Tay Teow Kiat

Tay received his PhD in Chinese music conducting from the Beijing Normal University in 2005.

In 1992, the Chinese music magazine People’s Music in an article on Tay, described his conducting as “...meticulous, precise and sensitive... yet graceful and refined. His insightful understanding and grasp of traditional music culture enables him to render different music styles accurately, bringing out the essence of each piece of music through the orchestra... one cannot help but be impressed by the calibre of his conducting, and his ability to train an orchestra”.

For his contributions, Tay was awarded the National Day Efficiency Medal in 1989 and the Commendation Plaque (by the Extra Curricular Activities Centre, ECAC) for music and dance activities in 1991. He was also the recipient of the National Arts Council Cultural Medallion in 1993 and the National Day Award-Long Service Medal (Education Service) in 1997.

Since 1985, Tay was invited to conduct numerous professional Chinese orchestras in places such as Shanghai, Tianjin, Shanxi and Shandong as a guest conductor. He has also been invited as a guest or judge in international Chinese music conferences and competitions held in Chicago, Beijing and Shanghai.

Since 1982, Tay has conducted the DHSCO on performance tours in Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Zhanjiang, Tianjin, Guilin, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Suzhou and Jiangyin. He has also conducted the NAFA CCO in concerts in Beijing and Tianjin in 1996, Jilin and Beijing in 2007, and Taiwan in 2013.

Tay studied the sanxian under Yang Hao Ran, an accomplished musician of traditional Southern Chinese music, in the 1960s. In 1980, he studied conducting and music theory under the esteemed musician and educator Professor Li Yi of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, as well as the conductor Professor Cao Peng.

Tay Teow Kiat (simplified Chinese: 郑朝吉; traditional Chinese: 鄭朝吉; pinyin: Zhèng Cháo Jí; born 1947) is the Music Director of East Zone Schools’ Chinese Orchestra Development Centre, President of Singapore Chinese Instrumental Music Association, Music Director of Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) City Chinese Orchestra (CCO), Music Director of Dingyi Chamber Ensemble and Resident Conductor of Dunman High School Chinese Orchestra (DHSCO). He is considered to be the founding father of Chinese orchestral music in Singapore.