Growing up in the music scene, multi-talented Wang Chenwei was an active member of the Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra (then known as the Singapore Youth Chinese Orchestra) from 2004 to 2008. He took on different instruments throughout his five years in the orchestra and played the Daruan, Sanxian, Zhongyin Sheng, Cello and Zhonghu respectively. Deemed as a music prodigy, he was able to compose, conduct and play 12 musical instruments.
In 2006, Wang Chenwei received the “Singaporean Award” of the Singapore International Competition for Chinese Orchestra Composition (SICCOC) organised by SCO. The theme of his winning work “The Sisters’ Islands” was based on the Malay legend of the Sisters’ Islands south of Singapore. This piece was subsequently featured in SCO’s 2007 CD album “Charms of Nanyang”. Since then, SCO has commissioned Wang Chenwei to do new compositions and arrangements for many concerts, notably SCO’s Infinite Island – A Theatre in Concert in 2019.
For his many contributions to the music scene, he was conferred the Young Outstanding Singaporeans Award in 2011. Over the years, he has also composed several works with distinctive Singapore flavour such as “Confluence”, which has garnered him regional recognition. His outstanding works create memorable music and convey powerful emotions. His compositions have also been widely performed in SCO’s ticketed and outreach concerts, reaching out to Singaporean audiences from all walks of life.
Wang Chenwei is currently Head of Research and Education at The TENG Company, adjunct faculty and composition supervisor at the National Institute of Education (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore) and council member of the Singapore Chinese Music Federation (SCMF). He has been re-appointed as our Composer-in-Residence from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023.