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Lynnette Seah

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lynnette Seah
佘美幸
Birth nameSeah Mei Tsing
(Chinese: 佘美幸; pinyin: Shé Měixìng)
Born1957 (age 66–67)
Singapore
GenresClassical music
Occupation(s)violinist, concertmistress
InstrumentViolin

Lynnette Seah Mei Tsing (Chinese: 佘美幸; pinyin: Shé Měixìng) is a Singaporean violinist and the co-leader of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO). She was awarded the Cultural Medallion for Music in 2006.

Early life

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Seah began her formal music education on the piano at the age of five under the guidance of her mother, Lau Biau Chin. She started learning the violin at six with Goh Soon Tioe and later studied with professional violin teacher, Alphonso Anthony.[1] At 15, Seah was appointed Associate Concertmaster of the Bishop Symphony Orchestra at the International Music Camp in Adelaide, Australia. In the same year, she represented Singapore in the Southeast Asian Violin Competition and earned a scholarship to study at the Hannover Hochschule for Music in Germany.[2]

Seah has studied with several renowned violin instructors, including David Mankowitz in Toronto, Professor Friedrich von Hausegger in Hanover, Professor Karel Sneberger in Prague, Yfrah Neaman in London[2] and Dorothy DeLay in New York.[2]

Musical career

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As a violin soloist, Seah has performed with various orchestras around the world, such as the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra, Gstaad Menuhin Festival Orchestra, Orebro Chamber Orchestra, Teplice Symphony Orchestra and Zurich Symphony Orchestra. Seah has also played in several festivals, including the Bergen International Festival, Singapore Arts Festival and the Swiss Festival. In 2005, Seah commissioned Singaporean composer Bernard Tan to compose a concerto, Violin Concerto, dedicated to her.[3] The concerto premiered on 7 January 2006 at Singapore's Esplanade Concert Hall by Seah herself with the SSO and Chinese-American conductor Lan Shui.[3]

Seah is active in the chamber music community. She is the leader and founder of the Jade String Quartet,[4] one of the few professional chamber music groups in Singapore.

Seah is also one of the founders of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.

Seah (center)

Alongside her work as a soloist and a concertmaster, Seah is a member of the Advisory Committee for the "Violin Loan Scheme," run by the Singapore National Arts Council. She is also a member of Singapore's Education Ministry's Arts Education Committee, which oversees various arts institutions such as the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music and the LASALLE College of the Arts.

Awards

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In 1997, the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore conferred on Seah the Excellence Award in recognition of her contribution to Singapore's classical music scene.

In 2006, SSO nominated and awarded Seah with the Cultural Medallion for Music.[5] Seah received the award from the then President of Singapore, S R Nathan, at the Istana. She performed Bach's Partita No.3 and Elgar's Salut d'Amour during the award ceremony.

Personal life

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Seah is divorced from Hans Simon.[6] They have two sons, Maurice and Andre.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "Lynnette Seah wins Cultural Medallion, Singapore's highest accolade in the arts" (PDF). Bravissimo!. 8 (1). Singapore Symphony Orchestra. January 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 July 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2009.
  2. ^ a b c ""文化奖"得主佘美幸陈楚智 不言倦不知足". Lianhe Zaobao (in Chinese (Singapore)). 21 October 2006. p. 34.
  3. ^ a b "Bernard Tan (陈 忠 义): The Science of Music" (PDF). National Library Board. p. 5.
  4. ^ "SSO 30th Anniversary Concert" (PDF).
  5. ^ "The Great Artists". The Living Room. 23 October 2006. Mediacorp. 938LIVE!.
  6. ^ Angeline, Koh. "Lynnette Seah | Infopedia". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  7. ^ "Lynette takes on a new name and a hectic schedule". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
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