Choo Hoey (b. 20 October 1934, Palembang, Sumatra, Indonesia - ) is the founder and conductor emeritus of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO). He was also its resident conductor and music director from 1979 to 1996. A master in his field, he has gained a reputation for his expert handling of the orchestra and his genuine feeling for contemporary music. Over his long and fruitful conducting career, he has built a large opera repertoire consisting of at least 67 scores.
Early Life and Education
Choo was born into a Teochew family in the Indonesian city of Palembang. His father Choo Seng and his mother Wang Xiuying were teachers at the same local school when they met. He has an elder sister, Zhu Ying, who is one year older than him.
Choo’s first encounter with classical music was through listening to his father’s huge collection of almost 80 records and he was particularly drawn to the violin. Noticing his musical talent, his father gave the then six-year-old boy his first lessons in the violin with the help of a Teach Yourself book. After completing his primary education in 1945, Choo came to Singapore to pursue his secondary education at the Chinese High School.
In 1947, he began violin training under Goh Soon Tioe. While still in Singapore, he obtained his Grade 8 with distinction from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music in London, England after only two years of study. Upon completing senior high school in 1951, he left for London to study at the Royal Academy of Music. There, he studied the violin under David Martin, the French horn under Aubrey Brain, and conducting under Maurice Miles.
In 1954, he studied conducting under Igor Marlsevitch and the violin under Andre Gertler. His skills improved significantly under these great maestros. He graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in 1955 with two awards under his belt, the Mann's Memorial Prize and the Earnest Read Prize. In 1957, he continued his violin training at the Conservatoire Royal de Musique de Bruxelles (Royal Conservatory of Music in Brussels) in Belgium.
Career
Choo made his debut in Belgium in 1958 with Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale, which initiated a successful career as a visiting conductor throughout Europe and South America. He went on to perform in many of the music capitals of Europe, as well as in North America, Latin America, China and the former Soviet Union. He has been a guest conductor with over 60 orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic, the Oslo Philharmonic (Norway), the Orquesta Nacionale de Buenos Aires (Argentina), the Beijing Central Philharmonic (China), and the Tokyo City Philharmonic (Japan).
A memorable part of his career was spent in Greece from 1968 till 1977. There, he served as principal conductor of the Greek National Opera and frequently guest-conducted with other major symphony orchestras including the Athens State Orchestra, the Hellenic Radio and Television Orchestra and the Salonica State Orchestra. During this time, he gave numerous world premieres of contemporary Greek works. He also recorded many pieces with the Hellenic Radio and Television Orchestra.
At the invitation of the Singapore government, he returned to Singapore in 1978 to set up the SSO. In January 1979, the orchestra held its inaugural concert. The next year, he initiated the formation of the Singapore Symphony Chorus to give the orchestra an added dimension of performing symphonic choral works. In 1985, he led the SSO in its international debut in Scandinavia, the first of four successful European tours.
Choo is credited with building up the SSO from modest beginnings and developing its extensive repertoire ranging from the early baroque to contemporary masterpieces during his tenure. In 1996, he stepped down as its music director and assumed the title of conductor emeritus. The title was created in recognition of his contributions and came with a standing arrangement with the orchestra to conduct two weekends of concerts every year. He now resides in Athens and London, where his sons live.
Awards
1980 : Cultural Medallion, Singapore.
1982 : Public Service Star (Bintang Bakti Masyarakat), Singapore.
1989 : Honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from the National University of Singapore, for his distinguished career in music and his contribution to the promotion of music in Singapore.
1990 : ASEAN Award for Performing Arts, by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN.
1997 : Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, a knighthood of arts and letters, by the French government.
2000 : Lifetime Achievement Award, by the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore or COMPASS.
Family
Wife: Alexandra, a Greek archaeologist. They met in Greece in 1968 and married in 1969.
Children: Two sons, Choo Yen and Choo Lin.
Author
Neo Tiong Seng
References
Chia, A. (2009, February 16). Choo Hoey takes on SCO. The Straits Times, Life! - Life People. Retrieved February 9, 2010, from Factiva database.
Chua, C. J., & Ng, W. J. (1989, August 30). Choo Hoey, ‘maestro among the cognoscenti’. The Straits Times, Home. Retrieved on February 23, 2011, from NewspaperSG.
Ho, S. G. (Ed.). (1978). Internationally renowned conductor Choo Hoey. Singapore: Hwa Chong Old Boys’ Association.
(Call no.: RSING 785.0924 CHO.1)
Low, K. T. (Ed.). (2006). Who’s who in Singapore 2006. Singapore: Who’s Who Publishing.
(Call no.: RSING 920.05957 WHO)
Singapore Symphony Orchestra. (n.d.). Conductor emeritus. Retrieved February 9, 2010, from http://www.sso.org.sg/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=21&Itemid=51
Singapore Symphony Chorus. (n.d.). The Singapore Symphony Chorus: History. Retrieved February 12, 2010, from http://www.symphonychorus.sg/history/
Sunuja, B. (1993, March 21). Father knew best. The Straits Times, People. Retrieved on February 23, 2011, from NewspaperSG.
Tay, S. (2000, November 27). Dick Lee is Composer of the Year. The Straits Times. Retrieved on February 23, 2011, from NewspaperSG.
Who's who in Malaysia & Singapore. (1983). [Petaling Jaya, Selangor]: Who's Who Publications.
(Call no.: RSING 920.0595 WWM)
Further Resources
Bachtiar, I. (1995, September 9). Roots give me higher standing in western world. The Straits Times. Retrieved on February 23, 2011, from NewspaperSG.
Choo Hoey gets French arts and letters knighthood. (1997, April 26). The Straits Times, Home. Retrieved on February 23, 2011, from NewspaperSG.
Dawson, T. (1996, July 26). Choo Hoey - did he jump - or was he pushed? - Orchestral man. The Straits Times. Retrieved on February 23, 2011, from NewspaperSG.
Loganathan, R. (Producer). (1996). In conversation [Television series episode]. In Episode 10, Choo Hoey. Singapore: Television Corporation of Singapore.
(Call no.: RSING 080.95957 IN)
Phan, M. Y. (1996, January 27). Choo Hoey to step down as SSO music director. The Straits Times. Retrieved on February 23, 2011, from NewspaperSG.
Phan, M. Y. (1996, February 8). Choo Hoey can leave with head held high. The Straits Times. Retrieved on February 23, 2011, from NewspaperSG.
Tan, B. (2008, October). 30 years and counting: Reminiscing about the SSO... BraviSSimO!, 9(4), 3. Retrieved February 23, 2010, from http://www.sso.org.sg/pdf/bravioct08.pdf
The information in this article is valid as at 2010 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.
