About T’ang Quartet

T’ang Quartet is Singapore’s premier classical string quartet.

Cutting an unmistakable silhouette on the local and global stage, the 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.

Originally comprising Ang Chek Meng, Ng Yu-Ying, Leslie Tan and Lionel Tan, T’ang Quartet welcomed violist Han Oh in 2009.

Musical Career

T’ang Quartet has received international acclaim for their prolific musicianship, captivating audiences across USA, Europe, Australia, China and Southeast Asia.

Trained in London and Moscow, the Quartet found its genesis when Ang Chek Meng, Ng Yu-Ying & brothers Leslie & 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 both 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.

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, Carter Enyeart, Marian Hahn, Tedd Joselson, Horia Mihail, Noriko Ogawa, Qin Liwei and Karin Schaupp.

Founding members Ng Yu-Ying, Ang Chek Meng, Lionel Tan and Leslie Tan are currently 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.

Performances & Commissions

The Quartet has performed to critical acclaim internationally. Through various artistic commissions and collaborations, the Quartet has been able to extend the reach of classical music to wider audiences globally and locally.

Following the critical success of its debut stage appearance at London’s prestigious Wigmore Hall in 2005, T’ang Quartet was invited to record for the BBC World International Recital Series in January 2006.

In 2008, they were invited to perform at the UNESCO award Ceremony where Azerbaijan composer Franghiz Ali Zadeh’s Mugam Sayagi received the honorary title of UNESCO Artist for Peace.

Other festival appearances include the Aspen Festival (USA), Tanglewood Festival (USA), Cervantino Music Festival (Mexico), Cheltenham Festival(UK), West Cork Chamber Music Festival (Ireland), Melbourne Festival (Australia), Canberra International Chamber Music Festival (Australia), Huntington Estate Music Festival (Australia), Port Fairy Spring Music Festival, (Australia), Christchurch Arts Festival (New Zealand), Macau International Music Festival, and many others.

Locally, T’ang Quartet performed at the opening of the inaugural Singapore Biennale 2006 contemporary art exhibition, as part of a conceptual work by artist Ana Prvacki.

In June 2007, T’ang Quartet was commissioned by the Singapore Arts Festival to perform in multidisciplinary production Optical Identity, in collaboration with Theatre Cryptic (Scotland). The production premiered in Europe at the Edinburgh International Festival before touring to Alicante International Contemporary Music Festival (Spain) and Scotland.

They peformed in media festival onedotzero in 2006, the Republic Polytechnic’s Community Arts Festival, Reflection, in 2007 and 2008, the National Museum's Looking For Zhongguo: A Journey of Music and Dance in 2008.

At the Singapore Arts Festival in 2009, they performed with the Singapore’s most prominent jazz pianist Jeremy Monteiro, with Shawn Kelly, Christy Smith, Randy Brecker, Ernie Watts and Richard Jackson, in a genre-crossing musical collaboration.

Recordings

T’ang Quartet has made two commercial recordings and a feature film soundtrack.

The debut album, The Art of War, received rave reviews in 2005. A second recording, Made in America, was released in May 2006.

T’ang Quartet recorded the soundtrack for Feet Unbound, a feature film directed by Ng Khee Jin that retraces the footsteps of China’s female soldiers during the Long March.

In 2008, the Quartet made a special CD recording for Tan Tock Seng Hospital’s Art of Healing Programme.