T'ang Quartet / Education & Communities / Board of Directors / Special Thanks
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The Journey
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Ground-breaking. Crtically-acclaimed. Artistically polished.

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​TAGS #tangquartet #charity #stringquartet #classicalmusic #education #community

Constant innovation and steady reinvention is the name of the game for the T'ang Quartet. For 30 years, the group's musical dexterity has surprised and delighted audiences locally and globally. Based in Singapore, T'ang Quartet is one of the best known and most accomplished string quartets in Asia.

​The name "T'ang" symbolises the golden age of cultural expression of the Tang Dynasty, an acknowledgement of their Asian root – also a playful reference to the last names of the present and former founding members.

What started out in 1992 to break new ground in the sharing of classical music to a larger audience has grown exponentially. The T'ang Quartet's creative output is a tight, stylist blend of East and West, seamlessly reinterpreting classical work for contemporary fans while appealing to traditional audiences.

T'ang Quartet – also the Quartet-In-Residence at Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music – has collaborated and performed with the international community of musicians such as John Chen, Fringin Collins, Noriko Ogawa, Tedd Joselson and more.

​The ensemble has performed in major venues around the world – Wigmore Hall (London), Seiji Ozawa Hall (Boston) and Berliner Philharmonie (Berlin). They have also performed in major festivals worldwide such as Tanglewood Festival, Melbourne festival, Edinburgh Festival and  City of London Festival.

In 2022 and 2023, the ensemble celebrated three decades in music, with four shows, including the world premiere of Give and Take (Back and Forth) by highly-acclaimed composer Chen Zhangyi. T'ang Quartet is a registered charity under the Charities Act in Singapore. Support the quartet in their dedicated journey in public education as well as social and community causes.

FIRST VIOLIN
CO- FOUNDER, T'ANG QUARTET

Ng Yu-Ying

Ng Yu-Ying embarked on his professional career as a violinist with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra after graduating from the United Kingdom’s (UK) Royal Academy of Music with first-class honours. During his undergraduate days, he studied with Clarence Myerscough and Erich Greenberg, and has also taken lesson with Internationally acclaimed violinist Anna-Sophie Mutter.

​Here, he was awarded the Alex Templeton Prize, Roth Prize and Dominion Fellowship. He has appeared several times as soloist with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. His solo recitals and collaborations with violist Jiri Heger have brought him to the Czech Republic, where he performed in concerts and television programmes.
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Yu-Ying has been a member of the Violin faculty at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music since 2003, and he is in sought after violin teacher.
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He has lead numerous master classes at festivals such as Raffles International Music Festival and Singapore International Violin Festival. In 2023, Yu-Ying was adjudicated at the Music Singapore International Piano & Violin Competition.

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SECOND VIOLIN
CO-FOUNDER, T'ANG QUARTET

Ang Chek Meng

Winner of the Singapore National Music Competition in 1985 and 1987, Ang Chek Meng received a Singapore Symphony Orchestra Scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he trained under Jean Harvey, Erich Gruenberg and members of the Amadeus Quartet.

Graduating with honours, Chek was awarded the Countess of Munster Trust Scholarship. Chek joined the Singapore Symphony Orchestra in 1991. As a member of the T’ang Quartet, Chek has performed at major venues in Asia and beyond, including the Aspen Music Festival, Tanglewood Festival, Music Mountain Chamber Series, Melbourne Festival and New Zealand Arts Festival.

In 2022, Chek received the prestigious Friends of MCCY Award. The Award is presented to individuals and stakeholders from MCCY's boards, councils and committees, in honour of their service and contributions to the arts, heritage, charities, community, volunteerism and philanthropy, sports, and youth sectors over the years. 

In 2023, he adjudicated at ​SYF 2023 AP Instrumental Ensemble.

Watch members' video interviews

​Awards & Accolades

2008
Artistic Excellence Award (Classical) by Composers and Authors Society of Singapore (COMPASS)

A nomination for the 2008 Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) Music Awards under its Ensemble category was a first for Singapore music. 

2000
Bartok Prize by the Wien-Prague-Budapest SommerAkademie (Austria)

Cultural Award by Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) (Singapore)

1999
​3rd place & Special Jury Prize (Best Interpretation of a Contemporary Work), Internationaler Joseph Joachim Kammermusikwettbewerb, Weimar (Germany) Catherine Filene Shouse Institue Artistes, Great Lakes Music Festival, Michigan (America) Residency Grant, National Endowment for The Arts for Chamber Music (USA)
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1998
Fellowship, Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, Houston (USA)

Fellowship, Advanced Quartet Studies Programme, Aspen Music Festival (USA)

Fellowship, Takacs Quartet Seminar, University of Colorado, Boulder (USA)

1997
​Fellowship, Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, Houston (USA)