Clarence is a music entrepreneur driven by his passion to make a positive impact on music in Singapore. As Head of Music Programming at Esplanade-Theatres on the Bay till 2015, he helped to define the national arts centre’s musical heart for 8 years. He worked with his team of Programmers to provide a range of music experiences for Singapore audiences, from the Mosaic Music Festival and Baybeats to daily free performances at the Esplanade. Working with talents from around the world inspired him to play a part in developing Singaporean musicians, and he has set out to draw on his arts management experience towards this goal.

Clarence started The Music Circle with like-minded music educators to introduce innovative approaches to music education. He works with the teaching team to create a warm and nurturing learning environment, so that every TMC student can truly enjoy a lifelong journey with music. He also co-founded Foundation Music LLP with fellow music industry colleagues to help propel exceptional Singapore talents to the international stage, and develop viable careers for them.

Dr. Tang Tee Tong, Artistic Director of TMC, is a devoted violin pedagogue with more than ten years of teaching experience. Dr. Tee recently graduated with a Doctoral of Music Arts degree in Violin Performance and was named the Outstanding Graduate of Herberger Institute of Design and the Arts at Arizona State University. Her violin pedagogy and teaching philosophy has been highly influenced by her wonderful teachers and mentors, Dr. Jonathan Swartz, Prof Andres Cardenes, Dr. Margaret Schmidt, Dr. Lina Bahn, Foo Say Ming, Leslie Tan and Lim Soon Lee. She has also learnt from music educators such as Mimi Zweig, Brenda Brenner, Sherry Sinift and Rebecca Henry from the Violin Teacher’s Retreat at Indiana University and Paul Rolland String Pedagogy Conference. Tee has also received Suzuki teacher training with Mr William Starr, former President of Suzuki Association of Americas.

Tee’s teaching approach is also shaped by her teaching experiences as well as in-depth exploration of other pedagogy and music education methods. Recognizing that every student blossoms in a unique way and possesses distinct learning styles, interests and strengths, Tee organized her pedagogy into a doctoral research paper “Violin Curriculum Incorporating Visual, Aural and Kinesthetic Perceptual Learning Modalities” which she has been adapted for her teaching in Singapore. Tee believes that weaker modalities in students cannot be neglected and needs to be strengthened through modality strengths to prevent a child’s violin learning from stagnating in future.

As a music educator, Tee seeks to work with her students and their parents to create a musical environment for her students that encourage the lifelong love of music.
She believes that music education helps build character, elevate self-esteem and confidence, as well as cultivates discipline and eagerness for excellence.

Clarissa graduated with a Second Upper Bachelor of Music Degree from the Royal Academy of Music, and is also an alumnus of the Wells Cathedral School, a specialist music school in Somerset, England. During her time in London, Clarissa studied with Sophie Langdon, Gabrielle Painter and Leland Chen. Previous teachers include Catherine Lord and Lynette Lim.

She has played in various chamber groups, such as a clarinet quintet, quartets and duos, and is currently part of The Tee Trio. The trio has performed across England as Young Artists and noteworthy performances include, the prestigious St James Piccadilly Church (London), as well as a music series in Wolfson College, Cambridge. They have also been awarded prestigious scholarships to study with Thomas Ades in the International Musicians’ Seminar Prussia Cove 2018 and The Cadenza Music Course 2018. The Tee Trio has also performed a series of concerts in Singapore, including at the national arts centre Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay in August 2019.

Clarissa has also played with orchestras in both London and Singapore. To name a few are
The London Mahler Orchestra, Arch Sinfonia, Young Musicians’ Symphony Orchestra, ADDO Orchestra and The Young Musicians’ Foundation Orchestra. She has been honoured to have worked under the tutelage of Semyon Bychkov, Ed Gardner, Sir Mark Elder, Christopher Adey, Christopher Warren-Green and the late Oliver Knussen.

Currently pursuing her teaching Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music, Clarissa enjoys teaching and sharing her passion and knowledge of music with others. She believes that
everyone should experience music at some point of their lives and that it is a great benefit to
the mind and soul. She also has a strong interest in interdisciplinary art and is working with Lumia researcher, Trent Kim, to create audio/visual virtual reality works.

Besides all things music and violin related, Clarissa is also passionate about baking, cooking, handicrafts and bird keeping. She spends her days off reading and knitting, as well as bonding with her budgie. Her dream is to eventually retire on a ranch.

Su Yin Chan, D.M.A. (Boston University, 2020), enjoys a diverse musical career as a performer and educator. As an educator, Dr. Chan has had over 10 years of experience teaching students, ranging from young children, to college students, to adults wanting to jump start their musical journey. As a violin and viola instructor at Sharon Music Academy in Massachusetts, she has taught a number of young children, many of whom have received recognition in various competitive and performing arenas, such as winning top prizes in Crescendo International Competitions and Little Mozart competitions, as well as successfully auditioning for State and District Orchestra Festivals.

As part of an education initiative with Palaver Strings, Dr. Chan has led workshops on effective musical practice as well as chamber music communication skills in local music programs in the Boston and Rockport public schools. As a graduate teaching assistant at Boston University, she helped teach and guide string technique sessions for the undergraduate class of Professor Bayla Keyes.

A graduate of DePaul and Boston Universities, she has performed on international stages such as the Chicago Symphony Center, the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C, Boston Symphony Hall, Tokyo Opera City, and Seoul Arts Center.

Moegi Amano graduated with a Master of Music in Piano Performance from the University of Texas at Austin under the tutelage of Anton Nel.
During her studies, she discovered the love of teaching the next generation of musicians. She served as one of the teachers of the Piano Project at UT Austin where she taught private piano lessons to young children. Her interest in piano pedagogy led her to write the article, “Where to Begin,” published in the 2021 autumn edition of the Piano Magazine, which explores the process of teaching a new piece.

As a performer, Moegi has received high ratings in music festivals, been selected as a finalist in the Ars Nova International Piano Competition, and won first prize in the Nilsson Piano Competition. She also enjoys collaborating with others. In addition to regularly accompanying instrumentalists and singers, she participates in many chamber groups. A highlight of her career includes being the pianist for Asian Memory Project, a project that focuses on sharing Asian culture and heritage through multimedia concerts.

Caerissa Tung is a dedicated music educator, with a broad spectrum of pedagogical training. and over five years of experience teaching in a variety of classroom settings. After graduating with a Masters in Music Pedagogy and Piano Performance from University of Science, Malaysia, she earned her Postgraduate Certificate in Education at the University of Nottingham. She also holds Kodály Level 1 as well as Orff-Schulwerk Level 1 certification.

Caerissa believes that all students have the ability to succeed through a holistic learning journey to find their voice, their art and themselves. She brings to The Music Circle team her experience working with children of all ages, along with her pedagogical expertise shaped by her commitment to training. With her ability to draw on different methodologies, she will enable students to discover and express themselves creatively.

Fu Jinxia recently graduated with a Bachelor of Music (Honours) from the Royal College of Music-Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts programme. Jinxia embarked on her musical journey with the piano at the tender age of 5. After earning her Licentiate of Trinity College London Diploma in Music Performance in 2015, she decided to pursue music at a higher level at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. She is currently under the tutelage of Ms Lena Ching.

Fuelled by her passion for music, Jinxia picked up other instruments along the way, serving as a percussionist in her schools’ concert bands, and is currently an active member of the Soka New Century Orchestra.

With her heart for the community and under served, she aspired to grow as a music educator, music therapist and performer.