Tsung Yeh
Tsung Yeh | |
---|---|
葉聰 | |
Singaporean | |
Education | Shanghai Conservatory of Music
Mannes College of Music
Conductor |
Employer | Singapore Chinese Orchestra |
Spouse | Wong Sau Lan |
Awards | Cultural Medallion |
Yeh Tsung (born 17 May 1950), better known as Tsung Yeh, is a Chinese conductor. He was the world’s first conductor to hold music directorship of a Western symphony orchestra and a Chinese orchestra simultaneously, being the musical director of both the Singapore Chinese Orchestra and the South Bend Symphony Orchestra in the United States, although he left the South Bend Symphony Orchestra in 2016.
Early life and education
Yeh was born on 17 May 1950 in
Career
Yeh graduated from the conservatory in 1972, and was sent to an arts college in
In 1984, Yeh won the Exxon/Arts Endowment Award, and became the assistant conductor of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, and the principal conductor of the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra.[2] Somewhere from 1987-1989, he was the resident conductor of the Florida Orchestra and the principal guest conductor of the Albany Symphony Orchestra.[2] He was appointed the musical director of the South Bend Symphony Orchestra on 10 April 1988.[8] In 1995, he and the orchestra were awarded the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Award in Excellence in Programming and Performing.[9]
Yeh was appointed the music director of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra in January 2002, despite still being based in America.[10][11] By then, he was also the conductor laureate of the Hong Kong Sinfonietta.[12] The decision for him to take over as music director was first announced in December 2001.[6][13] When Yeh took over as music director, he initiated a project in which he began to blend the traditional Chinese music which the orchestra typically played, with several musical genres such as jazz and rock.[14][15] He began the project as he believed that adapting the orchestra in this way would help it stay relevant and ahead of the competition.[16][17] In 2005, he renewed his contract for the Singapore Chinese Orchestra.[11] In 2005, Yeh, along with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, went on tour in Europe, and was the first Chinese orchestra to perform at the Barbican Centre in London.[18] The orchestra has also toured in China under his directorship.[19]
Yeh renewed his contract with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra again in 2011.[20] He was awarded the Cultural Medallion in 2013 for his work with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra.[21] He left the South Bend Symphony Orchestra in 2016 and held his last concert with the orchestra on 7 May 2016.[8] Yeh, along with conductors Hu Bing Xu and Choo Hoey, conducted a special performance to commemorate the Singapore Chinese Orchestra's 20th Anniversary.[22]
Personal life
Yeh is married to Wong Sau Lan, whom he first met in the 1980s, and together they have three children, named Mona, Melina and Joseph.[2][23] All of his children were born in the United States.[8] Yeh became a permanent resident of Singapore in 2004.[24] In 2016, after leaving the South Bend Symphony Orchestra, he and his family moved to Tanjong Pagar in Singapore.[23]
References
- ^ "Cultural Medallion 2013 Tsung Yeh" (PDF).
- ^ a b c d e f g Sim, Cheryl. "Tsung Yeh". Singapore Infopedia. National Library Board. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ a b c Tan, Corrie (16 January 2012). "Maestro reformer". The Straits Times. Singapore.
- today. Singapore. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ^ Tan, Shzr Ee (25 January 2002). "Shanghai, New York, now S'pore". The Straits Times. Singapore.
- ^ a b Chow, Clara (27 November 2001). "Shanghai maestro to lead SCO". The Straits Times. Singapore.
- today. Singapore. 21 September 2005. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ^ South Bend. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- South Bend. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ "Yeh, he has charisma". The Straits Times. Singapore. 25 January 2002.
- ^ today. Singapore. 19 November 2005. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- today. Singapore. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ^ Gee, John (14 December 2001). "Composing changes". The Straits Times. Singapore.
- ^ "Looking Beyond the Traditional". The Straits Times. Singapore. 19 May 2003.
- The Business Times. Singapore.
- ^ Leong, Weng Kam (27 September 2014). "Music maestro champions classics with a Singaporean note". The Straits Times. Singapore.
- ^ Chia, Adeline (3 December 2009). "Mixing music". The Straits Times. Singapore.
- ^ "Yeh Tsung, 55". The Straits Times. Singapore. 27 December 2005.
- ^ Leong, Weng Kam (22 June 2014). "Chinese Orchestra back from China, raring to go". The Straits Times. Singapore.
- ^ Tan, Corrie (5 August 2011). "Yeh Tsung renews contract". The Straits Times. Singapore.
- ^ "Tsung Yeh". NORA. National Library Board. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ^ Lee, Jian Xuan (14 June 2016). "Conductors Tsung Yeh, Hu Bing Xu and Choo Hoey share baton duty for a show". The Straits Times. Singapore. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ^ a b Leong, Weng Kam (6 March 2017). "S'pore strikes a chord with SCO conductor". The Straits Times. Singapore. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ^ "On a cultural mission". AsiaOne. 2013-10-25. Retrieved 2023-01-06.