A delegation of Johns Hopkins faculty and staff, including President William R. Brody and Peabody Director Jeffrey Sharkey, traveled to Singapore to attend the Oct. 7 and 8 festivities marking the opening of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music's new building on the Kent Ridge campus of the National University of Singapore.

The establishment of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, in collaboration with the Peabody Institute, is part of a broad strategy to position Singapore as a global city with vibrant business, science, technology and arts sectors. Envisaged to be a focal point for music education, exchange and activities not only for Singapore but also for the Asia-Pacific region, the conservatory seeks to provide aspiring professional artists with musical and ancillary skills necessary to succeed in a career in music.

Situated adjacent to the NUS University Cultural Centre, the building integrates a classical European-style concert hall with state-of-the-art facilities for training professional musicians.

The completion of the new conservatory building is a key milestone in education in Singapore, and a boost to NUS' standing as a first-rate comprehensive university.

Among the Peabody participants at the celebration were Marian Hahn, the Yong Siew Toh Chair in Piano at the Peabody Conservatory, and Peter Langren, horn faculty member and former interim director of Peabody, who performed in recitals. Also attending was former Peabody Director Robert Sirota, from whom a piece was commissioned in honor of the event and his role in establishing the collaboration between the two institutions.

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