Lim Yan, Artistic Director for the 2019 Singapore International Piano Festival

The 26th Singapore International Piano Festival (SIPF) will take place from 30 May to 3 Jun at the Victoria Concert Hall.

Updated (22 May 2019): Ingrid Fliter has regretfully cancelled her appearance on 2 June 2019. Pianist Louis Schwizgebel will perform for this recital at the Victoria Concert Hall. Schwizgebel will also conduct a masterclass in place of Ms Fliter on 3 June 2019.

This year, Singapore’s premier annual piano festival will welcome renowned veteran British pianist Ronan O’Hora, two Gilmore Artist Award recipients – Argentinian Ingrid Fliter and Russian-born American Kirill Gerstein – as well as top Chinese pianist Sa Chen.

Taking over the reins from former Festival Artistic Director Lionel Choi, Lim Yan will be the Festival’s first Artistic Director who is an active performing pianist. He began playing at age five and went on to graduate from the University of Manchester and the Royal Northern College of Music. In 2006, he received the Young Artist Award, Singapore’s highest accolade for artists below age 35.

Lim Yan (Photo credit: Singapore Symphonia Co Ltd)

We speak to Lim about this year’s Festival:

 As the Festival’s new Artistic Director, how’ve you approached the programme?

In general, I’ve strived for a balance of repertoire, artistic and performing styles to appeal to wide audience base. That said, I’m also aware that my own personal tastes will inevitably be reflected in the programming and line-up.

I am excited to be presenting Sa Chen, Kirill Gerstein and Ingrid Fliter, and their brand of artistry – and I hope that the audience will also share my appreciation of and admiration for them.

How will SIPF 2019 top last year’s billing, which featured two evenings with legendary pianist Martha Argerich?

The Festival hit a significant milestone last year, celebrating its 25th anniversary where Lionel Choi put together an extraordinary event in his final year as Artistic Director. This of course included the rare coup of securing Martha Argerich for not just one, but two performances with Darío Ntaca and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra; and also a roster of artists in the piano recital line-up that included both youth and experience – in Seong-Jin Cho, Dénes Várjon, Jeremy Denk and Dang Thai Son.

Having to follow such a bumper season in my first year with the Festival has actually been somewhat strangely liberating – with almost a feeling of a fresh start, and the beginning of hopefully another successful 25 years and beyond for the Festival.

I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Lionel and the previous Directors of the Festival, Mr Goh Yew Lin and Dr Chang Tou Liang, for taking the Festival to where it is today. I grew up with the Festival, not just in a literal sense but also musically; the first edition in 1994 coincided with the time when I decided to pursue music seriously in the UK.

Lim Yan (Photo credit: Singapore Symphonia Co Ltd)

What are you personally looking forward to, among this year’s line-up?

As I was planning the Festival, one of the first names on my wishlist was the person who has been not only my greatest artistic influence but also a fantastic mentor to this day: Ronan O’Hora.

Ronan was my tutor for seven years at Chetham’s School of Music and the Royal Northern College of Music, and I’m thrilled that he agreed to be part of the Festival. I look forward immensely to his recital, which will feature some of the repertoire closest to his heart, and also to the complementary event – In conversation with Ronan O’Hora – in which he will share his insights and wisdom with us!

This year and last, the Festival has had at least one Asian pianist in its line-up. Is diversity something that’s at the back of your mind?

Although diversity isn’t the most important factor – for me artistic quality is the overriding concern – I am nevertheless delighted that our final roster reflects not just the “international-ity” of the Festival but also, in Sa Chen’s Asian heritage, the Singaporean dimension as well.

I’m sure we’ll be able to bring this closer to home with subsequent Festivals, given the increasing number of fine pianists that are coming up from our region.

But I am getting ahead of myself! There is so much to look forward to in this year’s edition that I can hardly wait – and I hope to see you there!

Visit www.pianofestival.com.sg for details on the 26th Singapore International Piano Festival.