Kelly
Tang received his undergraduate training at York University (Toronto), and was
awarded a Mmus by Northwestern University (Illinois). He received his PhD at
Michigan State University in 1995.Kelly, TANG (b.1961)
Kelly
Tang received his undergraduate training at York University (Toronto), and was
awarded a Mmus by Northwestern University (Illinois). He received his PhD at
Michigan State University in 1995.
Tang’s
oeuvre features a burgeoning collection of orchestral works (including a
piano concerto) as well as an assorted chamber and choral compositions. Recent
works include Quintet for Piano and Strings, which was written in
response to an invitation to compose a new work for the Presidential Command
Performance in 1997, featuring a group of upcoming musicians. Sinfonia
Concertante was commissioned by the Singapore Youth Orchestra for the
President’s Charity Concert in 1999 and Because You Loved Me: a
Contemporary Motet for Soprano, Choir and Orchestra was commercially
released on CD in 1998. Prominent pianist Shane Thio and violinist Foo Say Ming
premiered Duo for Violin and Piano in a concert of 20th
Century Duos in November 1999. His choral setting of Wordsworth’s Solitary
Reaper was commissioned by National Arts Council for Choral Seminar.
The
Singapore Symphony Orchestra recorded his new orchestration of the Singapore
National Anthem, a commission by the Ministry of Information and the Arts, in
2000. His orchestral work, Apocalypso, was premiered by the Warsaw
Philharmonic Orchestra, a special commission by the National Arts Council for
the Singapore Arts Festival 2000.
Tang’s
Piano Trio was premiered by Foo Say Ming, Chan Wei Shing, and Shane Thio
in April 2001 alongside Piano Trios by Shostakovich and Ravel, while his setting
of Blake’s, Tyger, for soprano and piano, was commissioned to be
performed in a series of recitals in the USA throughout 2001 at the University
of Michigan, Olivet College and Iowa Wesleyan University. Solitary Reaper
was chosen to be performed at the opening ceremony of the Asia Pacific Symposium
on Choral Music 2001 by the Singapore Youth Choir, while Largo for Piano and
Chamber Orchestra was premiered by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra at its
New Music Forum in August 2001. Upcoming compositions include a cello concert,
as well as a work for choir and chamber instrumental ensemble commissioned by
the Singapore Youth Choir in commemoration of its 40th Anniversary.
Rooted
in his training in Western Classical music, Tang’s compositional style springs
from a confluence of diverse styles fed by his experience as jazz bassist and
rock/pop record producer, and also his studies in film scoring, world music, and
Carnatic drumming under legendary Mrdangm virtuoso Trichy Sankaran.
As honourary director of music at Eagles Communications since 1980, he composed
numerous musicals, dance suites and audio/visual scores, and led overseas
concert tours to Hong Kong, Thailand, Shanghai, Jakarta and Malaysia. His work
in the recording studio has yielded five commercial CD albums. He is founder and
director of the NIE Composers’ Ensemble, a group of music teachers dedicated
to composing and premiering contemporary works, which was recently commissioned
by Esplanade by the Bay to compose and premier five new works.
Tang was appointed to several key committees that influence key facets of musical life in Singapore, within the National Arts Council, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Community Development. As a music educator, Tang has taught at Northwestern University and Michigan State University in the USA, as well as Raffles Junior College and St. Theresa’s Convent in Singapore. He currently holds the post of Assistant Professor at Nanyang Technological University-National Institute of Education, where he lectures in Composition, Computer Music, Film Music, Score Analysis, and Classroom Pedagogy.
* profile correct as of 13 Sep 2002