Darrell Ang

Following his débuts with some of the most important European and Asian orchestras, he has made an unbroken string of return appearances with (among others) the Orchestre National de Lyon, the Orchestre Philharmonique du Strasbourg, the Orchestre National de Bordeaux-Aquitaine, the Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra Filarmonica “Arturo Toscanini”, the Orchestre Regionale dell’Emiglia Romagna, the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, the Taipei Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan (Taiwan Philharmonic), the Singapore Lyric Opera, the Orchestre de Bretagne, the Orchestre symphonique de Nancy, the Wiener Kammerorchester and the Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Philhamonic Orchestra, the RTVE Symphony Orchestra Madrid and the Orchestra della Toscana.

Passionate about contemporary music, he co-founded the St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic while still a student and introduced contemporary music to Russian audiences. There he premiered works by John Adams, Per Nørgård, Aksell Masson – among others – and was an integral part of the new music landscape at Yale, championing works by young composers as well as those by established voices. His passion, however, lies in discovering unique and interesting Asian composers; and in a bid to establish Asian contemporary music on the international stage, he is now without doubt one of the foremost interpreters of contemporary Asian composers, conducting music by Chen Yi, Tan Dun, Zhou Long, Chen Qigang, Isang Yun, and the late Toru Takemitsu, etc. in his programmes with orchestras and ensembles around the world.

Also a versatile and highly-skilled conductor of opera, his years as a regular guest at the St. Petersburg Opera and the Rimsky-Korsakov State Opera & Ballet Theatre have enabled him to work closely with soloists from the Mariinsky Theatre Academy of Young Singers in a wide range of repertoire from Purcell to Mozart, Verdi and Britten. A composer of music ranging from instrumental to chamber, vocal and orchestral works, his “Fanfare for a Frazzled Earth” was commissioned by leading German chemicals company, LANXESS, and recently premiered by the Singapore National Youth Orchestra at the Esplanade Concert Hall in Singapore.

He is furthermore a tireless and dedicated educator, and has been involved in numerous projects with young musicians in Asia: he was chief conductor of the NTSO Taiwan-China Youth Orchestra in 2009 and 2010, an initiative which brought together the best young musicians from China and Taiwan, leading them in high-profile concerts at the national concert halls of Beijing and Taipei. He was also invited to conduct the World Youth Olympic Games Orchestra at the inaugural World Youth Olympic Games 2010 held in Singapore in a rousing internationally-televised Opening Ceremony; as well as at a Gala Concert of contemporary symphonic music from around the world.

As Music Director of the Singapore National Youth Orchestra he has been responsible for immediately raising the level of the orchestra: in 2011 made an appearance at the renowned Aberdeen International Youth Festival in Aberdeen, UK and will be showcased at the 2012 Young EuroClassic concerts at the Konzerthaus in Berlin. He has been instrumental in discovering and promoting exceptional young talents, working actively with the Musical Olympus Foundation in featuring winners of top international competitions in concerts at Carnegie Hall, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Hall and the Esplanade Concert Hall in Singapore.