tang-quartet

T'ang Quartet (Quartet-in-Residence, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music)

The T'ang Quartet consists of violinists Ang Chek Meng and Ng Yu-Ying, and cellist-violist brothers Leslie and Lionel Tan. Cutting an unmistakable silhouette on the local and global stage, T'ang Quartet has been pushing the boundaries of classical music since 1992.

The quartet started its professional career in 1999 with unanimity of purpose: to break new ground in sharing the sheer joy and pleasure of music to a larger audience, and set new standards of artistic achievement. A playful reference to the last names of the quartet's founding members, ‘T'ang' also symbolizes the golden age of cultural expression in the Tang Dynasty, a nod to their Asian roots.

Trained in London and Moscow, the quartet found its genesis when Ang Chek Meng, Ng Yu-Ying, and brothers Leslie and Lionel Tan were members of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. Forming the Quartet in 1992, they embarked on a musical journey together, exploring the frontiers of string chamber music ever since.

The quartet's musical output is an artful blend of East and West, seamlessly reinterpreting classical work for a contemporary audience.Through finely crafted musical expression and an unparalleled repertoire, they have brought Singapore to the world stage, and unearthed new dimensions to buried treasures in musical history.

With their charisma and intuitive connection as a group, they have graced concert halls the world over with a winning stage personality that aptly mirrors their music: effortlessly smart, sharp, and cosmopolitan. T'ang Quartet has received international acclaim for their prolific musicianship, captivating audiences across USA, Europe, Australia, China and Southeast Asia.

In 1997, the quartet was awarded a fellowship to train and perform in the USA with celebrated artists Martha and Paul Katz of the Cleveland Quartet, Norman Fischer, Kenneth Goldsmith and Sergiu Luca at the Shepherd School of Music in Rice University.

Over the years, the Quartet has collaborated and performed with contemporaries and friends, such as John Chen, Fingin Collins, Marian Hahn, Qin LiWei, Karin Schaupp, Noriko Ogawa, Tedd Joselson and Horia Mihail, and Carter Enyeart.

They are currently a quartet-in-residence at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music at the National University of Singapore.The Quartet also served on the faculty of Boston University's Tanglewood Institute in Massachusetts from 2001 to 2005.

Website - www.tangquartet.com