Prelude Music

Prelude Music will be organising the Debut Concert by the Jesselton Trio.

The Jesselton Trio, which consists of violinist and conductor Yap Ling, oboist Howard Ng and pianist Grace Lee, will perform the ensemble's debut concert next wednesday (7:30 pm, 29th February 2012) at the Dewan Besar, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Kota Kinabalu. The evening's program will include a variety of music including those by J.S. Bach, Astor Piazzolla, Ennio Morricone as well as specially made arrangements by Yap Ling. Fans of classical music, tango, as well as film music will be equally enthralled and entertained by the evening's program. Tickets (RM30) can be obtained from the hall entrance before the concert as well as from Prelude Music (Tel: 016-8200355, 012-820 3733, 016-833 3034, 016-838 0966 or 088-722230)

Program for the evening

J.S. Bach - Double concerto in D Minor

C.M. Loeffler - L'Etang

Faure - Apres un reve

M. Arnold - Fantasy for solo oboe

A. Piazzolla - Chiquilin de Bachin and Oblivion

F. Kreisler - Liebesfreud and Liebesleid

Zhang Jing Ping 张靖平 - Celebration for Rich Harvest 慶豐收

W.A. Mozart arr.Kreisler - Rondo from Serenade in D Major ("Haffner")

E. Morricone - Chi Mai and Gabriel’s Oboe

Yap Ling is a versatile musician who performs, teaches, conducts and arranges music. In the past he has been awarded the Sarawak Foundation Scholarship & RAM’s Alec Templeton Scholarship, enabling him to study the violin with Clarence Myerscough at the Royal Academy of Music, London. While in London he was the Concertmaster for the Chelsea Symphony Orchestra and violinist for the Chelsea String Quartet, The London Chinese Ensemble and Piano Trio. Upgrading and performances has taken him to Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Brunei, Thailand, Hong Kong, Germany, Italy, France, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Moscow (Russia), China and USA.

In 1990, he participated in the 1st World Youth Music Camp in KL and the 1st Pacific Music Festival in Japan (under the baton of Maestro Leonard Bernstein). He represented Malaysia as a violin tutor in the 1991 ASEAN Youth Music Workshop in Jakarta, Indonesia. He was a string tutor at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) and Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) where he conducted their orchestras. He was the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor for the 1st and the 2nd Sarawak Music Camp in Kuching and Sibu respectively for 1999 and 2001. In June 2009, he organized the 1st Sabah State Music Camp at University Malaysia Sabah (UMS) where he was also the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor.

Yap Ling is the conductor of Jesselton Philharmonic Orchestra (JPO) which is featured at the annual Music Fest at the Tip of Borneo. He is also the conductor for Kian Kok Youth Orchestra (KKYO), the Tshung Tsin String Orchestra and Guest Conductor for the Miri Orchestra and Choir (MOC). As a chamber musician, his Duos partnership with Singaporean violinist Foo Say Ming has him performing on the viola too. Yap Ling is also the violinist for the MP3rio (Piano Trio), Re:mix (Singaporean String Ensemble), the Malaysian Ars Nova Ensemble (String Quintet with Piano) and the L’espressivo Trio (Vocal-Violin-Piano) which has performed regularly in various parts of Malaysia and abroad.

In 1997 he was conferred the Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM) in recognition for his contribution towards developing the music standard and promoting music in this part of the world.

Besides giving regular recitals with his wife Grace Lee, Yap Ling has also appeared as soloist with the Monash Sinfonia in Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, the Penang Symphony Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra (Malaysia). He has conducted Violin Masterclasses for ABRSM in Malaysia and regularly gives violin masterclasses and orchestra workshops throughout the country. Presently he is violin tutor for the Permata Seni Muzik program initiated by Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.

Last October Yap Ling was invited to perform with Jackfruit (Jazz Band) at the 10th Nanjing International Jazz & World Music Festival, China. In November, he joined the Singapore Lyric Opera and the Re:mix, both for the concerts at the Esplanade Singapore. Later in December, he lead the International Festival Chamber Orchestra for Mendelssohn’s St Paul’s Oratorio Concert Tour of Sarawak.

Grace Lee Sui Lin obtained her Bachelor of Music degree from Auckland University, where she studied piano under Professor Tamas Vesmas. She also had conducting lessons with Uwe Groud and Karen Grill. While there, Grace conducted the Auckland Chinese Choir and served as pianist for several choirs.

