Cheong Yen San
Cheong Yen San initially completed her diploma in electone organ at Yamaha Music School. However, at the age of eighteen, Yen San found her passion for jazz dance under the guidance of Miss Liew, a professional ballet and modern dance teacher. She received Bachelor’s degree in Performing Arts from Tokyo Visual Arts School, with full scholarship, majoring in dance, drama and singing.
Yen San has performed extensively as a member of MUKU throughout Japan, including major cities such as Tokyo, Osaka, Shibuya and Harajuku. Upon her graduation, Yen San was appointed as Cruise Activity Manager at Star Cruises, leading a team of dancers and entertainers, choreographing music productions and shows, being a stage emcee, and organizing various musical events.
Yen San continues expanding her dance skills: she is now a certified instructor in Yoga, Chinese Cultural Dances and Zumba. In 2012, she founded Sempre Dance & Music Studio, with the goal of sharing her passion for dance with everyone. Her expertise includes Jazz dance, Aerobic, Hip Hop Kidz, Zumba and Yoga.
Cheong Yew Choong
Cheong Yew Choong received his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate Degrees from West Virginia University (USA). He was awarded graduate assistantships from WVU, teaching applied piano, tuning and regulating pianos at the Music Department of WVU. His teachers include Prof. Dr. Peter Amstutz and Prof. Dr. P’ng Tean Hwa. Despite severely-impaired hearing, Yew Choong has garnered numerous prizes: The Music Teachers National Association Collegiate Artist Piano Competition in the State of West Virginia (2002), and WVU’s Annual Young Artists Auditions (2003). In 2007, he was one of the winners of the VSA Arts’s International Young Soloists Award and performed at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington D. C.
Among the highlights of solo performances are appearances at the National Institutes of Health in Washington D.C., Thailand’s First Mozart Piano Competition and Festival, the International Piano Festival by People with Disabilities in Osaka and Vienna, and KL Piano Gala. Yew Choong has also conducted master classes in Indonesia and Thailand.
Yew Choong is currently an Assistant Professor and Head of Postgraduate Studies at UCSI University-Institute of Music, teaching both undergraduate and Master’s piano students and several courses including piano literature, music history and theory. He also serves as a coordinator of undergraduate and graduate research projects.
Yong Sue Yi
Yong Sue Yi has received her Master of Music in Piano Performance from Peabody Conservatory of Music, Johns Hopkins University under the tutelage of Marian Hahn with full scholarship. She is the first Malaysian pianist graduating from the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore, with a Bachelor’s degree (Honours) in Piano Performance. Studying with Albert Tiu, she was awarded a full scholarship for her four years of studies in the Conservatory. Throughout her studies, she has worked as a chamber musician under the guidance of Dr. Thomas Hecht, Katherine Jacobson Fleisher, David Takeno, Zhang Jin Min, and Keng-Yuan Tseng. Sue Yi has also performed in master classes presented by international concert artists such as John O’Conor, Stephen Savage, and Ian Holtman. In 2006, Sue Yi attended a summer festival at Dong Hai University in Taiwan and studied with Marian Hahn and Logan Skelton.
In 2008, Sue Yi won the second prize of the HSBC Classic Solo Piano Competition. She has been active as a collaborative pianist in Malaysia. Her most recent performances include the “The No.1 Steinway Historical Roadshow,” KL Piano Gala Concert 2013, Asia Grand Piano Concert (the Seoul Art Center Concert Hall), and several collaborative concerts with the Wind Ensemble of Malaysian National Symphony Orchestra. Sue Yi is a much sought after adjudicator, having served for the 13th Hong Kong (Asia Pacific) Schubert Piano Competition, the 14th Hong Kong (Asia Pacific) Kabalevsky & Tchaikovsky Piano Competition, and the 21st Kota Kinabalu Music Festival 2014. Sue Yi is currently an Assistant Professor at UCSI University-Institute of Music, teaching music history, theory and piano.