{"id":2674,"date":"2023-04-01T04:55:02","date_gmt":"2023-04-01T04:55:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev-alumn-nus.pantheonsite.io\/alumnus\/?p=2674"},"modified":"2025-07-15T16:07:58","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T08:07:58","slug":"turning-up-the-tempo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/2023\/04\/01\/turning-up-the-tempo\/","title":{"rendered":"Turning Up the Tempo"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Like most musicians, Professor Peter Tornquist developed a love for music at a very young age. \u201cThe idea of just listening to music, going to concerts or even going to church, singing and playing instruments, had been one of my biggest inspirations,\u201d the Dean of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (YST) says.\u00a0<\/p>

But his decision to pursue a career in music came relatively late while he was exploring university degree options at 17. He started his pre\u2011college education in architecture before switching to music. \u201cArchitecture is very similar to music as it\u2019s also a lot of technical stuff,\u201d Prof Tornquist, 59, says. \u201cLike architecture, music requires you to know your materials and to have skills, although music is also an aesthetic sensation and experience.\u201d<\/p>

A graduate of London\u2019s Royal College of Music, Prof Tornquist has been awarded Honorary Fellowships by the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Royal Northern College of Music for his services to music. An important lesson that stuck with him is that nothing in life or the arts is one\u2011dimensional. \u201cSo when you pursue learning, you have to look at it from different angles because there are always different perspectives,\u201d he adds.<\/p>

As a top music composer and educator, Prof Tornquist also attempts to break down the walls between the creative and thinking processes and the execution of music so that these become more interconnected. Speaking from his experience as a composer, he shares, \u201cTraditionally, the role of the composer has been to provide performers with something to play while the performers make this come alive for the audience,\u201d he explains. \u201cBut it creates a silo, even though both roles are necessary to create the musical experience.\u201d<\/p>

He hopes musicians can be empowered to take full ownership in realising their artistic voices \u2014 a philosophy he also applies to his teaching and leadership roles. \u201cIt\u2019s not about what I know as a teacher, professor or dean,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s to what degree I can make my students, staff and faculty own their ideas so they transmit them more wholeheartedly.\u201d<\/p>

As a man constantly seeking a lyrical adventure, Prof Tornquist decided to leave Norway \u2014 where he was the Principal of the Norwegian Academy of Music from 2013 to 2021 \u2014 for Singapore when the opportunity at YST arose. \u201cThe centre of the world used to be somewhere between the United States and Europe. But that has slowly changed, and the world is now moving eastward,\u201d notes Prof Tornquist, whose compositions have been performed by the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra and London Sinfonietta.<\/span><\/p>

MAKING THE RIGHT TRANSITIONS<\/b><\/span><\/p>

In the digital era, Prof Tornquist notes that a successful musician needs multiple skill sets. He or she should be good in at least three areas of music\u2011making and be world-class in two other areas. For instance, one could be a good performer, composer or producer while also excelling in teaching, social media or entrepreneurship. \u201cWe see these multiple skill sets within and beyond music as a trait of successful young professionals today,\u201d he says. \u201cBuilding on our foundation of excellence in music-making, we are strengthening this drive towards interdisciplinary education and giving our students the space to develop several skills at the same time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

While he thinks Singapore has a vibrant and healthy music scene, some gaps must still be bridged. \u201cFor example, a good portion of the high talent playing musical instruments from a young age choose not to study music and study medicine, engineering or law instead,\u201d says Prof Tornquist. \u201cThere is still some resistance to making music your choice of education. We need to make sure the music talent pipeline from YST into Singapore can become stronger, and we are working on this.\u201d<\/p>

Prof Tornquist also wants the arts to be more present in the academic lives of NUS students. Music, after all, can enhance our learning and cognitive capabilities. For example, playing music with others in a pop band can boost our communication and negotiation skills. \u201cDeveloping that passion for music translates into a skill set that makes them better future professionals and more fulfilled individuals.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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We also need to cater for exceptional talent and cast a wider net in our recruitment drive, regardless of their cultural or stylistic background.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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TUNING IN TO A BROADER TALENT POOL<\/b><\/span><\/p>

Since taking up his new role at YST in February 2022, Prof Tornquist has enjoyed meeting many passionate people with an innovative mindset and a \u201ccan-do\u201d spirit. \u201cI\u2019m enjoying how vibrant this city-nation is and how international the community at NUS and especially YST is,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>

As YST celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, Prof Tornquist says it is vital for the school to leverage its strong faculty and be responsive to the changes in the global music scene. \u201cMy vision is for us to move from being excellent to exceptional,\u201d he says. \u201cTo shape the future, we need to educate musicians that bring something else to the mix other than simply being very good at playing an instrument. We also need to cater for exceptional talent and cast a wider net in our recruitment drive, regardless of their cultural or stylistic background.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>

When he is not working, Prof Tornquist enjoys reading non-fiction books on history and philosophy. He also enjoys running and taking long walks in the Green Corridor, Southern Ridges and MacRitchie Reservoir. \u201cI also love food, so once a month, I invite my faculty and younger staff to show me their favourite hawker centres,\u201d says Prof Tornquist, who has tried everything from the standard chicken rice to more exotic items like pig\u2019s brain.<\/p>

\u201cThe food in Singapore is such an interesting representation of the nation\u2019s cultural diversity with its mix of influences resulting in a slightly different version of Indian, Malay, Chinese, Japanese and Korean food,\u201d he adds. \u201cThere\u2019s a Singaporean flavour to everything, and that\u2019s also what I see in the people and the culture here.”<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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THE BEAT GOES ON<\/b><\/span><\/p>

The packed calendar of musical events, held in celebration of YST\u2019s 20th anniversary, was a music lover\u2019s dream come true.<\/span><\/p>

  1. Kicking things off last August was the week-long \u201cLooking back, Moving Forward\u201d festival. This was a showcase of illustrious international musicians, including the Calefax Quintet, a reed-playing ensemble from the Netherlands, and the Boston Brass from the United States, backed by the YST Orchestral Institute and performing epic film scores from blockbusters such as Jurassic Park and Star Wars.<\/li>
  2. After a long absence of four years due to COVID-19, the Voyage Festival returned, bringing together YST alumni for a special homecoming. In five concerts over two days, the talented musicians and singers shared the spotlight as they played a diverse selection of music.<\/li>
  3. On 8 April 2023 at the YST Conservatory Concert Hall, the gala concert, \u201cOrchestral Institute x YST Chamber Singers and Voice Majors: A Gala for Creation\u201d, brought to life the timeless music of Austrian composer Franz Joseph Haydn\u2019s 1798 oratorio, Die Sch\u00f6pfung (The Creation).<\/li>
  4. In September, the Conservatory will hold its fundraising gala dinner. On 28 October 2023, YST will premiere the Southeast Asian Golden Age Symphony, a fresh new commission by seven young composers across Southeast Asia.<\/li><\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Professor Peter Tornquist, Dean of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, shares his vision to move the school from being excellent to exceptional.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2676,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_theme","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-leadership"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2674","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2674"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2674\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7981,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2674\/revisions\/7981"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2676"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}