SUTD LUNCHTIME PERFORMANCES: PIANO FIESTA November 2025 Edition

The Lang Lang grand piano, gifted to 50 public institutions in 2015 as part of the SG50 celebrations, has been particularly busy at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). It is an omnipresent fixture at SUTD's Lunchtime Performances, which takes places on Wednesday afternoons during term time. Piano Fiesta is the mini-piano festival organised by Professor Lim Seh Chun featuring faculty performers as well as guest players. This month's edition on 19 November 2025 was graced by two former artistic directors of the Singapore International Piano Festival, no less. Here are the photos of another hour of piano classics.

Professor Lim Seh Chun introduces the
lunchtime performance series.

Lim Yan performed three Rachmaninov Preludes,
Op.23 Nos.1,3 & 5.

SUTD lecturer Jer-Ming Chen
explains his performance.

Arvo Part's Fur Alina followed by
Jer-Ming own response and improvisation.

There are two Scriabin Etudes being performed
this afternoon, and I'm playing the easier one.

Scriabin's Etude Op.2 No.1 followed by
Mozart's Fantasy in D minor K.397.

SUTD Lecturer Melissa Tu
waxes lyrical about Chopin's Ballades.

The other Scriabin Etude
in C sharp minor, Op.42 No.5

Chopin's Ballade No.2 in F major Op.38

We get to take home some fine tea.

Kee Kirk Chin makes up the original TBM
(Three Bald Men), soon to make their debut.

Now its FBM or 3 and 1/2 BM.
Lim Yan, you'll soon get there!

PIANO FIESTA @ SINGAPORE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY & DESIGN

It was an honour to be invited to perform in the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) at their Lunchtime Performances series. Professor Lim Seh Chun was the brains behind this initiative that brings arts to the campus, involving students, alumni and guests. Piano Fiesta is its mini piano festival, featuring only piano music, and this was a revival of an ongoing series that was disrupted during the pandemic. 

Here are the photos from this year's first Piano Fiesta, the programme of which was as eclectic as one can get, and whatever you do, "Don't shoot the piano player!"

Professor Lim Seh Chun
introduces the Piano Fiesta series.

Opening the matinee was
Marc-Andre Hamelin's Ringtone Waltz
(Valse irritation apres Nokia)

Jer-Ming Chen skillfully improvised on
four notes in a minimalist manner
from the Pelog Gamelan scale.

Chu Wy Ton offered up
Debussy's Arabesque No.1
& Gershwin's The Man I Love.

Tongyu Lu performed a marvelous
improvisation on Jerome Kern's
All The Things You Are.

Speaking on what inspired Rachmaninov's
most infamous Prelude, about 40 roubles.

Rachmaninov's Prelude in C# minor,
Op.3 No.2, warts and all.

The most accomplished performance
came from SUTD Humanities lecturer
Melissa Tu in Chopin's Ballade No.2.

All the performers get their just desserts.

Among the guests who attended were
Professor Chan Heng Chee, Professor Bernard Tan
and Dr Geh Min, music lovers all.

Reliving the old SSO days
are Professors Lim Seh Chun & Bernard Tan.

AN ENJOYABLE EARLY AFTERNOON CONCERT AT SUTD

The Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) has been running its free series of lunchtime concerts at its Campus Centre since 2016. It hit a snag because of the Covid pandemic but has now returned with a purpose to enrich the academic lives of students and staff. Its latest concert on Wednesday (15 November 2023) welcomed students from the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music in chamber works, besides showcasing musically talented members of SUTD's own faculty.

Here are some photos of the performances and who played what. It made for an enjoyable post-lunch concert attended by a small and attentive audience of SUTD students and staff. This series looks to be a permament fixture as long as SUTD Advisor to the Office of the Provost Professor Lim Seh Chun, himself a fine flautist, has a say about it.

Professor Lim Seh Chun
gives his opening remarks.

The concert opened with two movements
from Devienne's Quartet in G minor 
from Zhong Tianai (bassoon), Qiu Zhengyi (violin),
Zheng Jingjing (viola) and Guo Mingai (cello).

Lim Seh Chun and pianist Jer-Ming Chen
contributed with Narita's Song of the Seashore
and Heinz Provost's Intermezzo.

Wen Zhu-Ling (flute), Zheng Shanxi (clarinet),
Yen Shih-Hsin (French horn) and
Muhammad Afiq bin Hussaini (bassoon)
performed two movements from
Vincenzo Gambaro's Quartet in E flat.

Pianist extraordinaire Lim Yan (extreme right)
was spotted in the audience.

Two movements from Mendelssohn's Piano Trio No.2
were performed by Tsao Wei-Chun (violin),
Chang Jia-Yun (cello) and Venus Chai (piano).

The concert concluded with a mini-recital
by new SUTD Humanities lecturer
Melissa Tu, who performed a Scarlatti Sonata,
Barber's Nocturne and Scriabin's Etude Op.42 No.5.
This made for spectacular close.

All the performers taking a bow.

EVERYBODY LOVES A SOIREE! PART 3!

EVERYBODY LOVES A SOIREE!

PART 3 @ CHEZ CHING LEE

Covid-19 is making a comeback, but since everybody in Singapore has been triply and quadruply vaccinated, life can still go on as normal. Which means we can have our soirees, make music, enjoy food, meet new friends and just be like ourselves a few years ago. Being responsible for our own health is the name of the game, which is to test negative for ART (antigen rapid test) before going out to social engagements. All that is old hat by now.

The latest soiree (Saturday 2 July) took place at Chez Ching Lee @ Havelock, the former Singapore Arts Festival director being the most gracious and inviting host. In addition to the usual gang, we added new members to our music-making crew, namely Lim Seh Chun (Associate Provost at the Singapore University of Technology & Design, and former SSO third flautist / piccolo player) and Zhang Heyang (Music journalist at Lianhe Zaobao, and former concertmaster of the NUS Symphony Orchestra), who added a new dimension to our evenings of music.

Enough of blabbing, here are the photos.

    The evening opened with the Havelock natives
Loke Hoe Kit & Goh Ching Lee.

The duo has begun to perfect the first two
movements of Brahms First Cello Sonata.

The good professor has returned to virtuoso
flute playing, with a 20-minute recital of music
by Casielles Camblor, Ponce, MacDowell, Hirota,
Poulenc & Shostakovich. All 20th century music!

A we-fie by mirror, and not laterally inverted too!

The grub from Hillman 99 restaurant

Now everyone is satisfied, 
the music may continue.

What happens when music writers from
Zaobao and The Straits Times meet:
music by Faure, Glazunov & Drdla!

More Brahms from Ching Lee:
Intermezzo in A major (Op.118 No.2)

Enjoying the music, and its almost
bedtime for some people.

Sharon Cheah, former arts journalist of
The Business Times improvises on the
gospel hymn How Great Thou Art.

Some 4 hands music, possibly by Bach.

Percy Grainger's Tune from County Derry, with
Ching Lee making sure the melody comes through.

Sightreading inevitably takes place, the
Canzonetta from Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto.

Music to close the evening, with
what sounds like Mahler's Adagietto.
Tan Chan Boon would be proud!