#GraduatesOfCFA

It’s that time of the year again when we celebrate our #GraduatesOfCFA for their contributions to the arts on campus! We shine the spotlight once more on nine of our graduates, as they reflect on their time with NUS Centre For the Arts.

Aaron Yong Tse Wei
Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Life Sciences

“I’m sure most other self-taught electronic music producers can relate: it is a very lonely endeavour. By chance, I stumbled upon EML, where I could finally have a group of like-minded people who all enjoy this niche, technical pursuit. Of course, it is a bonus to have peers who get overly passionate about their third-party wavetable synthesiser, and to be taught by Ableton Certified Trainer Benjamin Ang.

The time spent together after official sessions were my best memory with EML. We would just hang back to make music, teach, or enjoy each other’s presence. These moments were (in my opinion) what kept me returning to EML, and I maintain that this group’s sense of community is unmatched.

My experience in EML has shaped a better part of my social life on campus. Having late-night meetings with the exco was a core part of my second year in NUS. I still meet collaborators after finishing our project, and I couldn’t be more than happy to catch up with them.

Our group manager, Mary, was constantly pushing for us to expand our ideas with other groups. I found the collaborations with other groups most interesting, as translating and merging other art forms into the digital realm required a lot of thinking (and just stumbling about in the dark for a while).”

“Dear EML, Please deep clean the studio.” – Aaron Yong Tse Wei， NUS Electronic Music Lab

Amir Mirza Bin Johari
Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours) in Sociology

“As a young chorister back in secondary school, I was always inspired by The NUSChoir (which comprises undergraduates across all faculties and musical backgrounds) as they have been presenting challenging repertoire with high levels of technicality and bagging awards for Singapore on the international stage. I aspired to challenge myself and continue my choral learning journey in a reputable varsity choir.

I especially enjoyed and treasured the period back in December 2019 when we had many carolling performances and gatherings to celebrate the joy of Christmas together with NUSChoir members and our public audiences. It was also special to see so many of our past NUSChoir members coming back to participate and contribute to the events, symbolising the community of passionate choristers we are.

As someone graduating from @fassnus, my experiences in the arts have greatly complemented my undergraduate studies at FASS – appreciation of diversity, conceptualisation, presentation, and communication of artistic ideas.

My best memory with the NUSChoir was in December 2019, when we had many carolling performances and gatherings to celebrate the joy of Christmas together with NUSChoir members and our public audiences. It was special to see so many of our past NUSChoir members coming back to participate and contribute to the events, a testimony to the community of passionate choristers we are.

As someone graduating from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, my experiences in the Arts have complemented my undergraduate studies at FASS greatly – appreciation of diversity; conceptualisation, presentation, and communication of artistic ideas. Of course, serving as President in my sophomore year was indeed an honour. It has given me new light and perspectives on my leadership, people management, communication, and socioemotional skills – essentials as a student and adult in the making.

Now, I am a member of the Voices of Singapore Community Chorus (a non-auditioned community chorus aimed at building a Singing Singapore), where I also serve as a Second-Chairperson. I see the arts, in whatever form, as a way of strengthening the self and communities. It is essential to soothe and uplift the self as we engage with the phases and challenges life has to bring us.

CFA has supported the artistic practice of CFA student members through its role as an advisor and partner for the groups to maximise their potential and contribute greatly to the arts scene in NUS and Singapore. This was truly evident when I was serving my term as President, where I had the first-hand opportunity to work closely with CFA staff on the group’s plans and directions and understand the strategic thrusts of CFA and @nus_singapore. It was also a gratifying experience forging friendships with fellow student leaders and staff from CFA, as I looked out for best practices and wisdom, and shared meaningful leadership experiences and moments of solidarity with them.”

“Dear Choir, it has been a dream to be part of The NUSChoir and I am blessed to have grown, laughed, and shared the splendour of choral music with all of you!” – Amir Mirza Bin Johari，The NUSChoir

Ashley Tey
Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Chemistry, second major in Food Science & Technology

“Joining NUSSO was an opportunity to play with a full orchestra and play all these large orchestral works that I had only listened to during SSO concerts. It was an exciting escape from the mundane routine of attending lectures and studying.

The best memory I had with NUSSO is performing Beethoven’s 9th Symphony in 2018, together with NUS Choir. That was actually my first concert as part of NUSSO and the first time I was on the stage with almost 200 people. It was a huge work to learn and perform within a few weeks and it felt really rewarding when we managed to pull off the concert. 

