ARTISTIC TEAM
Artistic
Director
DR.
Darius Lim
Singaporean Composer-Conductor Dr. Darius Lim is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Voices of Singapore Festival & Choral Society. He is today one of the most sought-after Singaporean Composer-Conductors of his generation with his choral works and arrangements sung by choirs from all corners of the globe. An internationally published composer (Edition Peters, Walton Music, Muziksea, Pana Musica) and established conductor, he is most known for his unique infusion of lyrical, dramatic, instrumental, and theatrical elements in both the choirs he directs as well as his choral music.
Dr. Lim’s interests lie in serving the community through the pursuit of building communities through musical excellence and artistic experiences that would inspire and uplift. In 2020, he was invited by TEDx to present “The Voices of Singapore – Strengthening a Nation Through Choral Singing”.
His numerous hats in the music industry include Council Member in the Asia Pacific Choral Council, Board Chairman of the World Alliance of Children’s Choirs, and Deputy General-Secretary of the National Instructors & Coaches Association. He has also served on various other international music adjudication panels and boards around the world. He has held former posts as President of the Choral Directors Association (Singapore), Associate Choirmaster of the Singapore Symphony Children’s Choir and Music Director of the National University of Singapore Society Choir.
He is most known for his work as founder of the Voices of Singapore Choral Society – one of the country’s leading choral societies with 20 choral singing groups that range from children’s choirs to adult choruses, a professional choir, special needs choir, and various other ensembles. Among the numerous recognitions and accolades garnered under the Voices of Singapore Choral Society, the Singapore Virtual Choir received international acclaim when their rendition of “Home” by Dick Lee went viral and was displayed and played at the Singapore National Museum. Virtual choir recordings by Voices of Singapore which have collectively garnered over 1.5 million views are also used for national-level events and set as a benchmark for virtual choirs in Singapore. Dr. Lim also runs the annual Voices of Singapore Festival that brings together more than 10,000 people from all walks of life to sing at the iconic Chijmes Hall.
Dr. Lim was the first Asian choral conductor to graduate from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama with a Masters in Choral Conducting (with Distinction) and attained his Doctor of Musical Arts from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music.
Associate Artistic Director
Chong
Wai Lun
Malaysian born Chong Wai Lun self-taught his way to a full scholarship at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, majoring in trumpet performance. Wai Lun joined the SYC Ensemble Singers in 2005, and has prepared the choir for performances
with Vytautas Miškinis, Ko Matsushita and Corrado Margutti, in addition to assisting Jen Tham
with their regular season of concerts and tours. In 2009, he attended the International
Masterclass for Choral Conducting led by Volker Hempfling and Brady Allred at the Bavarian
Music Academy, Marktoberdorf. As a singer, Wai Lun has represented Singapore in the
inaugural and second editions of the Asia Pacific Youth Choir, organised by the International
Federation for Choral Music, in Macau (2011) and Beijing (2012).
Wai Lun pursued further studies in Hungary and Wales, graduating with a Master’s in Kodaly
Music Pedagogy from the Kodály Institute of the Liszt Academy of Music, and a Master's in
Choral Conducting from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, respectively. He was one
of a select few active participants in the masterclasses of Simon Halsey and Grete Pedersen
with the Berlin Radio Choir in Summer 2014. On his return, Wai Lun was appointed Music
Director of the International Festival Chorus of Singapore (2016–2019).
Wai Lun is Chorus Master for the Metropolitan Festival Orchestra (MFO) and Orchestra of the
Music Makers (OMM). In 2018, he founded Symphonia Choralis, a community choir specialising
in symphonic choral works. At the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, his alma mater, Wai
Lun is on faculty as an adjunct lecturer, teaching aural musicianship, and rehearsing the
Chamber Singers.
Artistic
COORDINATOR
REBECCA REAVLEY
Rebecca Reavley is a British-Chinese soprano from Singapore. Passionate about spreading her love for vocal music and communal singing, she is an active educator, conductor and performer in the music scene.
She is the Artistic Coordinator in the Voices of Singapore, conducting the Intermediate and Junior choirs in the VOS Children’s Choirs, as well as NUHS Nurses Choir. She is also the accompanist for the VOS Community Chorus. As an educator, she teaches musicianship at VOS, and is a vocal specialist in classical singing at the Voice Company, giving one to one singing lessons.
As a performer, she is part of a duo with pianist Pamela Krakauer, and has performed in collaboration with various arts bodies in Singapore to bring live music and song to the community. Notable collaborations include a music video as part of Home Songs, an initiative funded by the National Arts Council SEP Grant, a concert in celebration of Austria’s National Day with the Austrian Embassy Singapore, as well as a virtual recital with National Gallery Singapore as part of their Resonates With series, pairing music with art to talk about social issues. They also hosted their own lecture recitals in the Esplanade recital studio, performing Berg’s Sieben Frühe Lieder in May 2021 with talks by musicologist Peter Krakauer, and Poulenc’s La Courte Paille and Bernstein’s I Hate Music in July 2021.
Rebecca discovered a love and talent for singing at the age of 17, starting her studies in solo voice with Malaysian coloratura soprano Tan Sin Sim in 2015. She then went on to study classical voice with tenor Peter Wilson in 2017, with an entrance scholarship at the Royal Northern College of Music. She also worked with other established artists like Benjamin Luxon, Michael Chance and Eiddwen Harrhy. In her time there, she performed in the opera chorus for RNCM’s productions of Massenet’s Cendrillon (2018) and Humperdinck’s Hansel und Gretel (2018). She performed as Gasparina in Haydn’s La Canterina and Giacinta in Mozart’s La Finta Semplice for RNCM’s Opera Scenes in 2019 and 2020. She has also performed as a soloist in Vaughan William’s Serenade to Music and Handel’s Messiah with chamber orchestra. In 2020, she completed her Bachelor’s of Music with RNCM, graduating with a First. After graduating, she continued her vocal studies with respected soprano Barbara Bonney in 2021.
