Melissa Ong

Name:	Melissa Ong
Location:	London United Kingdom W14
Contact:	Send Melissa Ong a message

Additional Info:

Singaporean cellist Melissa Ong is a scholar at the Royal College of Music, currently pursuing her MMus (fast track) with an Audrey Piggott award and a St Marylebone Educational Foundation award. She graduated with a BMus (Hons) from the same institution with the support of a full scholarship from the Ministry of Education, Singapore. She is under the tutelage of Amanda Truelove, and also studies the baroque cello with Richard Tunnicliffe and Catherine Rimer. Prior to her studies at the RCM, she was enrolled in the Young Artist Programme at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, under the tutelage of Qin Li-Wei and Ng Pei Sian with a full National Arts Council - University of Music scholarship.

As orchestral musician, chamber musician, baroque cellist and soloist, Melissa has performed in concert venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall and Carnegie Hall, including venues in Florence, Milan, Aberdeen, Salzburg, and all major performing venues in Singapore. As principal cellist she has led all major RCM orchestras, The Philharmonic Orchestra Singapore, London Graduate Orchestra, University of London Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Youth Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Music Makers (Singapore). She has worked with highly acclaimed artists such as Andrea Bocelli, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Vladimir Jurowski, Jac van Steen and Sir Bernard Haitink.

Highlights of 2015 include the rare of honour of performing for H.R.H. Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace, and involvement in the prestigious English National Opera EVOLVE Scheme where she participated in productions of The Mastersingers of Nuremberg and The Queen of Spades. She was also one of the baroque soloists in the RCM Baroque Orchestra and Choir performances as part of the Brandenburg Choral Festival.

Melissa has regularly performs in masterclasses by Johannes Goritzki and Nicholas Jones. In 2012 she was awarded a full scholarship from the Universitat Mozarteum Salzburg for participation in the Internationale Sommerakademie, where she performed in masterclasses with Julius Berger and in a concert at the university. She has held two recitals in Singapore; the more recent 2011 recital was supported by the National Youth Council, with all proceeds donated to Very Special Arts Singapore.

An avid chamber musician as well, Melissa has played with various combinations of chamber groups before and during her time at the RCM, including RCM CONSORT 21 which performs and premieres contemporary works on period instruments. Notably, her string trio (the Tercina Trio) was awarded a scholarship to participate and perform at the Chilingirian Quartet Summer Course at West Dean College in 2014. The trio has twice been invited to perform as part of the Zurich International Orchestral series at Cadogan Hall.

As an educator, Melissa has conducted in-school workshops within the Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in collaboration with RCM Sparks. She has also led Family Chorus and Orchestra workshops for the BBC Proms.

Additional Specialisms:

Orchestral Playing, Solo Performance, Early Music, Contemporary Music