About > Identity - YST Conservatory

AN ARTISTIC IDENTITY

Centred in one of the world's most dynamic countries, we believe
we are uniquely placed to offer a distinct and powerful
contemporary Asian voice.

Identity

Inspirational life-affirming music-making is at the heart of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (YST Conservatory) at the National University of Singapore. Centred in one of the world’s most dynamic countries, the Conservatory is uniquely placed to offer a distinct and powerful contemporary Asian voice.

Founded in 2003, YST quickly established a reputation as Asia’s most exciting international conservatory by bringing together a world-class faculty and facility to develop excellence in instrumental performance and composition. Building on this strong foundation, the Conservatory has evolved over the past decade to become one of the world’s most distinctive music schools through diversifying its offerings and connecting more authentically with its surrounding community. Specialisations added subsequently include Voice, Audio Arts & Sciences, Conducting, Music & Society and Music, Collaboration & Production. Alongside students from Singapore, the Conservatory community is internationally diverse, with representation from over 20 countries and five continents.

Keenly focused on nurturing identity as a driver for excellence, YST’s Bachelor of Music programme originally formed its core focus. The Conservatory’s continuum of offerings has since expanded substantially to include a Master of Music degree; NUS-facing Second Majors, Minor and courses; Continuing Education & Training (CET) courses for adult learners; and a Young Artist programme, with the ambition to reach further into the University to establish linkages with other performing and creative arts. More broadly, the Conservatory’s extensive concerts and events calendar welcomes the wider public to engage in music.

Major gifts from the Yong Loo Lin Trust enable the Conservatory to offer full financial support for all its undergraduate students. Educational opportunities made possible by other donors include access to fine string instruments on generous loan from the Rin Collection. Through the Ong Teng Cheong Professorship in Music, the Conservatory has been able to engage eminent musicians such as Nobuko Imai, Paul Lewis, Shlomo Mintz, Jorma Panula, András Schiff, Masaaki Suzuki, and Gábor Takács-Nagy. Thanks to a range of other targeted gifts, our students can access funding to forge their own distinctive pathways through participating in international festivals, competitions and projects.

Beyond Singapore, YST holds many bilateral relationships with music schools around the world. It is active in numerous international music education alliances including the ConNext Network, Pacific Alliance of Music Schools and Southeast Asian Directors of Music, as well as holding associate membership in the European Association of Conservatoires (AEC). Alongside extensive student exchange partnerships, these relationships further enhance our work and energise our continued growth.

As part of one of the world’s most highly-ranked research-intensive universities, YST is also steadily building its presence in research. Faculty are engaged internationally as performers and composers as well as in a range of research and research-equivalent activity. The Conservatory has hosted several international symposia including Performers(‘) Present (four iterations since 2009) and Mathemusical Conversations (2015), providing a gathering place as well as presentation and publishing platform for Conservatory and international scholars alike.

With excellence, inclusion, community, agency and identity as key drivers, the Conservatory seeks to nurture aspirant professional musicians while giving greater musical resonance in the broader ecosystem. Holding “Listen in New Light” as a core guiding principle connecting its past, present and future endeavours, YST is well-positioned to lead change in music and higher music education in the 21^st century, reimagining new possibilities as it continues to evolve a unique trajectory.

Philosophy

For YST as a conservatory and a community for music-making, listening is our focal point that connects our past, present and future, offering continually-renewing light as we seek to create ever-richer engagement with music. It is also an illuminating light that signifies a beacon of excellence for art music from 21st-century Asia.

The inner circle of our logo symbolises YST positioned in Singapore as the centre of gravity for art music, as part of the nation’s Renaissance City vision of being a distinctive global city of the arts. The moving lines formed depict ripples of change, reflecting the powerful interactions resonating from the Conservatory to the rest of the contemporary world, as represented by the outer circle.

With passion as a motivating force for the pursuit of excellence, we seek to develop musicians who continually explore new possibilities and give music greater resonance – from our Conservatory’s walls outwards to NUS, Singapore, and beyond.

History

Originally designated the Singapore Conservatory of Music, the Conservatory was officially renamed the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music at its opening, in recognition of a S$25 million gift by the Yong Loo Lin Trust to honour the late Yong Siew Toh who found her greatest joy teaching piano and helping others to appreciate the world through music. The Trust subsequently made another generous contribution of S$25 million in 2008, endowing YST Conservatory with a total gift of S$50 million, which was matched by funding from the Ministry of Education. The gift from Yong Loo Lin Trust, further enhanced with contribution from corporate sponsors, has enabled the YST Conservatory to offer full scholarships to a critical mass of musical talent in Singapore and the region.

Within the YST Conservatory’s first decade, it quickly established a reputation for world-class musical excellence with students gaining international recognition from leading artists and institutions. As Asia’s international conservatory, YST pioneers the possibility of a multi-national, globally relevant music education environment, situated in Singapore which is one of the world’s best-connected Asian countries. Music in Singapore and the region has evolved enormously, and YST is proud of the role it has played – through its students, alumni, staff, faculty, events, facilities, programmes, partnerships and advocacy – in inspiring this evolution.

Timeline

Dr Tony Tan, then Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister, envisioned a conservatory in Singapore thriving within a university, with a concurrent focus on both artistic and academic excellence.

Witnessed by Dr Tony Tan, the National University of Singapore and the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University signed an agreement to develop Singapore’s national conservatory.

Dr Steven Baxter, former Dean at the Peabody Institute, was appointed Founding Director of the YST Conservatory. Under the Charter by the Ministry of Education (Singapore), the Conservatory’s Governing Board was established, chaired by Mr Goh Yew Lin.

The YST Conservatory welcomed its inaugural class of students comprising majors in orchestral instruments, piano and composition, aspiring to be distinctively diverse with its faculty, student population and artistic outlook.

The Conservatory building was officially opened.

The Conservatory saw its inaugural class of graduates.

Prof Bernard Lanskey, former Associate Director of Music at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, was appointed Director of Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music. All 220 student positions were filled. With the support of the National Arts Council (Singapore), YST established the Young Artist Programme.

The Recording Arts & Sciences Major was introduced.

The Joint Degree, the first programme of its kind, was established with the Peabody Institute. The Voice Major was introduced.

The Master in Music programme, with a further major in Conducting, was offered.

In commemoration of the YST Conservatory building’s tenth anniversary, the Conservatory’s logo was developed.

Two new majors, Music & Society and Music, Collaboration & Production were introduced, opening up new pathways for students to define distinct and multi-faceted artistic identities.

YST launches Continuing Education & Training (CET) course offerings, opening up avenues for adult learners to hone professional skillsets and pursue further qualifications at the Conservatory.

YST launches the Master of Music Leadership (MMusL), which is designed to support musicians who want to advance their skills and be leaders of change within the rapidly evolving Singapore and global musical landscape.

Prof Peter Tornquist, former Principal of the Norwegian Academy of Music, was appointed Dean.