Speech by Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Education & Second Minister for Finance, at the Signing Ceremony to Mark the Renewal of Agreement for the Yong Siew Toh-Peabody Collaboration at the Conservatory Recording Studio on 5 November 2007 at 5.30 pm

SPEECH BY MR THARMAN SHANMUGARATNAM, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION & SECOND MINISTER FOR FINANCE, AT THE SIGNING CEREMONY TO MARK THE RENEWAL OF AGREEMENT FOR THE YONG SIEW TOH-PEABODY COLLABORATION AT THE CONSERVATORY RECORDING STUDIO ON 5 NOVEMBER 2007 AT 5:30 PM

2. It is my pleasure to join you this evening to mark the renewal of the collaboration between the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music and the Peabody Institute. Six years ago, when we signed the first agreement to establish a music conservatory in Singapore, the ceremony was held at the NUS University Cultural Centre, next door. Today, we are renewing this agreement in the Conservatory’s own building, which includes one of the largest recording studios in Asia. The Conservatory has also witnessed its first graduating class this year. 44 students received their Bachelor of Music degree and many have gone on to secure places at international graduate schools on substantial scholarship support.

3. It is a reflection of the remarkable progress of this young institution. The Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music is now a credible and reputed school for students with exceptional music talents. The curriculum is robust, and provides students with opportunities to perform at the highest professional level. Students learn alongside renowned music faculty, such as the T’ang Quartet, the Conservatory’s Quartet-in-residence, and interact regularly with distinguished visiting artists.

4. The Conservatory is also attracting gifted foreign students from the region and beyond. Students from ASEAN, the Asia-Pacific region, Canada, New Zealand and the United States have come to study here. Together, the students at the Conservatory form a talented community of aspiring local and foreign musicians, learning and performing together here in Singapore.

5. Students from the Conservatory have been contributing actively to the local classical music scene. I understand that many have been working with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, and have also been performing for the campus community. I would like to commend your students for these efforts, and encourage them to keep at it, and keep playing their role in the expanding cultural vibrancy that we see in Singapore.

6. All this would not be possible without the partnership of the Peabody Institute. Setting up a conservatory in Singapore, a country which has no tradition for training classical musicians to a professional level, was not an easy task. It has taken strong commitment from the leadership of Peabody and the John Hopkins University of which it is part, and of NUS, to set up the Conservatory from scratch, help it find its feet quickly and set it on a path to success.

7. Since the Conservatory’s founding under the able leadership of Dr Steven Baxter, it has grown dramatically. In a short 5 years, it has gone from its first intake of 74 first-year students housed in a two-storey interim building with no performance facilities of its own, to a full school with 185 undergraduate and graduate students occupying an iconic building on the NUS campus, with state-of-the-art facilities for teaching and performing music. Steve has made the transition from being Dean of the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore to the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory with vision and flair.

8. I would also like to express strong appreciation for the strong community support that has helped the Conservatory progress so far in such a short time. The Yong family’s generous $25 million gift to the Conservatory in 2003, which was matched dollar-for-dollar by the Government, created an endowment that allowed the Conservatory to move ahead quickly. I am happy that Mr Yong Pung How is here with us this evening.

9. The support of Mr and Mrs Rin Kei Mei has also helped the Conservatory greatly. When the Rin family realised that the Conservatory’s string students did not have high quality instruments of their own, they stepped forward with a loan of more than 50 priceless instruments from their personal collection. To my knowledge, no other conservatory in the world has been the beneficiary of a gift of this scale and nature.

10. I would also like to thank all who have worked to ensure the success of the Conservatory. In particular, I would like to commend the good work of the Governing Board, led by Mr Goh Yew Lin, who has shown great commitment in building up the Conservatory. I would also like to commend the strong leadership provided by the Conservatory’s management, and the dedication of all Conservatory staff.

11. The renewal of the partnership between the Conservatory and the Peabody Institute marks another milestone in the history of this young institution. This partnership has produced significant achievements in the last five years. I am confident that the new agreement will build on these achievements, and bring about a greater exchange of experience and expertise that will help lift the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music to a new level of excellence.