Our Friendly Teachers
Faeez Ikhwan, Drums
Faeez started playing music whilst studying in Victoria Instituition, Kuala Lumpur. After finishing high school, he was accepted to pursue his studies in music at diploma level, majoring in percussion and drums. Faeez completed his music performance studies at UTM and received a BA (Hons). He subsequently became the first Pearl Drums & Paiste Cymbals endorser in Malaysia.
Faeez is also a member of the well-known group No Noise Percussion who are recognised for their use of unconventional items as percussion instruments, playing mostly stomp-based music.
Having been teaching since his graduation, he is excited to share his lifelong passion for drumming and percussion with the learners at Nexus. faeezhalim@gmail.com
Wong Xue Fen, Flute
Born in Kuala Lumpur Xue Fen is a modern and baroque flutist who graduated from Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Australia with a Masters Degree under the tutelage of James Kortum. Prior to that she completed her undergraduate as a full scholarship recipient and graduated with first-class honour in Tunghai University, Taiwan under tutelage of Mark Dannenbring. Xue Fen has also had several flute masterclasses with different instructors in Malaysia including Hristro Dobrinov, Sonia Croucher, Ignacio De Nicolas, Andrew Nicholson, Dakota Martin, Foo Chie Haur and Ho Chee Kiang.
Xue Fen’s passion for baroque flute has led her to attend baroque flute lessons and played in masterclasses with Melissa Farrow, Megan Lang, Ashley Solomon and Neil McLaren in Sydney, and Mark Dannenbring in Taiwan.
She is also actively performing in chamber groups which consists of harp, voice, woodwind and strings. Xue Fen has performed with Flutescents, Zephyr Flute Ensemble, BACHfest Malaysia, MPYO (Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra), SSO (Selangor Symphony Orchestra), SCM (Sydney Conservatorium of Music) Flute Ensemble, SCM Early Music Ensemble (baroque flute), SCM Repertoire Orchestra, KLPAC Symphonic Band, Tunghai University Symphony Orchestra and Tunghai University Wind Symphony.
Besides, part of the Flutescents members, Xue Fen has awarded as a joint winner of the Malaysian Wind Music Prize 2019: Ensemble Edition. She also received the gold medal (advance class) and the outstanding award in the ABRSM woodwind category of the 5th Hong Kong International Youth Performance Art Festival 2017 (Malaysia Round). She was the selected member of the Silparkorn Summer Music Ensemble and Music Courses during the SEAMEX 2018. During her time in Australia, she was one of the selected participants for the Leone Buyse Residential Course 2018 which held by The Complete Flute in Melbourne. She also participated in the National Student Competition of Music (Taichung) in 2014 and gained Merit award during her undergraduate studies in Tunghai University. wongxuefen@hotmail.com
JJ (Jia Jie Lee), Piano
LEE JIA JIE
A piano teacher by profession for 30 over years, have been performing in solo recitals and in collaborations with orchestra, instrumentalists and vocalists. Some of his students who furthered their tertiary studies reading music have became full time musicians and teachers.
As his interest widens into music scoring and orchestra directing, he founded Camerata Musicales ensemble in 2012. It is a platform for students, teachers and amateur musicians to experience ensemble music making and performances. The ensemble has been performing publicly to raise funds for the underprivileged society since it’s inception.
Apart from mainstream Classical genre, he is as active in the pop/rock scene as a Music Director and keyboardist.
jiajielee@gmail.com
Don, Bass & Guitar
Two decades of experience in music industry has shaped Don into an outgoing, reliable, committed, and forward-looking person. He is well-known for his ability of connecting with the audience, setting the mood and creating a pleasant or a entertaining atmosphere.
After graduating from International College of Music (ICOM) in 1998, Don was awarded a scholarship to further his studies in Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA. Don's patience and understanding opened the door to becoming a guitar and bass instructor in 2006.
Don is an active performers with 25 years of experience and has performed at most jazz and music festivals in Malaysia. nizam.d@nexus.edu.my
Muhammad Al-Hafiz Dolmat, Guitar
Hafiz is a 2012 graduate of Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) with Music Composition major. He is a guitarist who is well versed in various musical styles such as blues, rock, modern jazz and pop.
Furthermore, he is an experienced guitar teacher in various international schools in Malaysia, where he has enjoyed working with the students there since 2013. Because of his love for music and mentoring, Hafiz is dedicated to helping students experience the unbridled joy of music making by way of finding their own voice, fundamentals and of course, fun!
