Melvyn Tan Ban Eng (; born 13 October 1956) is a

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

-born British classical

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

, noted for his study of historical performance practice. From a young age, he went to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

to study, first at the Yehudi Menuhin School when he was twelve years old, later enrolling at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music (RCM) is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including pe ...

where he studied with Angus Morrison. At the Royal College, he was told by the then director Sir David Willcocks that he would have to study a second instrument; so he chose the harpsichord, which began his interest in early keyboards. Upon returning to Singapore in 2005, he was fined for not having done National Service in Singapore, although he was studying in London during the time he was required to serve and did not have an exit permit to MINDEF, he had already started a busy concert career, and he had already acquired

British citizenship The primary law governing nationality in the United Kingdom is the British Nationality Act 1981, which came into force on 1 January 1983. Regulations apply to the British Islands, which include the UK itself (England, Wales, Scotland, and Nor ...

. During his development as a pianist, Tan developed a passion for the

fortepiano A fortepiano is an early piano. In principle, the word "fortepiano" can designate any piano dating from the invention of the instrument by Bartolomeo Cristofori in 1700 up to the early 19th century. Most typically, however, it is used to ref ...

, which he has promoted throughout his career, and thereby changed other musicians' perceptions of this instrument. He was invited to play and record on Beethoven's Broadwood instrument. He has now returned mainly to the pianoforte and performs a wide-ranging repertoire from Bach to Messiaen. Of Messiaen, Tan has announced that mastering the composer's '' Vingt regards sur l'enfant-Jésus'' has been his proudest accomplishment: "It took me nearly two years to learn it, but it was the most life-enriching, the most life-changing experience because it was so spiritual and it changed the way I performed." He has lived in London since 1978, and continues to give concerts worldwide. In 2007, he performed at the

Royal Academy of Arts The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

for

Jasper Conran Jasper Alexander Thirlby Conran (born 12 December 1959) is a British designer. He has worked on collections of womenswear and for the home, as well as productions for the stage in ballet, opera and theatre. Early life He is the second son of ...

's London Fashion Week collection.

References

External links

Melvyn Tan - Pianist
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tan, Melvyn Singaporean classical pianists British classical pianists British male classical pianists British fortepianists Musicians from London Alumni of the Royal College of Music People educated at Yehudi Menuhin School British Asian musicians British people of Chinese descent People who lost Singaporean citizenship Singaporean National Service defaulters Singaporean people of Chinese descent 1956 births Living people 21st-century British male musicians 21st-century British classical pianists