The Philharmonic Winds

Music Director

Singaporean musician Leonard Tan was appointed music director of the Philharmonic Winds in January 2008. He previously served as assistant conductor from 2003-2006.

After a prolific ten-year career as conductor-educator, he was awarded the National Institute of Education-Nanyang Technological University Overseas Graduate Scholarship to pursue his doctoral studies at the world-renowned Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. At the Jacobs School, he studies orchestral conducting with David Effron, Arthur Fagen and Murray Sidlin, wind conducting with Stephen Pratt, music education with Estelle Jorgensen, tuba with Daniel Perantoni, and theory with Robert Hatten.

He played the violin and tuba in his formative musical years and studied harmony with Leong Yoon Pin. Orchestral conducting studies were through masterclasses with Leif Segerstam and Alexander Polischuk in Russia, where he worked with St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic, and with Johannes Schlaefli, where he worked with Academic Orchestra Zurich. Wind conducting studies were through masterclasses with Eugene Corporon, Craig Kirchhoff, and Timothy Reynish.

His work has been lauded by both local and international critics. Singapore’s The Straits Times gave rave reviews for his performance of Husa’s Music for Prague with the Philharmonic Winds while Indiana’s The Herald Times noted his “artful conducting” of Grainger’s music with the Indiana University Summer Concert Band. He was invited to conduct Singapore Symphony Orchestra musicians in a Singapore-Japan Composers Exchange Concert, Singapore National Youth Orchestra musicians in the prestigious “Ong Teng Cheong” Concert, and assisted in a production of Puccini’s opera Madama Butterfly.

He has led performances at the Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House, Musical Arts Center, and Golden Hall of the Musikverein. In the United States, he guest conducted the University of North Texas Wind Symphony at the 15th Conductor’s Collegium, Indiana University Conductor’s Orchestra, and Indiana University Summer Concert Band at the 2009 IU Summer Music Festival.

Prior to his doctoral studies, he was music director of the National University of Singapore Wind Symphony, conductor of Singapore National Youth Sinfonia, and director of several established wind ensembles from secondary through tertiary levels. He also taught at the NUS High School, LaSalle College of the Arts, and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts.

Ensembles under his direction were recognized for their excellence through numerous top ratings in festivals in the United States, Asia, and Europe. He has been awarded the NAC Geogerette Chen Arts Scholarship, Rotary Club Training Grant, Lee Foundation Scholarship, ABRSM High Scorer’s Award, St Margaret’s “Partner in Education Award,” CHIJ “Certificate of Commendation,” Raffles Junior College Creative Arts Award, Kripalani Arts Challenge Trophy, and WASBE Conducting Scholarship.

He has adjudicated, lectured, and given clinics in festivals in the United States and Asia, including the Pacific Western Concert Band Festival at the University of the Pacific. Academic conference presentations include Eighth International Society for Philosophy of Music Education Conference at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland, and 2010 CIC Conference at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA. His research paper into the band symphonies of Paul Hindemith and Vincent Persichetti has most recently been accepted for publication in the peer-reviewed Journal of Band Research.

Leonard Tan currently resides in the United States with his wife Angeline and two children, Reegan and Reena.

Bio correct as of February 01, 2011