The T'ang String Quartet (唐四重奏) is a

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

-based classical

string String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

quartet that has played to critical acclaim. Formed in 1992, they are Singapore's first full-time professional chamber group. In April 2022, the Quartet opened their 30th Anniversary celebrations with a rousing performance at Victoria Concert Hall. The concert, ''Humble Beginnings'', also formally introduced their new members, Han Oh (

viola The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...

) and Wang Zihao (

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

). The quartet's new incarnation made its debut with contrasting string quartets by Joseph Haydn and Alexander Borodin to no less fanfare. To commemorate 30 years of music, the T'ang Quartet has lined up a series of programmes in 2022, including the launch of their coffee table book, ''Tang At 30'', which will be released in July. It will be held in conjunction with T'ang Quartet's second edition two-day anniversary programme, ''Gift of Music'', at the Esplanade Recital Studio. The quartet also headlined NAC-ExxonMobil Concert in the Gardens on July 30 at the Singapore Botanic Gardens' Heritage Festival 2022.

Biography

The T’ang String Quartet comprises Ng Yu-Ying (1st

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

), Ang Chek Meng (2nd

), Han Oh (

) and Wang Zihao (

). The T'ang Quartet was formed in 1992 when the members (Ng, Ang, Leslie Tan, Lionel Tan) were still performers with Singapore Symphony Orchestra. Trained individually in America, China,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, the Quartet was awarded a fellowship to work in the USA with Paul and Martha Katz, Norman Fischer, Kenneth Goldsmith and Sergui Luca at the Shepherd School of Music. After a two-year masters studies in

Rice University William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranke ...

as a pre-formed quartet, the T’ang Quartet began their professional career in 1999 with unanimity of purpose: to break new ground by extending the sheer fun and enjoyment of classical music to a larger audience, as well as setting new standards of artistic achievement. Critics have praised the T’ang Quartet as 'astounding' for its 'confidence', bravura and charisma' (Boston Globe) and for bringing ‘enthusiasm, energy and commitment...to all the music...' (The Times, London). They have added that 'this ensemble is outstanding. Unanimity of attack is uncanny, and intonation and internal balance both impress greatly. These are plainly minds which share a wavelength' (Evening Standard, London). Apart from recitals the Quartet is also very active in outreach and art education programmes. The T’ang Quartet is currently the quartet-in-residence at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music at the

National University of Singapore The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national public research university in Singapore. Founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School, NUS is the oldest autonomous university in the c ...

and was on the faculty of the

Boston University Tanglewood Institute The Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI) is a summer music training program for students age 10 to 20 in Lenox, Massachusetts, under the auspices of the Boston University College of Fine Arts. History BUTI was envisioned in 1965 when E ...

from 2001 to 2005. In September 2006, it was accorded the prestigious honour of performing at the opening of Singapore Biennale, and to foreign dignitaries at the IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings held in Singapore. ASEAN Summit in 2007 "T'ang" signifies that golden age of the arts in Asia – the

T'ang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingd ...

. The name is also an

acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

of the players' last names – Ng, Ang and Tan. In 2007, T'ang Quartet premiered "Optical Identity", a collaborative production with Theatre Cryptic (Scotland) was commissioned by the Singapore Arts Festival. The European premiere took place at the Edinburgh International Festival in August, and the production then traveled to the Alicante International Contemporary Music Festival (Spain) in September, and tours Scotland in October and November 2007. T'ang Quartet was invited to perform Azerbaijan composer Franghiz Ali Zadeh's Mugam Sayagi at a UNESCO award Ceremony in Paris on 3 April 2008, where she was receiving the honorary title of UNESCO Artist for Peace. Members of T'ang Quartet play instruments on generous loan from the Rin Collection and Mr Jiri Heger.

Members

* Ng Yu-Ying (born 1968), 1st violin * Ang Chek Meng (born 1969), 2nd violin * Han Oh (born 1974), viola * Zihao Wang (born 1991), cello

Awards

*Winners – 2nd Internationaler Joseph Joachim Kammermusikwettbewerb (1999, Weimar, Germany) *Bartok Prize – Prague-Vienna-Budapest sommer Akademic (2000) *Cultural Award – Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (2000) *Arts & Culture – Singapore Youth Award (SYA) 2002 *Artistic Excellence Award (Classical)- presented by Composers and Authors Society of Singapore (2008)

Live concert recording album

* ''Not Our Debut'' (T'ang Quartet and International Music Management, 1996)

Limited Release album

* ''Heavenly'' (Action Theatre, 2001)

Album release

* ''The Art of War'' (T'ang Quartet Limited, 2005) * ''Made in America c.1893'' (T'ang Quartet Limited, 2006) – featuring Violist Jiri Heger as guest soloist (Viola Quintet in E-flat, Op.97) * "The True Sound of Healing" ( Produced by Tan Tock Seng Hospital,Singapore, 2008)

Other works

* Recorded soundtrack for "Feet Unbound", a feature film retracing the Long March as undertaken by teenage girls, directed by Ng Khee Jin in 2006. * A short film on " Optical Identity" featuring T'ang Quartet was screened at the Adelaide Film Festival in Feb 2009

References

External links

Official Website
{{authority control Singaporean musical groups String quartets