The President’s Young Performers Concert has long been a stage where Singapore’s finest young musicians step into the spotlight with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. This year, three distinctive voices – saxophonist Dante Tan, harpist Renee Yadav, and clarinettist Chua Jay Roon, will bring their artistry to the Victoria Concert Hall, each navigating the challenges of their chosen works while sharing a glimpse of the future of Singapore’s classical scene.
For Dante Tan, the journey to this moment is filled with anticipation. “I am incredibly happy and excited to be performing with the SSO… this concert is by far the biggest performance of my life and I am very much looking forward to it!” he says. His choice of Henri Tomasi’s Saxophone Concerto reflects both daring and devotion. Often described as colourful and virtuosic, with flashes of jazz, Dante insists it remains resolutely classical: “It is not the typical tonal piece everybody can immediately appreciate, but it has many contrasting ideas which I do my best to bring out and express.”
The saxophone, still a relative newcomer in the classical world, has become a deeply personal voice for him. “I just really love the sound of the saxophone and how it can play so many styles while still sounding like ‘me’,” he explains. Though he hesitates to call himself a champion of the instrument, Dante acknowledges the honour of presenting it on such a platform. Guided by his teacher, Michellina Chan, and inspired by Dutch virtuoso Arno Bornkamp, he hopes to continue exploring music across genres and inspire the next generation to begin their own journeys, whatever the instrument.
If Dante’s story is one of discovery and identity, harpist Renee Yadav’s is about elegance and resilience. “When I got the email that I was chosen, I had this uncontainable smile… I grew up watching the SSO, and to think that I get to perform with them soon is beyond my wildest imagination,” she recalls. Behind the harp’s ethereal image lies a demanding physical discipline. “Pedal harps have seven pedals and engage your entire body. The Debussy Danses is notorious for being hard on the harpist’s feet. Harpists try to look like swans on top, but below, we are pedalling like crazy!”
Her featured work, Debussy’s Danses sacrée et profane, brings out both the instrument’s delicacy and power. “The two dances have contrasting characters — the first is slow and spiritual, the second an earthly waltz with a dream-like cadenza before ending with a grand flourish,” she explains.
For Renee, the piece embodies not only technical challenge but also artistic freedom: “My artistic voice is always evolving. As I’ve grown older, I prioritise bringing out the emotions in a piece. Making a connection with the audience is the most fulfilling part of being a musician.” Looking ahead, she sees herself as soloist, orchestral musician, and advocate alike. “All artists are advocates. Part of being a musician is sharing your music with everyone. A life goal of mine is to make the harp more accessible, so more people can enjoy playing it.”
For clarinettist Chua Jay Roon, the path has been one of wrestling with challenge until it turned to love. Her chosen work, Nielsen’s Clarinet Concerto, is infamous for its intensity. “I really disliked the piece when I first read through it. On first listen, it’s a ‘what am I hearing?’ moment. But as I got to know it, I realised how much there is to like. It has many rich and powerful moments. At first I chose it to prove something; to my teacher, my peers, or maybe to myself.”
Preparing it has demanded, in her words, “literal blood, sweat, and tears,” but the struggle has been transformative. “I learnt ways to tackle difficult passages, to phrase lines… the hardest part is playing it in a way that my mom can enjoy listening to,” she says with a laugh. For her, the clarinet’s voice is bound up with singing, a reminder to shape every phrase as if it were vocal. Her conservatory years have provided not only technical grounding but also encouragement from peers and mentors. With graduation on the horizon, Jay Roon is already looking ahead: “I believe I still have a long way to go, so further studies in Europe would be my first choice after graduation.”
Together, these three performers embody the heart of the President’s Young Performers Concert: courage, passion, and the determination to grow. Whether in Tomasi’s colourful saxophone concerto, Debussy’s shimmering dances for harp, or Nielsen’s fiery clarinet challenge, they each carry not only their instruments but also the promise of Singapore’s next generation of artists.
President’s Young Performers Concert
Saturday, 20 September 2025
Victoria Concert Hall, 7.30pm
$75, $55, $40, $30, $15
https://ticketing.sso.org.sg/sso/booking/SOT2538-1