BIOGRAPHY
Born and raised in Singapore, Stephen began learning piano at the age of 4. He is a dedicated musician, jazz pianist, educator, composer, and music arranger/producer. With a heart full of passion for lifelong consistent learning, creating, arranging, and performing music, he began to take his passion for music seriously during his teenage years. Soon enough, he embarked on a journey to become a professional musician.
An aspiring pianist, Stephen sought to improve his technical skills, solidifying his musical knowledge in classical music. He attained his Diploma in Music (Piano Performance) at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) in Singapore. Not wanting to constrain his music-making to solely musical sheets and notation, he explored music creation through improvisation, music composition, and production. Subsequently, in the pursuit of higher levels of improvisation and harmonization, Stephen enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Music program at LASALLE College of the Arts in 2023 to further his studies in jazz music. Stephen's journey in the world of jazz has been a remarkable exploration of self-expression, personal growth, and pushing artistic boundaries. His passion is to connect with his audience through soulful originals and improvisations that are refreshing and captivating.
ACHIEVEMENTS/AWARDS
In 2012, Stephen attained his first Silver Award in the Singapore Performers' Festival open category. In the following year, he was offered the MDA Music Talent Assistance Grant to pursue a Songwriting, Composition, and Music Arrangement/Production career program by Ocean Butterflies Music. Stephen also completed a song-composing workshop organized by the Songwriter NLB in the same year.
Stephen's major milestone achievement came when he was awarded the First Prize Award for an original composition he arranged, produced, and performed in the 22nd Music Express Songwriting Competition in 2016.
Throughout all these years, Stephen accumulated an immense amount of experience as a pianist and performer. He has performed in venues such as Library@Esplanade, Yamaha Concert Salon, NAFA Lee Foundation Theatre, NAFA Library, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, Victoria Concert Hall, and LASALLE Frass. He has also performed in band gigs as a keyboardist at 555 Villa Thai, Club Illusion, and Club Wu.
During both LASALLE Open Houses in 2024 and 2025, Stephen was heavily involved in performing as the pianist/keyboardist for the BA Jazz performances and for the Swing UAS (a collaborative jazz swing band comprising music students from both LASALLE and NAFA).
Stephen has also scored music as a film composer for a short film named "Neighbors" organized by Cine65 in 2016. He has also been an official member of the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore (COMPASS) since 2013.
Teaching Experience
As an educator, Stephen possesses more than 10 years of teaching experience, ranging from teaching children as young as 4 years old to adult learners, conducting classes done either through one-to-one individual lessons or group-based settings. He has taught in various music schools and centres for instance like Radin Mas Community Centre, Magic Fiddler, Faith Music Centre, WE Music & Art Studio, and most recently, as a adjunct lecturer at Singapore Raffles Music College (SRMC) teaching Contemporary Piano Principal Study and Music Technology modules. Stephen is highly passionate and committed to sharing musical knowledge and expertise with aspiring young musicians and enthusiasts which he views as his major calling in music education.
Throughout many years of his extensive music education initiatives, Stephen aim to focus on his teaching passion towards inspiring the next generation of musicians who love improvisations and foster a deeper appreciation for jazz music. Whether it's arranging timeless classics or producing innovative compositions, he is driven by a relentless pursuit of musical excellence and innovation.