Faculty Members Archive - Page 6 of 7 -

Daniel Constant

Field(s) of study: Violin

Born : USA

Qualification: Violin, Mannes Pre-College

Biography: Mr Daniel Constant is an accomplished American violinist with a versatile background spanning NYC Broadway, studio recording, orchestral, and chamber music.

Highlights include the Broadway productions of Moulin Rouge and The Great Gatsby, Grammy-winning studio recordings with the 8-Bit Big Band, credits on film scores such as Academy Award–winning (Best film score) Joker (2019), and successful major cruise line residencies.

Faculty : Faculty since October 2025

Neville Athenasius Ang Xin Chun

Field(s) of study : Violin

Born : Singapore

Degrees : Master of Music, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, Bachelor of Music with Honours (Distinction) in Violin Performance, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music

Biography : Neville obtained his bachelor’s with honours (Distinction) and his Masters of Music from the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music. His previous teachers include Associate Professor Zuo Jun, Head of Violin at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, Singapore Symphony Orchestra Fixed Chair Violinist, Chan Yoong Han and Concertmaster of The BBC Symphony, Igor Yuzefovich.

As an active orchestral musician, Neville freelances with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. He also actively leads and perform with other local groups such the Metropolitan Festival Orchestra. ReSound Collective, Red Dot Baroque and the Wayfarer Sinfonietta.

In his younger days, Neville spent 8 years in the Singapore National Youth Orchestra. Through this national programme, he had the opportunity to perform abroad in cities such as Aberdeen and Berlin. He emerged as the winner in the 2014 SNYO Concerto Competition and made his solo debut with the Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto. He was also selected to participate in the 30th Toyota Youth Orchestra Camp in Tokyo where he collaborated with musicians of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.

Earlier in 2018, a formal invitation was extended to him to lead the Jungli Youth Orchestra from Taoyuan City, Taiwan, for a performance in Korea at the KBS Hall. Other notable posts include principal violinist with orchestras such as Musicians Initiative, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory Orchestra, Singapore International Festival of Music Orchestra and the International Festival Chorus Singapore Orchestra.

Between June to August 2022, Neville attended the Aspen Music Festival under scholarship. Subsequently, he attended the World Orchestra Forum in Shizuoka, Japan, as an invited guest speaker. During the forum, he gave a presentation about the impact of music in the lives of young people to an audience that included Japanese Royalty, Princess Takamado. As an invited guest, he was also given the opportunity to perform for the Princess as well.

Faculty : Faculty since January 2024

Chang Jeh, Jakin

Field(s) of study: Viola, Violin

Born: Singapore

Degrees: BMUS (Hons) in Viola Performance, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music; Diploma in Music Performance, Viola, Licentiate of Trinity College London; Diploma in Music Performance, Viola with Distinction, Associate of Trinity College London

Biography:

Jakin Chang is a violist from Singapore. He obtained a full scholarship to study Viola Performance at Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (YSTCM), National University of Singapore (NUS), to study under Ms. Zhang Manchin, principal violist of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, and graduated in 2021. He has since played in masterclasses with Huang Hsin-Yun, Charles Castleman, Csaba Erdelyi, Roger Tapping, Mazumi Tanamura, Shlomo Mintz and Basil Vendryes among others.

Jakin is also well versed in chamber music, and has studied under members from the T’ang Quartet, London Haydn Quartet, Sitkovetsky Trio and Kronos Quartet.

Playing in numerous orchestras around Singapore even before entering music conservatory, Jakin has a rich Orchestra experience, serving as Principal Viola and Section Viola in orchestras such as Musicians Initiative, Orchestra of the Music Makers, International Festival Chorus, and Metropolitan Festival Orchestra among others.

In musical pedagogy, Jakin is a believer in patient guidance to encourage steady progress. His approach to teaching is a mixture of imbuing a true passion and love for music, and creating a firm technical foundation for his students to grow. He regularly draws from life experiences to inspire his students as he believes that there should be real experiences behind every musical lesson.

