Ng Tianhui, photography by Natalie Dykes
In the world of music, Ng Tianhui shines as a conductor guided by diversity and inspiration. Ng’s Singaporean background, with its multicultural richness, adds unique layers to his artistic expression. Ng is a music director at several music organisations and made waves as the first Singaporean to hold the position of music director in Boston’s historic New England Philharmonic. With unyielding passion, he uses his platform to promote inclusivity and intercultural understanding, and his work with the New England Philharmonic exemplifies the harmonious convergence of creativity and purpose.
“The New England Philharmonic is a unique institution due to its historic dedication to presenting new music, and they juxtapose it with the standard canonic repertoire. It allows me to program music not typically heard elsewhere and gives me a lot of creative room, something I treasure greatly.” Beyond creative fulfilment, holding the post of music director at the New England Philharmonic has instilled a sense of responsibility and commitment in Ng — giving a platform for the voices of the historically excluded to be heard.. “I’ve inherited an illustrious organisation with an advisory council numbering several Pulitzer prizewinners and members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and I hope to build on that legacy and maintain the excellence for which the New England Philharmonic is justifiably known,” says Ng when asked about what he wants to achieve or accomplish from this current stint.
The New England Philharmonic
“Issues of diversity, equality and inclusion have been at the forefront of cultural leaders in the US. My background in a multi-racial Singapore has been a deep part of my musical work for decades, and it affords me the unique advantage of having already worked at the intersection of intercultural dialogue and exploration for most of my life. I hope to bring some of that experience into our programming and invite more voices that have only recently been excluded from most orchestral programs. And to use that platform to build understanding between people and cultures.”
“Perhaps, unsurprisingly, for an artist involved in code-switching between so many styles of music, I am interested in a context-informed, historically informed approach to music so that we do not inadvertently impose anachronistic approaches to performance.” Even though Ng’s family has historic roots in China, his Singaporean background significantly influenced his musical journey. Growing up in a culturally eclectic environment and experiencing his grandmother’s beloved Teochew Opera mainly through Rediffusion gave Ng some insight into the immigrant stories that are shared with the bulk of people living today in the United States and what it means to navigate between languages and cultures, old and new world, money and poverty.
Temasek Foundation SSO National Day Concert 2023
With Ng set to take the stage at the Temasek Foundation SSO National Day Concert 2023 on 13 August 2023 in his debut performance with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO), the excitement is palpable, promising an unforgettable performance that will resonate with the audience and musicians alike.
“I know it will be an emotional experience for me. This was, after all, the orchestra that inspired it all for me. I look forward to sharing the stage with many beloved mentors and colleagues and sharing my symphonic music-making with a Singaporean audience for the first time ever. You can imagine the excitement!” remarks Ng with a hint of anticipation.
In Ng’s quest for continuous growth and inspiration as a conductor drawing from the company of remarkable artists, being the music director of the New England Philharmonic is a step closer to musical nirvana. He seeks those moments when the unity of purpose and effortless dance converge, creating breathtaking music. “I am so inspired by all the wonderful artists I continue to enjoy working with. I’m always searching for that most wonderful moment in music-making when all of us are in the zone, in unanimity of purpose and effortless dance. It’s just the most beautiful thing! And to do that, I think a musician has to have the time and space to hear their voice amid so many others. I find this in nature. I love my garden and all the living things that inhabit it,” he expressed with a sense of wonder.
SSO National Day Concert 2022
You are a Music Director at several music organisations. Tell us, in general, what a day at work is like for you.
Ng Tianhui: When possible, I tend to start a baseline of musical preparation during the summer before the season begins in earnest. Things get rapidly intense. I usually spend the first part of my work day, just like everyone else, looking through my emails to see what I need to prioritise. Often, I have about 6 hours of rehearsals and meetings with staff members before, in between, and after rehearsals. I then study my music whenever I can once I’m away from my administrative duties!
You are the first Singaporean appointed as Music Director of the New England Philharmonic. What does this appointment mean to you, and what went through your head when you learnt about it?
New England Philharmonic is a very unique institution due to its historic dedication to the presentation of new music! Part of its mission is to juxtapose that with the standard canonic repertoire that got many of us started in the first place. Therefore, I programme a lot of music that would not normally find its way into the mix. This gives me a lot of room to be creative, something that I greatly treasure! For instance: With reports of human suffering in the news cycle, I created a program that tries to focus on the lives of ordinary citizens. Hence a program juxtaposing Shostakovich’s Seventh symphony with the music of Thomas De Hartmann, born in
present-day Ukraine, with allegiances to both with that of Adeliia Faizulina, who is today a composer based at Brown University, a Russian citizen of Tartari heritage, in a program called “People In Between”.
You’ve worked with numerous musicians and orchestras around the world. Was there a particular one that left the most lasting impression on you?
I know I’m supposed to name-drop now! But it would be truly unfair. I have been fortunate to have experienced music-making in so many amazing spaces. Here are a few unexpected ones. Studying Gregorian Chant with Daniel Saulnier in Solesmes, diving into the folk roots of Bartok’s music at the International Bartok Festival in Hungary, oh, and quite recently, the premiere of Israeli composer Tamar Muskal’s One World with the Borromeo String Quartet, Avirodh Sharma on Tabla, Christlez Bacon on Beatbox, and the Mount Holyoke Chamber Singers, total convergence of so many of my musical lives.
I have to say that the ongoing one I work with almost every day is Cerise Lim Jacobs of White Snake Projects in Boston, a retired Federal Prosecutor whose first opera with Zhou Long, Madam White Snake, won a Pulitzer. She continues to inspire me with her passion for art, clear-eyed realism and chutzpah for the untested! I look forward to many more adventures as Music Director of the company.
This story of Ng Tianhui first appeared in the August 2023 issue, click here to catch up with it!
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