I was also exposed to quite a large range of orchestral repertoire as NUSSO had 3 different concerts every year, each with its own unique theme. The concert at the Singapore Botanic Gardens tended to have a repertoire that was more audience-friendly, the Miniatures concert just before Semester 2 would have a repertoire that is for small ensembles and the March concert (which sometimes is as part of NAF) would have these huge orchestral works. Each concert came with its own challenges and it has provided multiple opportunities to help me hone my skills in playing the cello as there were times that the pieces were technically challenging and there was much for me to learn from the tutors we had and even from peers.

I hope to continue to be part of a symphony orchestra after graduating, and I am currently looking for orchestras that I could join.“

“Dear NUSSO, thank you for all the good memories made and lifelong friendships formed!” – Ashley Tey, NUS Symphony Orchestra

Chantelle Ng
Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours) in Sociology

“I joined nuSTUDIOS to learn more about filmmaking after becoming interested in it during Circuit Breaker. My best memory with nuSTUDIOS was bonding with the other members during and outside of productions! It’s amazing how, even if we have our own preferences on film genres, we are still able to come together to talk about films and make more of them.

Given that I joined nuSTUDIOS only when the pandemic struck and most of my classes were held online (until the final semester :<), our sessions became something I looked forward to every week because our discussions were fun and I was able to express myself creatively!

Throughout the journey, CFA has helped provide the resources and support we need to sustain our weekly practices, make films and more.”

“Dear nuSTUDIOs, be open to film genres outside of your preferred ones, watch a lot, learn a lot and most importantly, have fun with the other members during your time in nuSTUDIOS! 🤍” – Chantelle Ng，nuSTUDIOS Film Productions

Coco Yau Xin Yue
Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours) in Psychology

“Dance has always been part of me for the longest time. Hoping to continue my artistic pursuits during my time in @nus_singapore, I wanted to find a space that strengthens my foundational techniques, yet also encourages me to explore unknown aspects of contemporary dance – such as choreography, improvisation, and backstage operations – through various opportunities. Dance Synergy provided just that.

My best memory was during Synergy’s 2019 production, entitled ‘ Fuse(d): “What moves you”? ‘. Fuse(d) 2019 was an extremely rewarding experience of learning how to conceptualize, plan and execute a large-scale dance production alongside artistic professionals, CFA managers and my fellow (very capable!) Executive Committee members and the Production Team. It was truly emotional as I remember standing on stage not just as a mere performer, but also as a production member, an organizer, and a leader. The joy and pride I felt as I gazed upon the fatigued, but heartfelt expressions of my fellow performers and crew members was something I will never forget. 

Dance synergy added colour to my campus life. A spectrum of colours. My experience in the Arts provided splashes of sadness, anger, doubt, and anxiety… but also huge strokes of happiness, fulfilment, inspiration, respite, and love – culminating into a masterpiece to look back upon for many years to come. 

CFA has created an abundance of platforms to further my pursuit with the Arts. Be it exposure to other Art forms through festivals and concerts, collaborating with other art groups to further my explorations with the craft, or just their continued support and guidance in the activities of the art groups, CFA has always been the important foundation that enabled me to pursue my artistic practice and more.”

“Dear Dance Synergy, thank you for being such a humble space and community for me to grow – both in my craft and in my character – and for allowing me to create heartfelt memories that I can reflect upon in the many days to come.” – Coco Yau Xin Yue, NUS Dance Synergy

Teo Ning Ginn
Bachelor of Environmental Studies (Honours)

“I started Chinese dance in JC, and fell in love with traditional Chinese dance. Dance helped to shape my character and values through practising and appreciating tradition. 

My best memory with NUS Chinese dance is performing with the friends I made along the way! Every performance opportunity is always memorable and fun with friends 🙂

As I didn’t live on campus, actively involving myself in a performing art interest group meant that I often came back to school for practice. It definitely helped me maintain a social life outside my studies and dance class was always something to look forward to.

CFA helped a lot with the journey – by giving us a platform and countless opportunities to showcase our dance, and by providing all the logistics (eg venues!!) required as a dance group.”

“Dear Chinese Dance, Love yall continue to shine and dance with all your heart!” – Teo Ning Ginn, NUS Chinese Dance

Jerlyn Ng
Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours) in Geography

“I enjoy playing the guitar and, more importantly, playing the guitar with friends thus joining GENUS provided a great way for me to further my passion for music with like-minded individuals.

