Dr Samuel Wong

Dr Samuel Wong is a musicologist, cultural leader, and cultural strategist whose work lies at the intersection of heritage, innovation, and social impact. As Co-Founder and Creative Director of The TENG Company, he has been central to shaping the organisation into one of Singapore's most dynamic and respected arts groups. Under his artistic leadership, TENG is recognised as a Major Company with the National Arts Council and an Associate Member of the National Council of Social Service — reflecting a dual commitment to artistic excellence and community engagement.

Samuel obtained his PhD in Ethnomusicology from the University of Sheffield in 2009, supported by dual scholarships from the Harry Worthington Foundation and the Hokkien Huay Kuan. He is an alumnus of the Oxford Cultural Leaders Programme 2025 — a joint initiative of the University of Oxford's Gardens, Libraries and Museums and Saïd Business School — where he deepened his practice in strategic leadership, innovation, and cultural entrepreneurship alongside an international network of senior cultural executives. His work at TENG is defined by music research applied to real-world settings, innovation within tradition, and the expansion of Chinese music's role in contemporary society.

Beyond TENG, Samuel is the founder of Samuel Wong Creatives, a boutique consultancy specialising in performing arts advisory, creative direction, and programming strategy for cultural institutions, festivals, and creative organisations. Through this platform he partners with organisations to craft meaningful programmes, strengthen audience engagement, and shape resilient, future-ready cultural identities — bringing a vision-driven, collaborative approach to helping the arts flourish within an evolving global landscape.

He has led a series of pioneering projects at TENG that have redefined how music engages, educates, and uplifts communities, including:

• Stories from an Island City (2016): Reviving Singapore's forgotten lullabies and folksongs through performance and recording.
• TENG Gives Back (2018): A social impact initiative bringing live music therapy to hospitals, hospices, and special-needs environments.
• The Mapletree-TENG Scholarship (2018): Providing music education and mentorship for talented children from underprivileged backgrounds.
• The Forefathers Project (2019): Researching and reimagining Singapore's vanishing dialect-based musical traditions (Hokkien, Teochew, Hainanese, Hakka, and Cantonese), combining scholarship with performance.
• Music for Mindfulness (2023): An evidence-based project integrating binaural beat technology and Chinese instruments to alleviate anxiety and promote mental wellness.
• SMRT Train Chimes (2023): Leading the creation of custom train and station chimes to enhance the commuter experience and assist the visually impaired.
• The Singaporean Composers Series (2024): Commissioning new Chinese instrumental works by Singaporean composers to cultivate a distinctive national musical identity.
• Music for Comfort (2025): An evidence-based project integrating monaural beat technology and music to support those experiencing grief and grief-related emotions.

Samuel is also the author of key texts in Chinese music studies, including Impressions of a Pipa Player (2003), Qi: An Instrumental Guide to the Chinese Orchestra (2005), and, as co-author, The TENG Guide to the Chinese Orchestra (2019), which is used in Singapore's national 'O' and 'A' Level Music syllabi.

His work has earned numerous accolades, including The Outstanding Young Persons of Singapore Award (2009), the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Singapore Foundation's Culture Award (2009), and the Singapore Institute of Management's Teaching Excellence Award (2012). In 2021 he was named to Prestige Magazine's "40 Under 40" list for his contributions to arts innovation and leadership.

Samuel has delivered keynote lectures and masterclasses at institutions including the International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA), Yale-NUS College, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, and the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. Most recently, he was an invited speaker at the Hong Kong Cultural Leadership Summit 2025, where he spoke on arts, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

Samuel currently serves on the Advisory Panel of the Singapore International Festival of the Arts and is a Council Member of the Singapore Chinese Music Federation. Through both The TENG Company and Samuel Wong Creatives, he continues to champion the arts as a means of cultural preservation, creative transformation, and community empowerment.

