Singapore Symphony Orchestra founding music director Choo Hoey died at the age of 90 on Aug 11. Choo’s son, Dr Yen Choo, told Singapore publication The Straits Times that the conductor died at his summer house in Greece with his wife by his side.
Considered one of the most instrumental figures in Singapore’s musical scene, Choo Hoey was born in Palembang, Indonesia, in 1934 and moved to Singapore in 1946, where he studied at The Chinese High School. In 1947, he began training under the esteemed violinist Goh Soon Tioe and subsequently studied with numerous prominent musicians worldwide, including Aubrey Brain, Igor Markevitch and Andre Gertler.
In 1958, Choo started his career in the Belgian National Orchestra and was reportedly the first Asian musician to conduct a European national orchestra. Ten years later, Choo became the principal conductor of the Greek National Opera.
In 1979, he was invited by the Singapore government to become the founding music director and resident conductor of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO). He was among the first recipients of Singapore’s inaugural Cultural Medallion for his contributions to music.
Under his leadership, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra made its international debut in Scandinavia.
In 1996, he stepped down from his role and was named conductor emeritus.
Some of the other accolades received by Choo in his lifetime include the Public Service Star in 1982. He was made an Honorary Doctor of Letters of the National University of Singapore in 1989 and was appointed a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French government in 1997.