With over 10 years of playing and teaching experience, Hafiz has never been too far away from the local music scene. He is also an active gigging musician. He frequently plays shows with his alternative rock band and has performed at many of notable music gigs and events across Malaysia. His band has also toured with several local bands across Malaysia. On top of that, he has also played actively as a guitar sessionist for many local artists and bands in the local music scene.
With this diverse performance experiences, combined with his years as a musician and guitar teacher, makes Hafiz a well-rounded musician. hafiz.fei@gmail.com
Mervin Yeow, Cello & Violin
Mervin Yeow is a violinist and cellist with over 12 years experience in both private and group tuition.
He pursued a Bachelor of Science in Applied Accounting from Oxford Brookes University, UK and subsequently completed his ACCA, UK (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) studies a year later.
During his years in university, he had a realisation that he missed music and decided to pursue music upon graduation. Under the tutelage of Mr Andrew Chye, Mervin completed his Associate and Licentiate diploma in violin recital. Prior to that, he had completed he ABRSM Grade 8 assessment on the violin, cello, piano and music theory by the age of 19.
Mervin loves finding new and exciting ways students can learn the string instruments in either a classroom setting as well as in private lessons. Along his musical journey and exposure to the various educational methods including Suzuki and Dalcroze, he found that he can integrate these various methods into his own teaching technique for the benefit of his students. Mervin is a certified Suzuki Violin Teacher.
Apart from teaching, he wrote and published the series of the books Music Theory for Violinists and Music Theory for Young Violinists, specifically designed for violin students to gain a stronger understanding of the music theory before moving to graded music theory level. yeow.m@nexus.edu.my
Audrey Lingam, Voice & Piano
Audrey Lingam is a graduate from UCSI University with a Bachelor of Music (Hons.) in classical music. She majored in classical piano and minored in contemporary piano, voice and guitar. She has also completed her Grade 8 in both ABRSM piano and theory exams as well as Grade 8 in Trinity Rock & Pop Vocals and Grade 8 in ABRSM Classical Vocals. She is also currently pursuing a ATCL Diploma in Classical Singing.
Audrey has over 10 years of teaching experience and is currently teaching vocals and piano at Nexus International School Malaysia. Previously, she also taught at the Australian International School Malaysia and also at St. Joseph’s Institution International School Malaysia. Prior to this, she has worked at Music Makers in Kuala Lumpur as a piano teacher and a rock band coach. Audrey has also been involved in church musicals as an alto sectional leader and choral conductor. She also played some gigs at the Garden Café and T42. In addition to this, in 2015, Audrey was selected as a winner by David Foster in Litefm’s singing contest, ‘David Foster’s Got Talent’.
In her free time, Audrey likes to write songs and learn new languages and is currently learning Spanish and Mandarin. hopeandfaith8@gmail.com
Albert Loo, Clarinet & Saxophone
Albert started to learn classical guitar at the age of 10 and at the age of 14, he won first place of the 1982 Open PJ Solo Instrument Category and studied music privately with the renowned composer Akhbar Nawab.
Upon completion of his education, he pursued music part time while undertaking a computing career. During this time he performed (as Keyboardist) as the resident band at DJ Club, Lakeview Club, Mandarin Hotel and Instana Hotel. During this time, he also session as guitarist for Francissca Peter, Malaysian singer / songwriter ("Best Female Vocalist" for five consecutive years in the mid 1980s).
In 2005 he took up music full time, set up his home studio and teaches music at various music centers including Yamaha Music. In 2010, he joined the KLPAC Wind Orchestra with the Saxophone section. He pursued jazz guitar studies in 2012 with the late Mr Farid Ali and performed on the Penang Jazz Festival fringe stage in 2013. In 2014, he performed at the JB Arts Festival ‘A tribute to Mr Farid Ali'.
In March 2017, he was appointed music director for local recording artist Ellisan Tan (with 2 Indie CD Album) for her mini concert. From 2018 - 2019 he worked as a guitarist for the local musical production “The Working Dead”.
At the Australian International School, he guided the year 5 band on the wind instrument sections (Saxophone and Clarinet) and also provides training for the supporting music teacher. Besides teaching individual students wishing to learn the instrument on finer techniques, he also guided students on HSE music exams. He is also guiding some junior students at the Peninsula International School on Saxophone and Clarinet.
