LIM YAU

Lim Yau's status as Singapore preeminent conductor is underpinned by a distinguished and enduring career.  In addition to a long association with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra since its founding, Lim Yau's work in choral music, opera, ballet, and contemporary music remains unparalleled.

 

He is a Cultural Medallion recipient and in 2011 was conferred the COMPASS Lifetime Achievement Award. More recently he was conferred the Fellow of the Royal College of Music (FRCM) in 2022 by the Royal College of Music, London.

 

A frequent collaborator with internationally acclaimed artists, Lim Yau has partnered Sumi Jo, Giacomo Aragall, Marc-André Hamelin, Steven Osborne, Dmitri Makhtin, Gordon Hunt, Sharon Isbin, Isabelle Moretti, Simon Preston, the Anonymous Four, and Omara Portuondo.

 

As an avid opera and ballet conductor, Lim Yau has conducted more than 20 opera and ballet productions with the Singapore Lyric Opera, Singapore Dance Theatre, among others.

 

As performing groups founded under the direction of Lim Yau, The Philharmonic Orchestra and The Philharmonic Chamber Chorus have both evolved into key players of Singapore's musical landscape, recognised for their high standards of performances and a niche in original and unique programming concepts.

 

Testament to his dedication to new music is an impressive record of performances under his direction. In addition to giving Singaporean premieres of works by James Macmillan, Tan Dun, John Adams and John Corigliano, Lim Yau remains the only conductor to have premiered works by every major Singaporean composer, most notably the first Singaporean opera Bunga Mawar by the late Leong Yoon Pin.

 

Currently Artistic Director of NAFA’s School of Music, Lim Yau is devoted to the nurturing and development of young musicians.