25 March 2008

$25 million from Yong Loo Lin Trust to help build Singapore as city of the arts

GIFT FROM YONG LOO LIN TRUST: Ms Yong Siew Yoon, sister of the late Yong Siew Toh, a dedicated music teacher and daughter of the late philanthropist Dr Yong Loo Lin, officiating the opening of the new Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music building in October 2006.

Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music at NUS is set to advance to a new stage of development that involves building a distinctive identity that is competitive with the world's most established institutions. This was made possible by a second $25 million gift from the Yong Loo Lin Trust.

The endowed gift, to be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Singapore Government, will be used to support scholarships and fund special projects. The Conservatory received its first gift of $25 million from the Trust in 2003.

Mr Goh Yew Lin, Chairman of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music's Governing Board said that the first gift had supported their mission to establish a state-of-the-art Conservatory in Singapore when it was launched in 2003. The Yong Siew Toh Conservatory now offers a four-year, full-time undergraduate degree programme, with a curriculum that provides a strong foundation for students to pursue their artistic development.

The second gift from Trust will enable the Conservatory to continue to attract students of the highest calibre. "The new gift, which is also designed for the support of special projects to be announced later, will further enable the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music to help raise Singapore's profile as a city of the arts," he said.

A statement from the Yong Loo Lin Trust said: "The Trust chose to make a second gift to the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory at NUS because we believe that it will help bring the Conservatory, in partnership with the Peabody Institute, one step closer towards its aim of becoming a centre of international standing in music education. The Trust sees its continued support for the Conservatory as a strategic contribution to Singapore, by enabling the Conservatory to continue to attract high quality intakes of students."

The Conservatory was named the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music in recognition of the generosity of Yong Loo Lin Trust, and also in honour of the late Ms Yong Siew Toh, a daughter of Dr Yong Loo Lin who dedicated her life to teaching music.