Dreamscape, our 2019 production, was one of the highlights of my Arts journey at university – it was the first (and only, due to the pandemic) concert my committee planned and executed, and it taught us a lot about what it means to lead and to perform. Springtide, our 2022 production and my batch’s final performance before graduation (our first physical concert after a long hiatus!), is a testament to how much we have grown as musicians, friends, and students during our time at NUS.

Campus life always tends towards increasing entropy as the semester progresses into a flurry of deadlines and existential drudgeries, and I am incredibly thankful that throughout all of this, GENUS has served as a familiar soundtrack amidst the chaos – a nurturing space where noise turns into music, a steady rhythm to guide me along, and an unfaltering accompaniment for the stressful times. 

CFA has provided us with many amazing opportunities not only to perform but also to learn from other groups and engage with our art form at a deeper conceptual level through events such as the NUS Arts Festival. I also really appreciate the administrative and logistical support, as well as the mentorship and guidance CFA has provided us. CFA’s support has empowered us to take greater ownership over our musical development and step out of our comfort zone.”

“Dear GENUS, thank you for the wonderful memories, and all the best for the journeys ahead!” – Jerlyn Ng, NUS Guitar Ensemble (GENUS)

Cheong Ka Weng
Bachelor of Engineering (Biomedical Engineering) with Honours

“I was drawn to NUS EMCC Crew since the first NUS EML Omniverse in 2019 when I was unwittingly doing the roles of Production Manager and Performer concurrently. I was intrigued by the intricate handling and planning that was necessary behind a show, as well as the multiple groups of people behind the scenes who made the show possible in the first place. This innate curiosity ultimately took me to EMCC Crew.

My best memory is the moment when I assisted as the Production Manager for Omniverse: ReG3nesis 2021, pulling both crews from EMCC Crew and performers from NUS EML to work on their first collaborative season show project for the first time in a long while. It’s heartening to bring people of different art forms together in pursuit of production excellence – and also poetic to finish the way I started with both of these roles for a final time.  

Moving into full-fledged adulthood, I’d say that the Arts has even made me challenge my directions in life. I’ll be taking a bit of a gap year to explore creative outlets in electronic music and production management in general just out of pure curiosity – and perhaps even pursue a role in either of these professions or something entirely different altogether.

CFA has given me multiple opportunities in the form of shows and outreach to various groups to establish the right connections, where I learnt a bunch of technical skills like video editing, music production, photography and also resource management. Equipped with the right technical skillset and best practices, most production-related work eventually becomes art in its own right. My debt of gratitude to all the wonderful Group Managers, alumni, seniors, juniors and fellow arts practitioners I’ve gotten the pleasure to come across can never be expressed in words alone.”

“Dear NUS EMCC Crew, thank you for the wonderful line up of shows, show varieties and people you bring in; Keep up the level of production excellence for batches to come!” – Cheong Ka Weng,  NUS ExxonMobil Campus Crew

Sneha Menon
Bachelor of Business Administration (Honours)

“I’ve always loved blues music and was looking for a community that shared this passion. Given that a lot of jazz is rooted in the blues, it made sense to try out for Jazz Band.

Getting to perform for a live audience in Sem 2 of AY21/22 was pretty special since it was my last semester; we’d gone virtual for so long that I was genuinely surprised to hear applause after songs! Apart from the adrenaline rush of singing live, I also loved being backstage and listening to my fellow performers give it their all.

I never thought I’d find a group of people as music-obsessed and committed to the craft, but I was wrong! With everyone being so talented and knowledgeable about the music, I spent a lot of my campus life in our band room listening to and learning from them. I’m also fortunate to have made great friends through this group whom I can hang out with outside of a music/performance context.

While I do work full-time, the arts will always be an important part of my life. I currently perform close-harmony vocal music with my friends Marielle and Iman as The Sugar Bees. 

CFA providing access to tutors with industry experience played a big part in improving my understanding of jazz and my technical abilities. CFA’s support for our gigs (outside of regular concerts) also gave me the chance to hone my live performance skills.“

“Dear Jazz Band, It’s been fun :)” – Sneha Menon, NUS Jazz Band

Congratulations to all of our 2022 Graduates, we hope your journey with CFA and the arts will not end here, but will continue to inform and influence the next stage of your lives. We are so proud of all of you!