Baritone and Piano Concert - July 2005

Biography of Ralph McDonald (Baritone)

Ralph McDonald graduated from the royal Scottish Academy of music and Drama with the Dip Mus Ed and the DRSAMD (Perf). His teachers have included the renowned baritones John Carol Case and Derek Hammond Stroud.

He worked as a freelance soloist and also closely with the Hilliard Ensemble as a member of the Western Wind Choir, with whom he toured many European countries and Japan and recorded for ECM. He has also broadcast widely on BBC Radio 3 and 4 and the BBC World Service and has made appearances in the Classical and Light Entertainment fields on BBC Television and ITV. His repertoire is extensive, covering material from the Elizabethan era up to songs from West End stage and film. He is in much demand as a recitalist and in oratorio he has sung with Peter Pears, Linda Finnie and other artistes of a similar calibre.

He is a member of the examining panel for Trinity College London in which capacity he has toured all over the world, particularly in the Australasia region. He is now based in Bangkok and from 2001-2002 was Head of Voice at the College of music in Mahidol University. Future engagements include examination tours of Sri Lanka, Maldives, USA and Canada and recitals in East Malaysia and Thailand. In his duties as an examiner he also gives regular support meetings for teachers and candidates in the Asian region who are intending to undertake Trinity College London examinations.

He is also a consultant at the Trinity Music Training Centre in Bangkok.

Biography of Geneviene Wong Jen-Pei (Piano)

Geneviene Wong Jen-Pei , graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD), Scotland with First Class Honours in 1999 and received the “ Rhona Reid Scholarship ” to pursue the MMus (Performance) in Piano Accompaniment with Jean Hutchison. Upon completion of the Masters, she was awarded the “ Broadwood Junior Fellowship for Piano Accompaniment ” at the RSAMD.

She is a keen chamber musician and won several prizes whilst at the RSAMD, including the “ Peter Lindsay Millar Prize for Piano Duet ”, “ John D Miles Lieder Prize ”, “ British Reserve Insurance Prize for Early Music ”, “ Ian D Watt Prize for String and Piano Duo ”, and “ Alex Menzies Memorial Fund for Piano Accompaniment ”. She has also participated in many solo and accompaniment masterclasses with, among others, Dennis Lee, Malcolm Martineau, Dmitri Alexeev, Bernard D'Ascoli, John Streets, Roger Vignoles and the King's Consort.

In Glasgow, she accompanied the Glasgow Youth Choir and the Glasgow Philharmonic Male Voice Choir, performing in various venues throughout Britain, Germany and the Czech Republic and was actively involved in the community music scene in Britain as a member of the ‘ Scottish Council for Music in Hospitals ' and the ‘ Live Music Now! ' scheme, an outreach programme founded by the late Lord Yehudi Menuhin. She has also accompanied various instrumentalists and singers in recitals throughout Britain , including the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe Festival and represented the RSAMD in the Europe Day concert series organized by the European Parliament.

At present, she teaches piano and chamber music at University College Sedaya International (UCSI) in Kuala Lumpur , as well as at Universiti Malaya (UM) and Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) . She also free-lances as an accompanist and music arranger for several local choirs, including the Young KL Singers and the KL Children's Choir.

Program of the Evening

Date: 9th July 2005
Venue: Mini Theatre, Sabah Trade Centre, Likas
Time: 7:30p.m.

For further information:
Pang Piano Sales and Service Centre (088) 266670
Music Mart (088) 232629
Helen Tseu (088) 437322, [email protected]

For more past events and articles, go to the Archive Section

BACK