SINGAPORE – After an intensive round of auditions on 19 March 2022, four youths were selected for the 2022 intake of the Mapletree-TENG Academy Scholarship.
The Mapletree-TENG Academy Scholarship is a collaboration between Mapletree Investments (“Mapletree” or “the Group”) and The TENG Company (“TENG”). Running since 2018, it financially supports the musical education of young talents aged 21 and below who are passionate about Chinese music, but lack the means to pursue this interest1. Due to a larger number of applicants this year, applicants were required to submit video recordings of their performances in a bid to make the selection process even more rigorous.
Delivered by TENG’s educational arm, The TENG Academy, the scholarship presents the recipients a holistic programme through robust one-to-one training classes, mentorships and performance opportunities. Scholars also get to give back to society by using their musical skills in community outreach programmes. Coming full circle, Mapletree-TENG Academy scholar Ryan Lim has been inducted into The TENG Ensemble as an erhu musician this year.
Mr Edmund Cheng, Mapletree Chairman, said, “Mapletree is pleased to continue working with TENG on this meaningful scholarship under the arts pillar of the Group’s corporate social responsibility framework. Apart from enriching our lives, music is culturally significant and we are happy to be able to open doors for more deserving, passionate youth to hone their craft, regardless of their financial backgrounds.”
The partnership between Mapletree and TENG has been invaluable for this scholarship. TENG recently resumed live performances – Once Upon a Time, presented by Mapletree and held at VivoCity’s amphitheatre – in February 2022. This provided two scholarship holders, Kee Teng Hwee and Ee Anzhi with the opportunity to perform in front of a live audience over two nights of performances.
TENG’s Co-Founder and Executive Director, Mr Yang Ji Wei added, “We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to Mapletree for their unwavering support. The scholarship is in its 5th year and we are heartened to see that the passion for Chinese music still persists in the younger generations year after year. We are also heartened that our scholars are gaining acceptance into tertiary schools and courses of their choice via the Ministry of Education’s Direct School Admissions route, with their musical skills attained through our scholarship programme”.
Mapletree-TENG Academy 2022 Scholar and Suona musician Preston Ang said, “I wanted to further my Chinese music learning and attend more classes to better myself on top of lessons in school. Thus, when I saw the scholarship, I was extremely excited for the opportunity to have my lesson fees covered, which would allow me to take more classes. Furthermore, having the scholarship’s support gives me the motivation to continuously push harder in my pursuit of Chinese music.”
For more information about the scholarship, please visit https://www.thetengcompany.com.
1 Eligibility criteria includes Per Capita Income for each family/household of S$2,000 or lower.
Mapletree-TENG Academy Scholars
2022
| Name | Age | Instrument | School |
| Ee Anzhi | 11 | Dizi | Poi Ching School |
| Bernice Ng Jing Xuan | 19 | Guzheng | ITE College East |
| Preston Ang | 14 | Suona | Raffles Institution |
| Tan Ya Hui Eugenia | 21 | Erhu | Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts |
2021
| Name | Age | Instrument | School |
| Teressa Teo (Zhang Yueting) | 13 | Erhu | Nanyang Girls High School |
| Jadelynn Soh En Xuan | 14 | Guzheng | Nan Hua High School |
| Ang De Jin | 18 | Ruan | Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) |
| Ryan Lim Ming Zheng | 20 | Erhu | Temasek Polytechnic |
For more information on the previous batches of scholars, please click here.
Photo credits: The TENG Company