• Arts Leadership
• Cultural Entrepreneurship and Industry
• Arts Strategy and Innovation
• Musicology and Ethnomusicology
• Cultural Policy and Governance
• Community Arts and Social Impact
• Music and Wellness
• Traditional Arts Preservation and Revitalisation
• Cross-Cultural Collaboration and Cultural Diplomacy

• Ethnography
• Participant Observation
• Ethnomusicology
• Native/Insider Research
• Applied Musicology

• Research into Sound Healing, Binaural and Monoaural Frequencies with Chinese models of music therapy using pentatonic elements. Collaboration with the Health and Social Sciences Department at Singapore Institute of Technology. Study on Theta and Delta binaural frequencies with Instrumental music on undergraduates, Theta and Delta binaural frequencies among the Silver Generation, Gamma Monoaural frequencies on Grief, Delta and Gamma Monoaural Frequencies, 2020-Present
   
• Mixed Methods Research with Visually Handicapped Individuals and students from Singapore Institute of Management for Train Chimes for SMRT, October 2023 (East-West Line, North-South Line, Circle Line) and Feb 2025 (Thomson-East Coast Line)
   
• Research and Fieldwork into Singapore’s Chinese Dialect Musics with various clan associations including: Thau Yong Amateur Music Association, Lao Sai Tao Yuan Opera Troupe, Siong Leng Musical Association, Xiao Dong Tian Hokkien Opera Troupe, Yi Sheng Cantonese Opera Troupe, Tung On Opera, Eng Tiang Huat and Toh Koon Swee, 2016-2019
   
• Research and creation of the electro-acoustic Pipa with the support of the National Arts Council’s Creation Grant, with musician and sound engineer Jeremy Wong and luthier Toh Koon Sui, 2013.
   
• Research Fieldwork work on Chinese Orchestras and their trajectories outside of China, Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan Sept 2005-Sept 2008.
   
• Research Interviews on Contemporary Chinese Music, with various composers/conductors at the Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, 3-22 Oct 2004 
   
• Researched and interviewed for Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s 40^th anniversary publication, NP40, November 2002.

• Sent on overseas studies to the Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing, China, for research work and Pipa research and performance, under the supervision of Professor Li Guanghua, Head of Department, Folk Instruments Department, 2000

   

Books & Monographs

• Chow, J.Y., Wang, C.W. & Wong, S. (2019). The TENG Guide to the Chinese Orchestra. Singapore: World Scientific.
• Wong, S. (2005). Qi: An Instrumental Guide to the Chinese Orchestra. Singapore: TENG.
• Wong, S. (2003). Impressions of a Pipa Player. Singapore: Beaumont Publishing.

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

• Wong, S., Chui, H.P., Lam, B., Chia, C., Ng, F., & Tay, P. (2024). "The effectiveness of Chinese instrumental music embedded with binaural beats in relieving anxiety related to academic stress among undergraduates: A randomized controlled trial." Psychology of Music. Sage Journals.

Book Chapters

• Wong, S., & Fu, T. (2023). "The TENG Ensemble and the Rise of New Chinese Music Ensembles." In Is There Such a Thing as Singaporean Performance? Graz: Kunstuniversität Graz.
• Wong, S., & Tham, S. (2021). "Growing a Generation-Z Audience: The Untapped Audience for Chinese Instrumental Music in Singapore." In Critical Approaches to Community Arts. Hong Kong: The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
• Wong, S. (2020). "Rituals of Respect: Social Interactions within Singaporean Chinese Orchestras." In Traditional Chinese Music in Contemporary Singapore. Singapore: Pagesetters.
• Wong, S., & Fu, T. (2020). "Marketing an Identity: The TENG Ensemble and the Rise of New Chinese Music Ensembles." In Traditional Chinese Music in Contemporary Singapore. Singapore: Pagesetters.
• Wong, S. (2014). "Hua Yue: The Chinese Orchestra." In Singapore Soundscape: Musical Renaissance of a Global City. Singapore: National Library Board.
• Wong, S. (2002). "Can Art Do Justice to Art?" In How to Read a Poem, 83–85. Singapore: Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

Reference & Encyclopaedia

• Wong, S. (n.d.). "Chinese Music Ensembles in Singapore." CulturePaedia, Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre. Accessed 5 February 2025.

