Malaysia Preliminary Round

Datin’ Dr. Kathryn Ang is an internationally respected musician, pedagogue, and adjudicator with over four decades of distinguished experience in music performance and education. She holds a Doctorate in Music from North-West University, a Masters in Music (Piano Didactics) from the University of Pretoria, and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Edinburgh. Renowned for her expertise in piano pedagogy and performance, Dr. Ang has trained generations of pianists and teachers whose achievements include top competition prizes and successful admissions to leading conservatoires worldwide. She is regularly invited to serve as an adjudicator at prestigious international competitions and festivals, and is an active researcher and published author in music education. A sought-after speaker at global conferences and symposia, Dr. Ang’s work reflects an unwavering commitment to artistic excellence, educational leadership, and the advancement of international music standards.

Assistant Professor Ysan Suit Yin is the Head of the Classical Music Degree at UCSI University. A highly dedicated educator, her academic achievements focus on teaching, including ATCL, LTCL and LRSM (Teaching). She was among the first in Southeast Asia to be awarded the Fellowship of the Royal Schools of Music (FRSM) in Teaching. She also serves as an examiner for the Classical and Jazz panels at Trinity College of London. While based in London, Suit Yin studied with Professor Vanessa Latarche, the late Professor Dr. Colin Kingsley, the late Dennis Lee, and Toh Chee Hung. She received an undergraduate exemption and was awarded a bursary to pursue her Master’s Degree at the London College of Music under Professor Andrew Zolinsky. An active adjudicator, she has served at international competitions across Malaysia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and China, and continues to present masterclasses and performances internationally.

Chi Hoe enjoys a dynamic career as an award-winning choral conductor, singer, adjudicator and clinician. He is Artistic Director of Young Choral Academy, Artistic Director and Conductor of the Penang Philharmonic Chorus, and Principal Artist and Resident Chorus Master of Kuala Lumpur City Opera. A co-founder of the Malaysian Choral Eisteddfod, he has led choirs to numerous accolades. In 2010, he became the first Asian conductor awarded a fellowship with the London Symphony Chorus, launching his UK career, followed by key roles at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and leading choral institutions across the UK. Since returning to Malaysia in 2013, he has conducted the acclaimed Young KL Singers and was invited to lead the Asia-Pacific Youth Choir in 2023. A two-time Cameronian Arts Award winner, he performs widely as a soloist and operatic artist across Asia and Europe. He is also a sought-after vocal coach whose students have gained entry into leading international conservatoires.

Mezzo-soprano Sun Jiayao is an opera, chamber music and musical theatre singer who performs over 50 concerts internationally each year, spanning baroque, romantic and contemporary repertoire. She has appeared in productions including Così fan tutte, The Fairy Queen, La Calisto and Dido and Aeneas with leading orchestras and institutions in Australia. She has also performed with the Selangor Symphony Orchestra in a landmark Malaysian project supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture in 2022. Sun holds a Bachelor of Music from Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore, and a Master of Music in Opera Performance from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney. She received multiple prestigious scholarships during her studies. Currently pursuing a Doctor of Education at Fairview College University, Malaysia, she serves as vocal faculty at Dominus Arts. Her accolades include top prizes at major Australian aria and eisteddfod competitions.

Malaysian violinist Zhi Hsuan Lim is a graduate of the Royal College of Music, London, where she completed her Bachelor of Music (Honours) and Master of Music in Performance with Distinction. She studied with Mathilde Milwidsky, Detlef Hahn and Kathron Sturrock, with piano as her second study, and was awarded the LTCL Performance Diploma with Distinction at age 16. She has performed widely as a soloist, orchestral and chamber musician across the UK and internationally, appearing at venues such as Queen Elizabeth Hall, Cadogan Hall and Snape Maltings. Highlights include performing with the RCM Symphony Orchestra at the Aldeburgh Festival and co-leading the RCM Opera Orchestra for Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro. Her achievements include prizes at the Euroasia Strings Competition and the HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana International Ensemble Competition. An active educator, she has taught and presented workshops in the UK and Malaysia.

Dr Yi-Li Chang is an acclaimed baroque violinist praised by Boston Musical Intelligencer for her confident virtuosity and warm ensemble sound. A founding member of early music ensemble Incendium Novum, she performs widely across Asia, the United States and Europe, appearing at major festivals including the Boston Early Music Festival and Macau International Music Festival. She has presented recitals at leading venues such as Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS and Taiwan’s National Concert Hall, and has toured with ensembles including Rumbarocco and Formosa Baroque. As an orchestral musician, she has performed with ensembles in the US and Taiwan and served as concertmaster for several early music projects. A versatile musician, she is also active as a harpsichordist, composer and continuo specialist, performing Bach’s Harpsichord Concerto in Malaysia in 2022. She holds a PhD in Violin Performance and degrees in Early Music, and is currently Senior Lecturer at the University of Malaya.