Leong Yoon Pin

Leong Yoon Pin

By Tan, Eleanor A. L. written on 2008-09-02
National Library Board Singapore

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Leong Yoon Pin (b. 5 August 1931, Singapore - ), composer, conductor and educator, is well known for his choral compositions, many of which have been locally commissioned and performed by both amateur and professional choirs.

Early Life and Education
Often described as the doyen of Singapore composers, Leong Yoon Pin was born in Singapore when it was still under British colonial rule. He received his primary education at the People's Free School, XingDao Primary School and XingHua Primary School. After the Second World War, he studied at Dong Ling High School for a year before proceeding to St. Patrick's School. From 1951-53, he studied at the Teachers' Training College, and upon graduation he taught music and other subjects in primary schools. In 1954, he became a specialist teacher in music.

In 1955, Leong was awarded a scholarship to study music at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Whilst in London, he majored in composition, piano, and voice. On his return from his studies abroad, he was employed by the Teachers' Training College as a lecturer in music. Leong took the opportunity to further his compositional studies with Nadia Boulanger in Paris from 1966-67, under a French Government scholarship. Almost a decade later in 1975, Leong won a British Council Commonwealth Fellowship and undertook post-graduate studies in music education at Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Achievements in Music
Though he wears the many hats of composer, educator and conductor, Leong is mainly known for his role as a composer. His compositional oeuvre include two symphonies, the tone poems Blessing the Seas, Temasekian, and Episodes in Journey to the West, the opera Bunga Mawar, the concert overture Dayong Sampan, a piano concerto, choral and many other instrumental works. But perhaps Leong is best known for his choral works. These include the popular Street Calls, Dragon Dance, Pedlars and the Soprano, Like a Rapid Stream, and Love Quatrains.

As a conductor, Leong founded and conducted the Rediffusion Youth Choir in 1951, and later the Metro Philharmonic Society in 1959, a position which he still holds. He was appointed Resident Conductor of the National Theatre Orchestra in 1969. From 1977 until 1979, he was Resident Conductor of the Singapore National Orchestra, National Theatre. In 2000, he was appointed as the Singapore Symphony Orchestra's first Composer-in-Residence.

Leong's career path as an educator was charted when he undertook training at the Teachers' Training College in 1951. He held various positions, as lecturer and then as Head of Music when the College was renamed the Institute of Education. Through his roles as Arts Advisor to the National Arts Council, National Institute of Education, and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, amongst others, he has continually been involved in charting the course of the local music and music education scenes.

Awards

For his many contributions in music, Leong was honoured with the Cultural Medallion in 1982. He was also awarded the Bintang Bakti Masyarakat (BBM) in 2005, and more recently in 2007, the COMPASS Lifetime Achievement Award.

Selected Compositions/Choral Works

1953 : Story of Milan, his first choral work.

1954 : Ode to the Sea.

1959 : In memory of Qu Yuan.

1962 : The Peacock's East-Southerly Flight.

1969 : Holiday Camp.

1980 : Overture; Dayong Sampan.

1981 : Like a Rapid Stream.

1983 : Episodes in Journey to the West

1986 : Nine Cantos.

1988 : Dragon Dance.

1991 : Symphonic Poem: Temasekian.

1993 : Street Calls; Love Quatrains; and Metamorphosis.

1996 : Blessing the Seas

1997 : Bunga Mawar.

1999 : Pedlars and the Soprano.

2001 : Symphonic Poem: Gegentala.



Author
Eleanor A. L. Tan