We are delighted to announce that the Chenter Foundation has made a generous contribution towards the YST Conservatory’s community outreach projects in Singapore and Southeast Asia. Based in the United States of America, the Chenter Foundation is a global charity foundation dedicated to improving children’s lives through advancing healthcare, expanding education opportunities, and nurturing empathy and compassion through music and the performing arts.

The Chenter Foundation’s gift complements YST’s focus on engaging the community and the region, bringing musical resonance to wider audiences. Every semester, students initiate and undertake projects in the region as part of the Southeast Asian Regional Creative Project module; some past initiatives have taken place in Miri in East Malaysia and Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei, as well as in Laos. These activities are augmented by the Conservatory’s active engagement and leadership in international networks such as the Southeast Asia Directors of Music (SEADOM), which provides a platform for connection and exchange.

This year, the gift supported two YST students, Ilysia Tan Jiayng (Year 2, Composition) and Nigel Foo Shi Rong (Year 2, Harp) in attending the 2019 SEADOM Congress, which saw higher music education institutions in the region gather to discuss themes of quality assurance in music education and cross-arts integration in a Southeast Asian context.

Prof Bernard Lanskey, Dean of the YST Conservatory, commented, “We are truly grateful to the Chenter Foundation for its kind gift in support of our education programmes, and for its partnership as we seek to connect ever-more with the communities around us.”