Over the next five years, she spent an hour a week learning the violin at Nafa's School of Young Talents. She twice attained the highest scorer award - for both her Grade 5 and Grade 8 Practical Violin Examination in 2002 and 2004 - and even scored the highest score in Singapore of 145 for her Grade 8 exam.

At the age of 10, she won a place through an impromptu audition at the prestigious Purcell school in Britain. The school, which takes in talented young musicians between the ages of eight and 18, is the alma mater of noted musicians such as pianist Julius Drake, who specialises in chamber music and has worked with many of the world's leading vocal and instrumental artists, as well as violinist Janice Graham, who also started playing the violin at five. Graham is the artistic director with English Sinfonia and leader of the English National Opera Orchestra.

Now 14, Janell, who is in Singapore for her debut solo concert, is studying 13 subjects in addition to the violin at Purcell... and excelling in all of them.

But the level-headed teenager remains unspoilt by all the media attention she has received since she entered Purcell. She blushes when you mention the straight As. Refusing to make a big deal out of it, she points to her teachers who 'make learning fun' and adds: 'I just work as hard as the rest of my classmates.'

She does like talking about her love for the violin though. She says she was hooked the first time she heard it played - she can't remember how old she was but thinks it may have been a Singapore Symphony Orchestra concert - and claims 'it took on a life of its own' when the violinist played.

Her mother Sharon, a 41-year-old counsellor and trained piano teacher, says Janell wasn't a hot-housed child; she just happened to be musically inclined.

'She had an amazing recall for tunes and rhymes. She started speaking when she was just one. Even the paediatrician was surprised,' she says.

Her father Gerald, a 47-year-old manager in a software company who admits to having 'no musical bones', also points to Janell's tremendous memory: 'She was barely seven and had already consumed the 20 volumes of the Children's Encyclopedia we got for her. When it was her brother's turn to read it, she could recall not just the information but even the page it appeared on.'

However, music did run in the family. Janell's maternal great-grandfather used to play the cello and the violin, and her paternal great-grandmother played the violin.

Ms Yeo thinks this could possibly explain Janell's inclination towards the violin. Though they didn't always discuss music at home, Janell was always around when Ms Yeo gave music therapy lessons to disadvantaged and special needs children.

Growing up in such a background, coupled with the formal training she was receiving at Nafa, helped Janell shine at the informal concerts organised by the school.

Her command of her instrument soon impressed not just the examiners but music lovers across the globe. When she was just nine, she was invited to perform in Dunedin, New Zealand. At the age of 10, she performed at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, which is considered one of the leading music conservatories in the world, and the Royal College of Music in London, which is a leading institution dedicated to teaching music.

Exploring the world

JANELL'S admission to Purcell in November 2004 was an unplanned one. She was in London, with her family, to play at the Royal College of Music and, since she was to receive masterclasses at Purcell, the Yeos decided to visit the school in Hertfordshire, about 30km north of central London.

The school, which usually accepts applications for auditions a year in advance, happened to have a slot open after an applicant pulled out and decided to give Janell a chance.

At the audition, she played Introduction and Tarantella by Spanish composer Pablo de Sarasate as well as Summertime by American composer George Gershwin.

Apart from the performance, she also had to take an oral and written exam.

Her father recalls that on the train ride back to their hotel room, the big question playing on Janell's mind was not how she had performed but 'what if I make it?'.

She was nine, she had never thought of being away from her friends at St Anthony's Canossian Primary, her closely knit family or their lovely three-storey home in a quiet estate in the east of Singapore.

Not only was she accepted, but she was offered a 90 per cent scholarship as well.

In August 2005, at the age of 10, her bags were packed and she was ready to explore the world on her own. Ms Yeo recalls: 'I was more afraid than her. When the London bombings happened in July 2005, I was torn. I asked her to delay leaving for another year. She was young, suddenly London wasn't feeling safe and I wanted her to be with us. We spoke about it for a long time, but Janell was so strong even at that time. She hugged me and said she needed to follow her dreams.'

Mr Yeo adds: 'I remember going back to Purcell the day after the audition. I went away for a while and when I returned, I saw her chatting away with a group of girls. She looked at home, she had made friends. In that instant, I knew she would be here and that she would be all right.'

To help her get settled in, the family accompanied her on her first trip to school. But Janell adjusted to the demanding life in a boarding school and even admits 'it was fun'.

