Forum: Conductor’s role with orchestra follows footsteps of Singapore’s violin prodigy

I refer to the news story “Singaporean conductor Wong Kah Chun to head 165-year-old English orchestra the Halle” (June 20).

Wong is not the first Singaporean to be associated with this famed orchestra based in Manchester.

In 1980, violinist Lee Pan Hon was invited by then principal conductor James Loughran to be the joint leader of the orchestra. He was the first Asian appointed to that post. In Britain, the term “leader” denotes the position of the first violinist, who leads the orchestra.

Lee held that position for 16 years.

Lee will be remembered as Singapore’s pioneer violin prodigy, mentored by music pioneer Goh Soon Tioe. Lee went to Britain as a teenager, studied at the Royal Academy of Music and in Romania, followed by an active career as soloist and leader of orchestras such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Ulster Orchestra and the Halle Orchestra.

Vivien Goh