Faculty: Faculty since May 2023

Jeremy Chiew

Field(s) of study : Viola, Violin

Born : Singapore

Degrees : Master of Music in Viola Performance, Longy School of Music of Bard College, Boston

Biography : A classical violist by training, Mr Jeremy is an adjunct lecturer with the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) where he engages students frequently and encourages partnership-building between them and the communities at large.

Mr Jeremy also maintains his educational ties by coaching school string ensembles and students at the secondary and tertiary levels such as Raffles Institution, St. Margaret’s Secondary and the Singapore National Youth Orchestra, volunteering also as a viola coach at Beautiful Minds Charity, where he applies Alexander and Dalcroze techniques in his classes while serving children with special needs.

His recent years saw Mr Jeremy take on leadership, creative programming and administrative positions with different performing arts groups and non-profit organizations, and is familiar with the various grants available. He is the current Assistant Artistic Director and General Manager of New Opera Singapore.

Faculty : Faculty since March 2023

Placida Ho

Field(s) of study : Violin, Viola

Born : Singapore

Degrees : Master of Music with Specialization in Music Education, Violin; Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag, Netherlands

Biography : Ms Placida Ho has just finished her second Bachelor of Early Music on Baroque violin at the Royal Conservatoire of the Hague, the Netherlands. She studied with Ryo Terakado and modern violin with Liesbeth Ackermans. She studied with Alexander Souptel and Igor Yuzefovich for her Bachelor of Music with Honors (Violin Performance) in Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, Singapore. She also did a minor study on the violone with Maggie Uruqhart in the Hague for 2 years. For her modern chamber music training in the Hague, her quartet auditioned and was chosen to take part in lessons with the Casals Quartet for a year.

Throughout her studies she has been deeply interested in training herself as a teacher. She studied violin didactics with Liesbeth Ackermans for 2 years, attended numerous Kodaly workshops conducted by teachers from the Liszt Academy Kodaly Institute and taught in and observed the Pi music program for young children in the Conservatoire.

During her studies abroad, Ms Placida has participated and facilitated some classes of the Pi program for young children in the Royal Conservatoire of the Hague. She has also taught a wide range of students from 3 years old to adult beginners in a local private music school.

Faculty : Faculty since September 2020

Huong Ly

Field(s) of study : Cello

Born : Vietnam

Degrees : Bachelor of Music, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory; Bachelor of Music, Hanoi National Conservatory of Music (Vietnam)

Biography : Has taught for more than 10 years in Vietnam and Singapore. A highly sought after cellist for many chamber concerts and orchestra events, such as Cellissimo at the Esplanade Recital Studio, a member of Singapore Festival Orchestra.

Faculty : Faculty since 2009

Wong Sung Ki

Field(s) of study : Violin

Born : Singapore

Degrees : Bachelor of Business Administration, NUS (Singapore); ATCL Associate of Trinity College London Violin Level 4 Diploma in Music Performance; ABRSM Grade 5 Music Theory

Biography : Ms. Wong Sung Ki started her musical journey at the age of 4. She is a passionate violinist and dedicated teacher with over four years of teaching experience, guiding students from young beginners to adults. She holds a Trinity College London ATCL Diploma in Violin Performance and has performed with the NUS Strings Ensemble during her time in NUS, gaining valuable ensemble and stage experience.

As a teacher, Ms Wong Sung Ki believes in creating a fun and encouraging learning environment while maintaining a strong focus on solid technique and exam preparation. Her approach balances enjoyment with structured learning, helping students build confidence and achieve their musical goals.

Faculty : Faculty since November 2025

Kim Kyu Ri

Field(s) of study : Violin

Born : Korea

Degrees : Bachelor of Music with Honours (Merit) in Violin Performance, NUS

Biography : Kim Kyu Ri is currently a violinist in the newly formed Concordia Quartet, a professional string quartet based in Singapore. As an active chamber musician, she has previously performed with various chamber groups in and out of conservatories and has collaborated with members of the T’ang Quartet in Singapore.