Besides giving solo performances she plays chamber music and serves as an orchestra pianist. She is a member of the L’espressivo Trio (Vocal-Violin-Piano) which has performed in Miri in March 2006. She also accompanies several prominent choirs and musicians which includes the Singaporean violinist Foo Say Ming and the soprano Phoon Sook Peng from time to time. These have taken her to England, Australia, New Zealand, Brunei and all over Malaysia. In order to upgrade herself, she also took up consultation lessons abroad with professors including Jeffrey Pratley and Tamara Smolyar.

In 2000, she attended the Professional Development Program for Music Teacher conducted by the AMEB in September in Melbourne. She also attended a special short-term upgrading program at the Monash University then.

In 2005, Grace performed the Mozart Double Piano Concerto with Thomas Ling and the Kota Kinabalu Symphony Orchestra for the New Year Concert in Kota Kinabalu. She also played the orchestra reduction of the Yellow River Cantata for Concert with the choir on 12th May 2006 in Kota Kinabalu and later in October accompanied the “Duos” ensemble for concerts in KK and Miri.

Grace 2008 concert activities include accompanying the Famous ‘Malaysian 3 Tenors’- David Ngim, Lim Cheong Hock and Armando Chin Yong and Sabah based Soprano Phoon Sook Peng in “The Yellow River Cantata”; Representing Sabah as an accompanist for National Art Song Singing Competition in KL in January; Accompanying two well known Sopranos from Taiwan in July; In September, playing solo with Jesselton Philharmonic Orchestra (JPO) performing Two Piano Concerto in C Minor by J.S.Bach with Loo Bang Hean; In October, accompanying Phoon Sook Peng and Armando Chin Yong at KL PAC for the Dama Vocal Festival; In November, performing as a timpanist in Yap Ling Chamber Orchestra conducted by Rev Lee Chong Min playing “Elijah” by Mendelssohn in Sibu, Bintulu and Miri; As accompanist again representing Sabah for National Art Song Singing Competition in Penang.

In 2009 Grace appearances include organizing one day Children Choral Workshop at Song En Methodist Church; Playing as solo pianist and accompanist for the Grace Singers’ “Yellow River Cantata” Concert in Sibu in June; Concert with Phoon Sook Peng in Miri in September; and on 6th, 7th and 8th November, she played in the Vivaldi Concert with "the Scrolls" at the Dewan Resital, UMS, KK.

Besides her activities revolving around playing the piano, Grace also conducts the children's choir for Penampang Song En Methodist Church in KK.

A native of Kota Kinabalu, oboist Howard Ng Su Chee has been an active member of the music scene in this region. He is currently principal oboist of the National Symphony Orchestra, the resident orchestra of Istana Budaya Kuala Lumpur.

Howard's venture into Western classical music started when he joined the Sabah Tshung Tsin Secondary School Concert Band in the year 2000, then lead by Chou Yang Ching and Vincent Chin. Without formal music lessons, he taught himself to play the oboe and soon after started playing with the Kota Kinabalu Symphony Orchestra then led by Yap Ling. In 2006 he enrolled in University College Sedaya International before receiving a scholarship in 2007 to further his studies at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music Singapore, an opportunity which has led to collaborations with some of the best musicians around the world (e.g. Andrea Bocelli, Kiri Te Kanawa, Leon Fleisher etc). During his studies he performed in the public master classes of principal oboe players from the New York, Berlin, and Royal (London) Philharmonics and was given scholarships to participate in professional courses held in London, Amsterdam, Corfu and Quebec.

Professionally, Howard has performed with internationally renowned ensembles such as the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra where he has also appeared as a soloist (Dec 2011). Howard was also a pioneering member of the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra from 2006-2010 where he has also been given solo opportunities. In 2010 Howard was selected as a member of the Asian Youth Orchestra’s 20th anniversary tour of China, Korea and Japan, performing in some of the most prestigious concert halls in Asia and working alongside world renowned conductors and soloists. Most recently he was also selected to participate in a series of concerts with the ASEAN-Russia Symphony of Young musicians in Bali, Indonesia.

An avid chamber musician, Howard is also a member of the Trio d'anches Kuala Lumpur and the High Winds Ensemble. Not forgetting his roots, Howard also plays regularly with the KLPAC Symphonic Band.

Howard hopes to promote the art of classical music and wind instruments in Malaysia through concert and teaching opportunities. He is currently working on the funding of wind instruments in the private sector through a series of concerts and education programs to encourage amateur music making and learning with instruments such as the oboe and bassoon, increasing variety and diversifying music education in this region. He is very keen on meeting people who are interested to take on a new form of private patronage for the musical arts, one which is lacking in this part of the world.

The Venue: