016.