Ms. Kyu Ri has freelanced regularly with professional orchestras in Singapore such as the Re:Sound Chamber Orchestra and the Metropolitan Festival Orchestra, and was concertmaster and associate concertmaster with the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory Orchestra and Musicians’ Initiative, as well as the Singapore National Youth Orchestra.

In 2017, she was selected from over a thousand musicians across Asia to participate in the Asian Youth Orchestra’s Global Tour under full scholarship, where she performed in highly esteemed festivals such as the Lucerne Festival and the Young Euro Classics, while collaborating with renowned artists and conductors such as Matthias Bamert, Sarah Chang and Vadim Repin. She has also taken masterclasses from various artists and pedagogues – Nam Yun Kim, Midori Goto, Itzhak Rashkovsky, Dennis Kim and Richard Roberts among others.

Ms. Kyu Ri has received her Bachelor of Music (Honours) from the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music where she studied with Igor Yuzefovich, and went on to pursue her Master of Music degree at Mannes School of Music with renowned pedagogue Lucie Robert.

Faculty : Faculty since July 2020

Niq Osman

Field(s) of study : Drums

Born : Singapore

Degrees : –

Biography : Mr Niq Osman is a veteran Singaporean drummer and percussionist with a career spanning more than five decades. Born in Singapore, he began performing professionally in 1970 and has built a reputation as a versatile and reliable rhythm section player in the local and regional music scene.

He has recorded for major labels including EMI and the former Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), where he also played in the SBC combo and orchestra.

His live performance experience includes international gigs in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Pakistan and Macau.

Mr Niq Osman is known for his rhythmic finesse and adaptability across genres, including jazz, blues, rock, ethnic, acoustic, Latin, Bossa Nova, and more. He frequently handles both drums and percussion such as congas.

Since May 20024, Mr Niq Osman has served as a drums faculty member at the Mandeville Conservatory of Music in Singapore, where he teaches aspiring drummers.

He remains active in Singapore’s jazz and live circuit, often collaborating with local musicians. He is a regular in groups like:

Kenchana Jazz / Kenchana Trio / Kenchana Band (with artists such as Rudy Djoe on vocals, Arnold Pontoh or Rachma Lim on keys / piano, Faban Lee or Daniel Purnomo on bass/guitar/ukulele, and various vocalists like Soukma)
Performances feature a mix of jazz standards, evergreen classics, Malay/Indonesian songs, Brazilian/Latin rhythms, and nostalgic TV/movie soundtracks.

Notable recent appearances include:

The “Soundtrack of Our Hearts” event at Esplanade Singapore in November 2025, where the Kenchana Trio played nostalgic Malay and Indonesian classics.
Gigs at venues like Simply Jazz, The Jass Loft, and various hotels or events.
Recordings and projects like the album Naima (feat. jUST jAZZ jIVE), where he contributed congas and percussion.

Faculty : Faculty since May 2004

Yu-Rou Li

Field(s) of study: Violin

Born : Taiwan

Degrees: Master of Arts (MA) in Music with Magna Cum Laude (Distinction), Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel;

Biography:

Former Guiyang Symphony Orchestra musician (First Violin).

Ms Yu-Rou Li completed her Master’s degree at Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel under Professor Yossif Ivanov who was the second prize winner of the Queen Elisabeth Violin Competition in 2005. During her musical journey, she joined the MuCH Ensemble in Waterloo and performed at the Royal Palace of Brussels and Flagey. She was also invited by the Taipei Representative Office in the EU and Belgium as a guest violinist for prominent events.

Ms Yu-Rou Li has attended many renowned violin and chamber music masterclasses, including those with Marc Danel, Prazak Quartet, Tatsuki Narita, Lucie Robert, and Nai-Yuan Hu. In 2017, she was awarded a scholarship to be an exchange student at the Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki (Finland).

With 20 years of experience, Ms Yu-Rou Li has dedicated herself to her music career. She has performed as a concertmaster in numerous concerts, while also devoting her expertise to nurturing students across Belgium, Finland, China, and Taiwan.

Faculty : Faculty since July 2023