Siow Lee Chin

Siow Lee Chin
Photo by Kenneth Wong
Photo by Kenneth Wong
Background information
OriginSingapore
GenreClassical
OccupationSoloist
InstrumentViolin
Websitewww.leechin.com

Siow Lee Chin (traditional Chinese: 蕭麗君; simplified Chinese: 萧丽君; born 1966) is a Singaporean violinist.

Featured in the American Record Guide as "a distinguished cultural asset of international stature", and The Strad as a "trailblazing role model for string players", Siow's Gold Medal victory at the 1994 Henryk Szeryng International Violin Competition launched her career as one of Singapore's first soloists on the international classical stage. Her performances been viewed on China Central TV, America's CBS, National Public Radio, and Singapore's MediaCorp.

As soloist, Siow has collaborated with orchestras such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Ludwigsburg Festival Orchestra, Houston Symphony, Dallas Symphony, the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, National Philharmonic of Ukraine, National Symphony Orchestra of Chile, Mexico State Symphony Orchestra, Avignon Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia; as well as at major concert halls and festivals in Asia, Europe and the Americas including the Royal Albert Hall, Osaka Symphony Hall, Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Beijing Concert Hall, City Hall in Hong Kong, Esplanade Concert Hall, Hangzhou Grand Theatre, KonzertHaus Vienna, Petronas Concert Hall, Shanghai Oriental Arts Centre, Suzhou Arts and Cultural Center, Tchaikovsky Hall; the Aspen Music Festival, Banff Music Festival, Cervantino Music Festival, Kansai International Performing Arts Festival, Lucerne International Music Festival, Ludwigsburg International Music Festival, Music Fest Perugia and Singapore Arts Festival. She performed centerstage at the 2015 Southeast Asian Games Opening Ceremony in the 55,000 capacity National Stadium, Singapore.

Beginning her violin studies with her late father Siow Hee Shun, Siow Lee Chin traces her musical lineage all the way back to Eugène Ysaÿe, Henri Vieuxtemps and Henryk Wieniawski through their disciples and her teachers at Curtis Institute of Music, Oberlin College and Mannes: Aaron Rosand, Jascha Brodsky, Felix Galimir, Roland and Almita Vamos. Today, she continues their pedagogical tradition in her work with young people in music institutions including Beijing's Central Conservatory of Music, Seoul National University, Chicago Institute of Music, Lisbon Academy of Music, the Singapore National Youth Orchestra and as violin professor at the College of Charleston. She personalises familiar favourites with Asian motifs and introduces the music of Asian composers to the West. At the 2015 City of London Festival, she performed the world premiere of "Air", a piece written for her by Chinese composer Yao Chen, in a recital program which showcased the evolution of violin virtuosity from J.S. Bach to the present.

Siow's CD Songs My Father Taught Me was a HMV classical bestseller in 2009 and was picked for Fanfare Magazine's Want List. In 2015, Singapore Press Holdings published her memoirs From Clementi to Carnegie – The Journey of Singaporean Violinist Siow Lee Chin.

Awards and career highlights

Selected appearances - Soloist with orchestras

Selected Masterclasses Conducted

References

  1. ↑ The Pacific Wave International Youth Music Festival: press release, p. 8. National Archives, Singapore. 22 Oct 1986. Retrieved 2016-08-27.
  2. ↑ From Singapore to Charleston, American Record Guide, Nov/Dec 2009
  3. ↑ Singapore Strings, The Strad, Voice for the String Music World Since 1890, June 2011
  4. ↑ SEA Games: Stunning opening ceremony officially launches 11 days of competition, The Straits Times 5 June 2015.