From 23 Feb to 1 Mar 2026, NUS Symphony Orchestra (NUSSO), one of NUS’ pioneer credit-bearing arts group and a cornerstone of the NUS Arts for All framework, and students from the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (YST) embarked on a performance tour at Malaysia under the Study Trips for Engagement & EnRichment (STEER) programme. This marked NUSSO’s first participation in STEER.
Designed as an immersive learning experience, the programme placed students directly within rehearsal rooms, classrooms, and professional arts spaces, where they worked alongside musicians and practitioners while gaining insight into the wider creative ecosystem. Over the week, students engaged with a range of regional partners including Chung Hwa High School, Sunway University and the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra through outreach performances, workshops, masterclasses, and industry visits.
Francis Tan, Resident Conductor at the Centre for the Arts, Office of Student Affairs echoed the ethos of STEER. “Our arts STEER trips are designed for students to step forward as active participants in the experience. Far beyond observation from the sidelines, they are involved in active performances, exchanging ideas, and engaging directly with our overseas counterparts.”
Community outreach at Muar
NUSSO began their tour at Muar, hosted by Chung Hwa High School where they focused on community outreach. Chung Hwa High School is a not-for-profit community high school providing holistic education in Mandarin.
Here, they participated in side-by-side masterclasses with the school’s String Ensemble and Band alongside Chung Hwa High School students. This is a music learning model where the more experienced NUSSO musicians sat and played alongside Chung Hwa students, guiding them through demonstration and immediate feedback within the ensemble setting. The sessions were led by NUS faculty, A/P Chan Tze Law (NUS Vice Dean of Students and Vice Dean (Communities & NUS Arts) at YST) and Francis Tan.
Student leader Claudia Loo (Year 2, YST) had the chance to lead a string instrument workshop along with YST Teaching Assistant Benedict Ng. She was struck by the enthusiasm of the younger students and found the experience deeply rewarding, though it was challenging to conduct the session entirely in Mandarin. “This was my first time mentoring beginner students in Malaysia. They were very willing and passionate to learn and I hope there are more opportunities that will further enrich their experience. This experience has also given me a taster of a possible career in teaching."
NUSSO completed this leg with a combined educational concert with Chung Hwa High students at their school auditorium. They played to a crowd comprising family and friends, many of whom had driven in from parts of Malaysia like Malacca, and Johor Bahru to lend their support. The combined orchestra performed Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and Saint-Saëns' Cello Concerto with guest appearance from YST alumna and Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra cellist Elizabeth Tan. The concert highlight was a side-by-side performance of Farandole with Chung Hwa High students, before ending with Dvořák's Slavonic Dance No. 8.
Visiting creative leaders and arts venues
Arriving in Kuala Lumpur, NUSSO was warmly received by Sunway University who hosted them through a series of industry talks, rehearsals, and outreach activities over four days.
NUSSO students met many industry leaders from Malaysia, including Melissa Teoh (Producing Artistic Director, Sir Jeffrey Cheah Performing Arts Centre), Prof Mayco Santaella (Dean of Arts and Social Sciences, Sunway University), Dr Low Chee Meng (Faculty, Institute of Music, UCSI University). They also visited film and animation company Les Copaque Productions and social enterprise Rondo Production, and heard from their leaders.
These talks gave students a broadened sense of what a career in music could look like, covering a range of topics such as arts venues and arts entrepreneurship to film scoring and community education. Students were prompted to reflect on how they could contribute to the arts ecosystem not just as performers, but as changemakers.
Students were also treated to tours of iconic performing arts spaces. At the the world-class Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS (DFP), they learnt about the artistic vision behind its design and engineering. At Sunway University's Performing Arts Centre, they explored the role of arts infrastructure as an investment for the community and economy. These visits gave students an insight into the business side of the arts, and the passion and courage required to sustain creative work with limited government support.
“This collaboration signals a very important regional connection with our Malaysian counterparts. We made good friendships, created lasting memories, and meeting NUS alumni through the corporate talks, seeing how they have impacted communities beyond NUS and Singapore. It gave me a strong sense of pride and community," said Mark Lee Zhi Ying (Y2, FASS).
Making music together
The KL leg culminated in a live concert at the world-class DFP on 28 Feb, marking NUSSO’s debut at the world-class venue, a stage they shared with musicians from Sunway University and the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (MPYO).
In the lead-up, performers underwent intensive rehearsals, including instrumental masterclasses led by musicians from the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. Onsite rehearsals at the DPF stage were also essential, allowing the ensemble to adapt to the venue's distinctive acoustics.
Under the direction of A/P Chan Tze Law, the combined orchestra presented Bernstein’s 'Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. 1, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, all performed to thunderous applause.
The concert played to a sold-out crowd, which included His Excellency Mr Vanu Gopala Menon, Singapore’s High Commissioner to Malaysia. He was joined by NUS' leadership, A/P Ho Han Kiat (Dean of Students), Prof Peter Tornquist (Dean, YST) and Ms Ovidia Lim-Rajaram (Chief Alumni Officer), and members of the NUS alumni community in Malaysia, family, friends and music lovers.
A/P Ho congratulated the team on the successful concert. “We were mesmerised by the amazing performance where about 70 of our students mastered the classic and contemporary pieces together with about 30 performers from Malaysia. This is a display of our students at their best. Music binds people together in uncertain times.”
For students, it was not just the applause, but the dedication to the craft on and off stage that made the tour memorable. The experience left many with a lived, personal understanding of what it means to carry music across borders.
"The collaborative energy with MPYO and Sunway University musicians was very inspiring and motivating, which made us put up a very good performance. I am very proud of our progress as an orchestra through this experience," said Alyssa Neu (Year 2, FASS).
Summing up the experience, Francis Tan noted, “This was a journey where learning did not sit on the surface of the places we visited but unfolded in the shared space of understanding and creating art together with our overseas partners.”
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