Penang Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Voices Of Penang Philharmonic (VOPP) was formed in mid-2012, led by Choral Conductors Chong Wai Lun and Terence Ong until 2015.
In Jan 2017, after a hiatus of 2 years, the group was rebranded as The Penang Philharmonic Chamber Choir (PPCC) under Choral Conductor Ms. Ong Geok Cheng and Artistic Directors Ms. Lim Ai Hooi and Mr. Yong Chee Foon. Since then the group has grown leaps and bounds with many talented choristers.
This year, with new Choral Coordinator Ms. Tan Jin Yin at the helm together with the Artistic Directors, the PPCC has explored a wide range of a capella choral works in various languages and genres. Not one to shy away from a challenge, they have been constantly raising the bar for Penang's choral scene.
TAN JIN YIN
Choral Coordinator
Soprano
Jin Yin received her Master of Arts in Vocal Peformance from Nanjing Normal University (NNU) China, and Master of Arts in Music Pedagogy and Performance from Universiti Sains of Malaya (USM). She studied under opera singer Professor Lu Qi, Khoo Hooi Lay and Chin Loke Chun. She followed workshops and master classes with world-renowned vocal coach Low Siew Tuan, well-known Lieder accompanist Graham Johnson, accompanist Hein Boterberg from International Opera Academy Belgium, pianist Michael Hampton, pianist Roy Holmes and Chicago Lyric Opera’s star Soprano Stacey Tappan, Dutch opera singer Annett Andriesen, and German operasinger Stephan Klemm. She studied piano under Ng Soo See and guitar under Acoustic Guitar House LAM.
Recently, Jin Yin has just received an offer to be a lecturer in school of Arts, Music Department of USM. Her stage work includes Chinese musical Liu Ru Shi with professors of Music Academy NNU in China, The Yellow River Cantata with Malacca Pay Fong Schools Alumni Association, and the role of Sonia Glawari (The Merry Widow) with a Belgian stage director Benoît De Leersnyder in Thailand. She was also featured in number of concerts in China, and as a young musician in concerts in Malaysia sharing the stage with opera singers from Flanders Opera Studio, Belgium. In China, she has joined the NNU Music choir and was actively participating in numbers of choir competitions and group performance tours. She is also a member of the Messengers and Penang Chamber Choir and has participated in numerous Sacred Music performances.
Jin Yin has won prizes in several competitions. She has been awarded a scholarship to study in NNU in Chin Yong Youth Vocal Competition 2016, 3rd Prize in The 6th Bangkok Opera ASEAN International Singing Competition 2014, Gold Prize in Chin Yong Youth Vocal Competition 2014, 2nd prize in Malaysia National Vocal competition 2013, 3rd prize in year 2012 and 4th prize in year 2011.
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LIM AI HOOI
Artistic Director
Ai Hooi’s philosophy for choral music and teaching stems from her view that a fulfilling musical journey is one that is filled with sincerity, love and excellence. She uses the creation of music as a platform to share and infuse her values and beliefs in her singers, and inspires them to use the beauty of music to craft experiences that touch the hearts of the audience.
Born in Penang, Malaysia, Ai Hooi graduated from the Royal College of Music, London with Majors in Piano and Voice. After moving to Singapore, she took on the role as educator and conductor to local school choirs and has since contributed greatly to developing the local choral scene through the nurturing of younger choral conductors and choristers. Her Singapore school choirs have clinched many top awards in both local and international competitions over the past 20 years.
Internationally, Ai Hooi has been working as Festival Director of the Singapore International Choral Festival and the Co-Artistic Director of Festival Coral de Verão in Lisbon, Portugal since 2012. She was invited as an adjudicator by Interkultur at 5th Canta Al Mar in Calella, Spain in 2014, Bali International Choral Festival in 2014 and conference speaker at the International Art and Science Conference, Poland in
2016. She also regularly conducts workshops and adjudicates at choral festivals and competitions in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Indonesia.
In 2009, Ai Hooi established the ONE Chamber Choir. Consisting of young adults and with a mission to engage, entertain and explore, the choir has grown from strength to strength over the years, putting up a myriad of performances and gaining many invaluable experiences. Internationally, the choir has emerged 1st place in the Chamber Choir category of the first Andrea O. Veneracion International Choral Festival in 2013 and second place in two categories at the Llangollen International Musical Eistedfodd 2015 in Wales. Most recently, ONE achieved Laurea Summa Cum Laude for the Mixed Choirs and Musica Sacra at the Laurea Mundi Budapest in 2016.
In 2011, she co-founded Sourcewerkz to further her calling to teach, touch and transform the larger choral community and its audience. To date, Sourcewerkz has organised the Winter Choral Festival in Hong Kong, Festival Coral de Verão in Portugal, and the Singapore International Choral Festival which attracted over 70 choirs and more than 5000 participants since 2014
YONG CHEE FOON
Artistic Director
Yong Chee Foon is an accomplished conductor from Singapore. A pianist by training, his passion for choral music developed when he first joined the Victoria Junior College Choir and then, the Victoria Chorale.
He first graduated from the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) with a Bachelor Degree in Accountancy. After several years in the financial sector, he moved on to pursue his passion - Choral art. In 2016, he graduated with a Masters in Music (Choral Conducting) from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.
Currently the conductor of several school choirs in Singapore, his choirs have performed well in the Singapore Youth Festival Central Judging of Choirs, achieving several Gold and Gold with Honours awards. His choirs have also ventured overseas to participate in several international competitions where they received numerous accolades with Gold and Silver medals. In 2013, he was awarded a Distinction for Conductor Award at the 4th International Krakow Choir Festival in Poland.
He is also the Associate Artistic Director of Sourcewerkz Pte Ltd, a Singaporean choral events company that organises choral festivals around the world. His stand for good music education for the younger generation has led him to lead more than 2000 youths who have sung under his baton in the past decade.
He desires to inspire young singers, through choral music education, to live life with passion and achieve excellence in all aspects of life whilst remaining appreciative to all who have made a difference to them.