General Information
Inspirational life-affirming music-making is at the heart of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (YST) at the National University of Singapore. Centred in Singapore – one of the world’s most dynamic countries – while embracing a global perspective, we are uniquely placed to offer the world a distinct and powerful contemporary Asian voice.
Founded in 2003, YST has established a reputation as Asia’s most exciting international conservatory, nurturing a new generation of musical leaders in performance, composition, production, and community engagement. Our graduates are visible within Singapore and around the world as distinguished artists, leaders and musicians of top ensembles, trailblazing producers and creators, and inspiring educators. Across their diverse stories, they share a common home: the close-knit YST community which has an intentionally-small and internationally diverse student body, world-class faculty who are experts in their fields, and warm connections with alumni and the industry.
20 years ago, we began our journey with the Bachelor of Music (BMus) programme as our core educational focus. Over the years, our educational offering has expanded substantially to include graduate, continuing education, and young artist programmes, as well as course offerings for NUS undergraduates at large. Further, we engage the public in music through our extensive and accessible concert programming, community engagement initiatives, and the work of our Centre for Music and Health.
Beyond Singapore’s shores, YST connects with an extensive international network. We engage in robust bilateral partnerships with top music schools and actively contribute in higher music education alliances including ConNext, the International Benchmarking Group, Pacific Alliance of Music Schools, Southeast Asian Directors of Music, and the European Association of Conservatoires. These ties translate into greater opportunities for our students and graduates, be it through access to prominent artists visiting the Conservatory, or pathways to gain international exposure abroad. They also energise our work by offering us a keen perspective on global evolutions in the arts and education industries.
In all that we do, we are deeply grateful for the philanthropic support that enables us to nurture excellence. Major gifts from the Yong Loo Lin Trust make it possible for us to offer full tuition support for all our undergraduate students. Our generous donors also create opportunities such as student access to fine string instruments (through generous loan from the Rin Collection); eminent visiting artists such as András Schiff, Masaaki Suzuki and Nobuko Imai (through the Ong Teng Cheong Professorship in Music); and career development funding for students to forge their own distinctive paths through festivals, competitions and self-initiated projects.
With ‘Listen in New Light’ as our guiding principle, YST is well-positioned to lead change in the music and higher music education sectors. We seek to continue creating new possibilities for what a 21st-century conservatory can be, and what it can contribute, in the world.