Conductors & Accompanists
Management team
Mervyn Ye, General Manager
Mervyn Ye is the General Manager at VOS. With a decade of arts management experience under his belt, he is active on both sides of the stage. A beatboxer with indie-pop trio ‘HubbaBubbas’, he has performed on international stages, including Zandari Festa (South Korea), Bangkok Music Festival, Music Lane Okinawa Festival and the SEA Games 2015. HubbaBubbas’ music has more than a million streams online.
Mervyn has public service experience with IRAS, where he worked on projects serving millions of taxpayers. Mervyn holds a Masters of Business Administration from NUS and graduated from NTU (Bachelor of Accounting) with 1st class honours.
Gerald Wong, Senior Manager (Partnerships and Fundraising)
Gerald is no stranger to the arts and cultural scene, having been involved in the industry since the start of 2014 as a radio producer/ presenter in Singapore’s only classical music and arts radio station, Symphony 92.4FM. His experience includes producing and presenting radio programmes and hosting televised shows as well as high-level events with VVIPs such as the Prime Minister and major business leaders in attendance. In addition to that, Gerald was also involved in developing business strategies to generate greater visibility and revenue-making opportunities for the radio station and was instrumental in establishing close partnerships and working with strategic arts and cultural partners on various projects during his time at Symphony 92.4FM. He also graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (HONS) in Arts Management with 1st class honours from LASALLE College of the Arts, and continues to contribute to the college by connecting current Arts Management students to learning and experiential opportunities in the industry.
Here at Voices of Singapore, Gerald is the company’s Business Development Manager. His responsibilities include overseeing the development and growth of the company’s programmes and projects such as the VOS Corporate programme, VOS Community programmes as well as the World Alliance of Children’s Choirs. In addition to that, he is also responsible for managing relationships with VOS’s external stakeholders which include patrons, donors, industry partners and clients.
Dione Au, Manager (Choral Programmes)
Dione is the Manager of Choral Programmes at VOS. Having graduated with an Arts Management Diploma and Degree from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), Dione has a fervent passion for the arts with engagements in volunteer activities at multiple local arts organisations. She has had experience in programming, planning and the execution of events as well as article content curation through an internship with the Singapore Symphony Group, Community Outreach Department.
Dione has a strong love for singing and has been a part of several choirs for over a decade, including the CHIJ Secondary (Toa Payoh) Alumni Choir, which clinched the Gold award in the 5th Singapore International Choral Festival in 2018.
At Voices of Singapore, Dione oversees the 430-strong Voices of Singapore Children’s Choir. She works closely with the artistic and administrative teams, managing both internal and external stakeholder communications. She was also the Stage Manager for Reflections at the Voices of Singapore Festival (2021, CHIJMES Hall) and Voices of Tomorrow (2022, Victoria Concert Hall), and has taken on the role of Assistant Stage Manager for other concerts such as We Begin Again (2020), When Winter Fades (2021) and Sounds From A Distant World (2021).
Gabriel Ching, Manager (Projects & Venues)
Gabriel is an arts manager with 8 years of varied experience in the Singapore arts and music scene, and a strong belief in championing inclusivity through accessible programmes. With an understanding of choral music as a former chorister, Gabriel has been a Stage Manager for choral groups such as The Philharmonic Chamber Choir with Skywalk (2017, Victoria Concert Hall) and Singapore Symphony Children’s and Youth Choirs with Timeless Splendour (2017, Victoria Concert Hall), as well as held the role of Choral Assistant over 5 years with the Singapore Symphony Group. Gabriel graduated from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Arts Management with 1st class honours, and was accorded the Best Graduate 2020 award. Gabriel is currently a committee member of the NAFA Arts Management Alumni Chapter.
At Voices of Singapore, Gabriel manages the adult choruses, including the VOS Community Chorus, VOS Ladies Choir and VOS Men. He also oversees venue hire relationships, partnerships, and collaborations, as well as volunteer management. He has been the Stage and Project Manager for several events by Voices of Singapore attended by more than 10,000 audience members, including We Begin Again (2020, The Esplanade), When Winter Fades (2021, CHIJMES Hall), Sounds From A Distant World (2021, Pasir Panjang Power Station), Concert of the People (2022, Victoria Concert Hall), and VOS Children’s Choir Fairy Tales & Magic Presentation Showcase (2022, Capitol Theatre). In 2022, Gabriel was the Festival Manager for the 4-day 7th VOS Festival at CHIJMES Hall, which featured more than 20 concerts, attended by 3,200 audience members.
Luke Teo, Executive (Logistics & Operations)
Luke is the Logistics and Operations Executive at VOS. Luke has over 10 years of operations, logistical and event experience, supporting various large organisations including Universal Studios Singapore at Resorts World Sentosa, Marina Bay Sands, and the Singapore Armed Forces. He has held various key appointments in those organisations and run operations for multiple high-profile events.
Luke has a strong background in music having more than a decade of experience with several choirs and organisations such as Anglo Chinese School (Primary/Barker Road), Singapore Symphony Children’s Chorus, Ngee ann Poly Voices Club, VOCE Men’s Chorus and Many more, holding key positions within those organisations as well.
BoarD
Catherine Tan
Chairperson
Christopher Cheong
Darius Lim
Dr Foo Fatt Kah
