Advancing Excellence in Music Teaching
Artistry • Pedagogy • Professional Development
Tan Yong Cong
Tan Yao Cong is a music educator, conductor and arts manager. With MBA-level expertise in leadership, finance and digital strategy, his portfolio career spans teaching, performing, examining and organisational leadership.
He is an ABRSM Examiner and Regional Development Executive for Singapore. As Orchestra Manager of the Metropolitan Festival Orchestra, he works across concert projects, international touring and collaborations. He also serves as Resident Conductor of the Dunman High School Symphonic Band and Conductor of the St Andrew’s Secondary School Concert Band.
A graduate of London’s Guildhall School of Music & Drama and a Loke Cheng-Kim Foundation scholar, Yao Cong brings first-hand experience of navigating the opportunities and demands of a freelance musical career. His work connects the perspectives of the individual practitioner and the organisations that engage and support musicians.
An arts leader bridging creativity and strategy, for this career session, he will draw on that experience to explore how freelancers and piano teachers can broaden their opportunities, build professional relationships and develop a sustainable career that reflects their strengths and aspirations.
Currently teaching at NAFA, SNYO and SOTA, Yao Cong’s contribution to music education goes beyond the stage and classroom. Come to experience this pedagpgy festival where he shares his passion about arts governance and regional cultural collaboration.
Top skills
Music Education • Brass • Music Industry • Business Development • Business Strategy
Dr. Kim Bo Kyung
Dr. Kim Bo Kyung received her Doctoral degree in Piano Performance from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to that, she earned her Master's degrees in Piano Pedagogy and Piano Performance from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she served as a Teaching Assistant and was selected as a member of Pi Kappa Lambda, the National Music Honor Society. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Piano Performance from Eastern Michigan University. Throughout her academic career, she has received the Dean's Honor, numerous scholarships, and awards, including the Jacobson's Scholarship and Music Awards.
Dr. Kim has performed extensively in solo, duo, and chamber recitals across the United States, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Russia, Germany, Romania, Turkey, Malaysia, and Singapore.
As an educator and scholar, she has taught piano pedagogy at several universities in South Korea and has presented at international conferences and contributed articles to music journals and magazines. She has also been invited to serve as piano faculty at prestigious international festivals, including the Euro Arts Music Festival in Germany, the Piano Island Festival in Singapore, and the Asia International Piano Academy Festival (AIPAF) in South Korea, where she has been a faculty member since 2011.
Dr. Kim has served as an adjudicator for numerous international competitions and festivals, including the Singapore International Piano Competition, Singapore Golden Lion Awards International Music Arts Festival, Singapore Raffles International Music Festival, and Music Singapore International Competition.
Previously, she served as Head of the Music Department at the University of Malaya. Currently based in Singapore, she is a piano faculty member at the School of the Arts (SOTA) and the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), and runs KBK Music Studio.
She is also the founder of SIMPeF-Singapore International Music & Pedagogy Festival, through which she established the SIMPeF Pedagogy Conference, holding its inaugural edition in July 2026.