Bernard Tan Tiong Gie (born 1943 in Singapore) is a

Singaporean Singaporeans are the citizens and nationals of the sovereign island city-state of Singapore. Singapore is home to a people of a variety of ethno-racial-religious origins, with the city-state itself being a multi-racial, multi-cultural, m ...

musician, composer,

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...

and engineer.

Early life and education

Tan was educated at the

Anglo-Chinese School Anglo-Chinese School (ACS) is a family of Methodist schools in Singapore and Indonesia. It was founded in 1886 by Bishop William Fitzjames Oldham as an extension of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Its students and alumni are referred to as "ACS ...

, Singapore, the

University of Singapore The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national public research university in Singapore. It was officially established in 1980 by the merging of the University of Singapore and Nanyang University. The university offers degree program ...

(Bachelor of Science with Honours in Physics, 1965) and

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

(Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering Science, 1968). He is a Chartered Engineer and Member of the Institution of Electrical Engineers (UK), Fellow of the

Institute of Physics The Institute of Physics (IOP) is a UK-based not-for-profit learned society and professional body that works to advance physics education, physics research, research and applied physics, application. It was founded in 1874 and has a worldwide ...

(U.K), Fellow of the Institute of Physics, Singapore, and Fellow of

Trinity College of Music Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance is a music, dance, and musical theatre conservatoire based in South East London. It was formed in 2005 as a merger of two older institutions – Trinity College of Music and Laban Dance Centre. Trini ...

, London.

Academic career

Tan joined the then University of Singapore (now the

National University of Singapore The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national university, national Public university, public research university in Singapore. It was officially established in 1980 by the merging of the University of Singapore and Nanyang University ...

) in 1968 as a lecturer in Physics and served first as Vice-Dean and then as

Dean of Science Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean * Dean Sw ...

of the

Faculty of Science Faculty or faculties may refer to: Academia * Faculty (academic staff), professors, researchers, and teachers of a given university or college (North American usage) * Faculty (division), a large department of a university by field of study (us ...

at NUS for 12 years from 1985 to 1997. He has also been Head of Physics, Acting Head of Music, and Associate Director of the Centre for Musical Activities and Dean of Students. Other appointments previously held by Tan are Chairman of the Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing (CRISP) and the Singapore Synchrotron Light Source (SSLS). Bernard Tan's current research interests are in microwave solid-state properties and devices, digital musical analysis and synthesis, and directional perception of multiple sound sources. He has published over 100 papers in international peer-reviewed journals.

Musical career

As a composer, U.S. music publisher Neil Kjos has published a number of his choral works, and his Piano Concerto was premiered in January 2002 by the

Singapore Symphony Orchestra The Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is a symphony orchestra based in Singapore. Its principal concert venue is the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay. The orchestra also gives concerts at the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, and performs ...

(SSO). In 2006, the SSO performed the world premier of his new Violin Concerto with violinist

Lynnette Seah Lynnette Seah Mei Tsing (Chinese language, Chinese: 佘美幸; pinyin: Shé Měixìng, born 1957) is a Singaporean violinist. She retired after 41 years at the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) in 2019. She was awarded the Cultural Medallion f ...

as soloist.''''

Other career

Tan also sits on the boards of , the Singapore Symphonia Company and CSA Holdings, and is Chairman of Keppel Credit Union. He is Chairman of the

Singapore Arts Festival Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) is an annual arts festival held in Singapore. It is organised bArts House Limitedfor the National Arts Council Singapore, National Arts Council. The festival is usually held in mid-year for a stretch ...

Steering Committee, the Singapore Youth Awards Science and Technology Advisory Committee and Cadi Scientific. He was also a former independent non-executive director of

Keppel Corporation Keppel Ltd., previously Keppel Corporation (or Keppel Corp) is a Singaporean company headquartered in Keppel Bay Tower, HarbourFront. The company consists of several affiliated businesses that specialises in property, infrastructure and asset ...

from 2003 to 2015.

Awards and honours

Tan has been awarded the

Public Administration Medal The Pingat Pentadbiran Awam (English: Public Administration Medal) is a Singaporean decoration instituted in 1963 and has three grades: * Emas (Gold) * Perak (Silver) * Gangsa (Bronze) The medal may be awarded to any of the following persons ...

(Silver), the Public Service Medal, the

Public Service Star The Bintang Bakti Masyarakat (English: Public Service Star) is a Singaporean decoration instituted in 1963. It is awarded to any person who has rendered valuable public service to the people of Singapore, or who has distinguished themselves in t ...

and the Public Service Star (Bar).

References

External links

Bernard Tan Faculty Web PageComposed Songs and Pieces
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tan, Bernard 21st-century classical composers Singaporean people of Chinese descent Singaporean composers Singaporean classical musicians Anglo-Chinese School alumni Fellows of the Institute of Physics Academic staff of the National University of Singapore 1943 births Living people Singaporean engineers Male classical composers Recipients of the Pingat Pentadbiran Awam Recipients of the Bintang Bakti Masyarakat 21st-century male musicians