'School starts at 9am and ends between 6 and 7pm. The entire school day is split between academics, music and PE. The schedule is different every day and what I really like is the equal emphasis on music and academics.'

Her parents kept in touch with her via daily e-mail and weekly phone calls.

Her independent nature helped with her trips to Singapore too. With three breaks during the school term, it was too expensive for someone from the family to chaperone her every time so she did her first Singapore-London flight alone when she was just 11.

Her father helped by giving her emergency contact numbers and a family friend in London arranged for her driver to pick her up at Heathrow and drop her at the school.

Another time, when her violin was 'making funny sounds' she had to meet her teacher in central London to get it fixed. Her father directed her, using the Google map as a guide.

Janell is into her third year at the school and is expected to complete her course, which is the equivalent of the A levels, in 2012.

Her annual fees, which include boarding costs, add up to £30,000 (S$82,800). While the school covered 90 per cent of the fees, the rest was paid by her parents, who are quick to thank 'several kind benefactors'.

The HSBC Youth Excellence Award, which was given to Janell last year, has been another major source of financial help.

As part of the initiative, every year HSBC presents $200,000 to each of the young artists selected, to provide them with the means to undertake developmental initiatives such as recitals around the world, masterclasses and participate in noteworthy international competitions.

HSBC's head of group public affairs in Singapore Goh Kong Aik, 45, says: 'Aside from loads of talent, we also look to select young Singaporeans who possess a real drive to excel at the highest standards as well as a real capacity to serve the country and community. Janell has impressed us on all these aspects.'

Missing Dad's cooking

NOW she is home during her Easter break to present her debut solo concert at the Esplanade tomorrow. Proceeds from the concert, which is organised and supported by HSBC, will be donated to The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund and The Business Times Budding Artists Fund.

Janell admits to being 'anxious as well as excited' about the concert and is glad to have an opportunity to do her bit for charity.

She has selected her pieces in consultation with her violin teacher at Purcell, Mr Erik Houston.

'The pieces we have selected reflect different genres, periods and style. I've got something romantic, something minty sweet and something quite technical as well. I hope the range of pieces presented will help the audience share the music with me.'

The 11/2-hour concert will be divided into two 45-minute segments. In the first half, she will perform a concerto with the Singapore National Youth Sinfonia, led by maestro Chan Tze Law. This will include German-born composer George Frideric Handel's Suite From The Music For The Royal Fireworks as well as German composer and conductor Max Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 In G Minor.

In the second half, she will perform solo and will present the works of Norwegian composer and pianist Edvard Grieg and Polish composer and violinist Henryk Wieniawski. She will end the concert with a rendition of American composer George Gershwin's It Ain't Necessarily So.

Moving away from those notes, she is happy to be reunited with her mother and her nine-year-old brother Preston who has also moved to Purcell.

Her mother had to move to Hertfordshire as, unlike girl boarders, the school does not take boy boarders till Year 7. Preston, who is in Year 4, cleared his audition at the age of seven, but the Yeos waited till he was nine before taking the 'really hard decision' of splitting the family - Mr Yeo has remained in Singapore because of his job.

For now, though, the family is enjoying their time together in Singapore and Janell can't stop raving about her father's food: 'The one thing I really miss about Singapore is my dad and his cooking. When he is around, we never really need to go out and eat. He bakes the most amazing muffins and cakes. He dishes out great nasi lemak and chicken rice.'

However, Janell doesn't for a minute lose track of what lies ahead. Spelling her plans for the future, she says: 'I am interested in many things. But when I grow up, I want to be a musician. I feel I can express myself quite well through music. I feel different when I play it. I can't imagine life without it.'

And as soon as she is done with her concert, she will be back to catching up with her homework and practising her new pieces.

Call her schedule gruelling and she breaks into a smile and says: 'No, it's relaxing. Being with the violin is wonderful. Even when I play a new piece or practise an old one, it never feels like work. It is something I want to do.'

Does she ever fear a burn-out? 'Not when I am having so much fun,' she says, dismissing the very thought.

deepikas@sph.com.sg

Janell Yeo's debut show is at the Esplanade Concert Hall tomorrow. Tickets at $12, $18, $28, $35, $50 and $250 from Sistic (www.sistic.com.sg or call 6348-5555). All the money raised will be donated to The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund and The Business Times Budding Artists Fund.