Kelly Tang

Kelly Tang (born 1961) is a Singaporean

Tang's love for music began at an early age. He started piano lessons at age six, and later played the tuba in his secondary school band. The young Tang did not find the tuba particularly interesting to play as there were not usually many parts in a musical composition that involved the instrument. However, this lack of activity turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it gave him the opportunity to observe what the other musicians in the band were doing and how all the parts fit together in a musical composition.

Tang began writing music even as a student. His interest in music grew and he went on to helm a Christian gospel pop group. He also played bass guitar while in Anglo-Chinese Junior College and later on in the army band.

Education

Tang enrolled at York University in Toronto, Canada with the support of his parents. In 1982, during his first year as an undergraduate at York, Tang met and was greatly influenced by Srul Irving Glick, his first music composition teacher. He was awarded his master's degree in composition by Northwestern University in 1991, and received his PhD in Music at Michigan State University in 1995.^[2]

Career

Tang's compositions have been performed by world-renowned ensembles such as the

In 1996, Tang scored the music for the Australian feature film “Feet Unbound: Women Of The Long March”, which has screened at major film festivals in Europe, America and Asia.[3] His Jazz compositions have been performed by pianist Jeremy Monteiro with Grammy® recipients Ernie Watts (saxophone) and Randy Brecker (trumpet). Tang’s music has been commissioned for the Singapore Arts Festival (2000), Shanghai International Spring Festival (2014) and Esplanade Theatres By The Bay’s Tenth Anniversary Celebrations (2012). His works have been featured at the Cultural Diversity in Music Education (CDIME) and World Association of Symphonic Bands & Ensembles (WASBE) international conferences.

Through the annual Singapore Youth Festival, Tang’s music is performed each year by thousands of students in school choirs and wind bands. His compositions are taught as part of the

Since 1996, he has served as Associate Professor of Music at National Institute of Education.^[4][5] In November 2011, he took on a new role as Dean at School of the Arts.^[6][7]

Special commissions

In 2014, Tang was commissioned by the

In celebration of Singapore's Golden Jubilee, Tang was commissioned to compose a piano concerto for "Sing50", a performance on 7 August 2015 showcasing Singapore's rich music history. His new work "Concerto in Three Movements" was premiered by virtuoso pianist Lang Lang and the Metropolitan Festival Orchestra, under the baton of Chan Tze Law.^[9]

Awards

In 2008, Tang was conferred the COMPASS Artistic Excellence Award by the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore.

For his contributions to the local music scene, Tang was conferred the Cultural Medallion in 2011, the highest award for the arts in Singapore.^[4]

See also

• Jeremy Monteiro

References