Editorial Work

• Wong, S. (Ed.) (2005). Hao Wai. Singapore: Singapore Chinese Orchestra.

Selected Newspaper Columns & Reviews

• "A hybrid formation." The Business Times, 26 March 2010, Arts, 42.
• "Instruments with character." The Business Times, 2 April 2010, Arts.
• "The ancient royal and military instruments." The Business Times, 16 April 2010, Arts, 29.
• "Sound of pearls falling on a jade tray." The Business Times, 23 April 2010, Arts.
• "Reformed plucked string instruments." The Business Times, 30 April 2010, Arts, 33.
• "The sounds of cloud and water." The Business Times, 7 May 2010, Arts, 31.
• "An eclectic mix." The Business Times, 14 May 2010, Arts, 30.
• "Soloists stole the show." The Straits Times, 2 March 2010, Life! Supplement.
• "A little too much of this and that." The Straits Times, 1 February 2010, Life! Supplement, 7.
• "The Problem with Chinese Music." Silkroad Bimonthly (2008), 4–5. Taiwan: Taipei Chinese Orchestra.
• "The Problem with Chinese Music in Singapore." NAFActs (2005), 2–3. Singapore: Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts.
• "Double Standards Needed, Please." The Straits Times, 15 April 2005, Life! Supplement, 4.
• "Singapore Chinese Orchestra's New Music Director." Hua Yue (2002), 4–5. Singapore: Singapore Chinese Orchestra.
   

I would be interested to supervise dissertation projects in:

• Cultural Leadership and Arts Management
• Cultural Policy and Governance
• Traditional Arts Preservation and Revitalisation
• Arts Entrepreneurship and Innovation
• Community Arts and Social Impact

• Oxford Cultural Leaders, Cohort of 2025
• Advisory Panel, Singapore International Festival of Arts, 2025- Present
• Board Member, Along the Edge Limited (HK), 2021- 2025
• Council Member, Singapore Chinese Music Federation, 2013-Present
• Board Member, The TENG Company Ltd, 2015-Present
• Artist Mentor, initiated by the Singapore Teachers’ Academy for the aRts (STAR) and supported by the National Arts Council (NAC), 2013-2020
• Panel Member of the National Arts Council Scholarship & Bursary
• Panel Member of the National Arts Council Seed and Major Grants 

Achievements and Awards

• Robb Report Singapore Thought Leader – 2024
• The Prestige 40 Under 40 List, Singapore – 2021
• CHT International Award for Music and Education, The TENG Company, Kuala Lumpur – 2018
• Ngee Ann Polytechnic 50th Anniversary Distinguished Alumni Award (Arts & Culture) – 2013
• Singapore Institute of Management, Teaching Excellence Award – 2012
• Singapore Soka Association Culture Award – 2010
• Junior Chambers International, “The Outstanding Young Persons of Singapore Award” (Cultural Achievement) – 2009
• Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Singapore Foundation Culture Award – 2009

National / International Competitions

• 1st Prize Winner, National Chinese Music Competition (Ensemble Category), 2004 – The TENG Chinese Chamber Ensemble
• 1st Prize Winner, National Chinese Music Competition (Pipa Category, Senior Group), 2002 – Singapore
• 2 Gold Awards, 21st Century International Chinese Music Competition (Orchestra Categories), Genting, Malaysia – 2002
• 1st Prize Winner, National Chinese Music Competition (Pipa Category, Intermediate Group), 2000 – Singapore
• 2nd Prize Winner, National Chinese Music Competition (Ensemble Category, Open Group), 2002 – Singapore