Besides teaching, he frequently plays the saxophone on various wedding gigs. alooks@gmail.com
Bryan Lee, Harp
Harpist Bryan Lee is an active and ardent orchestral player: he is a frequent freelancer with professional ensembles such as the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of Malaysia, the Petronas Performing Arts Group (Malaysia), the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra (China), the Kunming International Philharmonic (China) which is also known as the Silk Road Orchestra, the Sichuan Symphony Orchestra (China), and the Sun Symphony Orchestra (Vietnam) and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra; he has performed with the latter in their appearance at the 2011 Beijing Music Festival. In 2018, he was a TEDx speaker in University Tun Hussein Onn. He was also selected to be a member of the 2010 Youth Olympics Games Orchestra.
Bryan's musical performances have taken him to venues in Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Batu Pahat, Melaka, Ipoh, Kuantan, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Johor Bahru), Singapore, China (Shenzhen, Dongguan, Wanzhou, Hong Kong, Beijing, Kunming, Yuxi, Hangzhou, Chengdu), Vietnam (Hanoi), Taiwan (Taipei, Chiayi, Kaohsiung), Azerbaijan (Baku), and Australia. In his youth, he was a founding member of the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, and he has played with the Penang Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Music Makers on their Penang tour, the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory Orchestra, and the the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre Orchestra and Choir. He was also selected to be a member of the 2010 Youth Olympics Games Orchestra.
His performance of Bruch's Scottish Fantasy in 2012 at Esplanade Concert Hall won him a review by Dr. Marc Rochester as "one of the brightest stars of the performance". The Straits Times (Singapore) also described his playing in the same concert as "warm and beautifully projected, bringing a much needed aura of gracefulness to the performance". The Edge (Malaysia) wrote that “Bryan Lee is so talented it is almost intimidating”.
Bryan was a prize winner in the First Singapore-Malaysia Harp Competition. Besides orchestras, Bryan is also an enthusiastic chamber music player; he performs in several chamber ensembles, the most notable ones being Noel Trio, which won the 2nd Prize in the Open Division of the First Singapore Ensemble Competition 2011, and Sen森Trio, which held a successful recital at the Esplanade Recital Studio in 2014. Dr. Chan Tou Liang wrote in the Straits Times (Singapore) that “Lee’s gentle demeanour belied the virtuosity… create(d) the dreamy, other-worldly soundscape”.
Bryan is a holder of a Bachelors Degree (Honours) from the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore with full scholarship under the tutelage of Gulnara Mashurova, Principal Harpist of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. His previous mentors have included Sebastien Horrer, the former Principal Harpist of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, his wife Marianne Horrer, and Chu Yee Chern. He also had lessons with Xavier de Maistre, Prof. Florence Sitruk, who wrote that Bryan has “beautiful sound (and) flawless technique”, Dan Yu, and Alice Giles.
Bryan’s ambition is to make the harp more familiar and recognizable. He is a harp teacher privately, in various schools in Malaysia, China, and Singapore. He also performs at various events such as weddings, launches, openings, and ceremonies. lkmbryanlee@hotmail.com
Chong Chun Weng, Bassoon
Having studied Bachelor of Music Performance at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) as a pianist, Chun Weng spent much of his free time delving into orchestral playing as a bassoonist with countless orchestras around Malaysia like the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO), Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO), Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (MPYO), KLPAC Orchestra, ASEAN Youth Orchestra, Selangor Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO), Selangor Philharmonic Wind Orchestra (SPWO), Young Malaysian Go Classic II (YMGC II) and many more. The experience has shaped him into a well-rounded musician.
Started learning bassoon with Midori Suzuki from National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) and being tutored by Alexander Lenkov from Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO), Chong has also taken courses in orchestral playing, musicianship, music theory and music ensemble skills in Universiti Putra Malaysia. CurrenHe is currently pursuing Master of Music in Music Performance at Miami University, Ohio.
chong3809@gmail.com
Jing Gang, Brass
Jing Gang started learning brass instrument aged ten as a trumpeter and swap learned trombone when he was thirteen, has been an active member of the Malaysia marching band scene.
He currently graduated from University of Putra in Bachelor of Music Performance, and still active in Malaysia music scene, he participated in International marching band camp, Young Malaysian go Classic,Young Malaysian go Classic 2, Selangor Philharmonic orchestra, KLPAC symphonic orchestra, Silpakorn University International Music Summer Camp and Malaysia Philharmonic Youth Orchestra activities.
Jing Gang has almost six years of teaching experience in leading band, sectional and teaching private student all over Kuala Lumpur, Seremban, Kuala Terengganu, Kelantan and Johor. He is excited to share his lifelong passion on brass instruments with all the learners.
lau_jinggang@yahoo.com