SINGAPORE PERFORMERS FESTIVAL 2026 / Photographs from Gala Concert & Award Ceremony

On Sunday afternoon (28 June 2026), I had the pleasure of being invited to the Gala Concert and Award Ceremony of the Singapore Performers Festival (SPF) 2026, organised by the Singapore Music Teachers Association (SMTA). Held at the Lee Foundation Theatre of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, it provided yet another encouraging look at the state of Singapore and the region's young musicians.

The Junior Ensemble performed
a cute simple work called Fruit Salad.

The Senior Ensemble led by Chan Wei Shing
performed works by J.S.Bach,
Respighi and someone modern. 

Unlike many music festivals organised along the lines of music competitions (no doubt a cash cow for many a music school), SPF is a non-competitive event. Young musicians are encouraged to perform for a small and friendly audience, heard by international professional musicians and pedagogues, and given advice on the finer points of music-making and performance. Scholarships are given to the most promising musicians, as well as opportunities to perform in international music festivals. 

Raphael Tan performed the opening movement
from Saint-Saens' Violin Concerto No.3

Chloe Lee played the finale from
Brahms' Viola Sonata Op.120 No.2

Instead of spending a lazy Sunday afternoon in slumber, I got to chill and relax in the company of some of Singapore most talented youths making music. And the shared pleasure of seeing them receive acclamation and encouragement.

Edward Fang plays Liszt's Mazeppa

Ethel Poh and Abigail Lim
had fun with America from
Bernstein's West Side Story

Goh Kai Cheng gave a most accomplished
reading of Chopin's Andante Spianato
& Grande Polonaise Op.22

Concert pianists Shaun Choo and Churen Li
awarded prizes for contemporary piano music

Australian cellist Simon Cobcroft
awarded the prizes for young cellists.

All the prizewinners with the judges.

Piano students of Susan Lai with judges
Toh Chee Hung & Thomas Rosencranz

The Singapore-Poland connection.
Prizes for best performances of Chopin
and Liszt were given by Agnieszka Kowalczuk
from the Polish Embassy in Singapore.

9th SINGAPORE PERFORMERS’ FESTIVAL 2026 — The Singapore Music Teachers' Association (SMTA)

5TH PERFORMANCE FESTIVAL: THE WINNERS OF THE PIANOMANIA SCHOLARSHIPS ARE...

Every two years, the Singapore Music Teachers Association (SMTA) organises its Performance Festival. It is an international event attracting young musicians from Asia and further afield to perform music in a friendly and non-competitive environment. Hundreds of entries are received each festival, and nobody gets turned away. All performers also get to gave a professionally recorded DVD for their efforts.

Pianomania is proud to have been able to sponsor scholarships for young talents in the past three festivals. The winners of the Pianomania Scholarships this year were Benz Chong Tze Jun and Tan Pin Shee. Well done, and may you both enjoy making music for the rest of your lives!

Benz Chong Tze Jun has a world of music before him!

 

Tan Pin Shee has what it takes to become a solid musician!

4TH SINGAPORE PERFORMERS FESTIVAL 2012

The 4th Singapore Performers' Festival 2012 reached a satisfying conclusion last Sunday evening at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory. This biennial event, organised by the Singapore Music Teachers Association (SMTA), brought together 370 young musicians from 16 different nations to perform classical music in an environment that is friendly and non-competitive in nature. The format is simple: prepare a free choice of repertoire (even a short piece of music will do) and perform it in front of a camera, recording crew and equipment, and a panel of international professional musicians. At the end of the exercise, you get a professionally produced DVD of your performance, a critique from the judges, and the adulation of your family and loved ones. The ones judged to be several cuts better get Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum awards, and some scholarship money to boot. An additional element to this year's festival is the opportunity to rehearse a full-length concerto with the Orchestra of Music Makers.

Sunday evening's event kicked off with performances by finalists for the PF-OMM Concerto Rehearsal Experience Prize, followed by a piano recital and an almost interminable round of prize-giving. Pianomania is proud to be the sponsor of two Pianomania Scholarships which went to pianists who gave the best performances of most interesting and varied repertoire.

The youngest performers of the evening was 8-year-old Pung Rae Yue, who played Haydn's Sonata No.1 in C major  with great confidence and aplomb, followed by a fleet-fingered Malagueña by Albeniz.

The winner of the OMM Concerto Rehearsal Experience Prize was violinist Lieu Kah Yen who offered the first movement of Lalo's Symphonie Espgnole. Now he will get to play the whole concerto under Maestro Chan Tze Law's baton (left).

Other contenders for the concerto experience prize was violinist Nur Shaheen Zainudin (Sarasate Zigeunerweisen) and Mervin Wong (Bowen Phantasie). The former had a outward brilliance, flair and attitude which did not look out of place in Bond, while the latter gave the most mature conception of a string work. Both string players and cellist Yun Xi Lau won a customised hand-crafted bow (worth USD 9000) by Singapore's very own archetier Paul S.J.Goh.

With the competitive element over, these piano duos took the stage looking rather  sheepish and lacklustre, however it all changed when they performed Poulenc's Sonata for 4 Hands (Letizia Tjiupek and Adriana Salim) and movements from Norton's Microjazz (Lim Yu Juan and Tan Sok Ming) with much verve.

Two young Indonesians claim the stage. Sally Yapto was an animated and colourful exponent of Debussy's La Serenade Interrompue while Joshua Kurniadi gave the smoothest possible account of Billy Mayerl's Railroad Rhythm. 

All the winners (there were many, many of them) line up for a group photo.

The first winner of the Pianomania Scholarship was See Ning Hui, who incidentally won the Singapore Steinway Youth Piano Competition the evening before. She will go on and study in London's Royal College of Music later this year. 

The other winner of the Pianomania Scholarship was Gavin Jared Bala, another of the Steinway Competition finalists.

The "Batik Brigade" from Indonesia. Every Performers' Festival brings an important and lively  participation from young talents of our neighbour Indonesia. Being the 4th most populous nation in the world, could Indonesia be a new force for classical music-making?   

More winners with their teachers Angelyn Aw and Winnie Tay.