Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music Opens in Singapore

October 17, 2006

Singapore's latest performing arts venue, the new Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (YSTCM) celebrated its official opening ceremony on the 7th of October.

The Concert Hall at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music
Photo credit: Theatre Projects Consultants

The new Conservatory forms an integral part of the National University of Singapore's music faculty, offering talented young musicians academic courses in performance and composition at the highest professional and artistic level as well as catering for visiting artists. This 19,300 m², three storey building is located adjacent to the university's Cultural Centre and boasts state-of-the-art facilities comparable to the world's most successful conservatories.

The YSTCM's world-class European-style concert hall is purpose-built for classical music performances and is an ideal venue for chamber music as well as symphony orchestra concerts. With a ceiling height of 15m and an acoustic volume of close to 9000m³, the shoe-box concert hall is adapted to both recitals and symphony orchestra concerts. The concert hall seats 600 spectators, who are seated in the main floor parterre and a single balcony, which effectively creates a sense of intimacy during performances.

The YSTCM also contains about 45 practice rooms, 30 sound-proof and temperature-controlled teaching studios, 8 ensemble rooms and one of the largest recording studios in Asia.

The Conservatory of Music was opened by Ms Yong Siew Yoon, sister of the late benefactor Ms Yong Siew Toh, for whom the Conservatory is named. Also present at the celebrations was Robert Sirota, the distinguished American composer and conductor, who composed a new piece especially for the occasion entitled Meridians "to showcase the wonderful Yong Siew Toh Conservatory Orchestra in its beautiful new hall."