Composer | Performing Artist | Educator | Arranger & Orchestrator | Conductor |
© 2017 Diana Levine Photography
Michael J. FOX Foundation, Parkinson's Research Fundraiser.
SARAH CHONG 恩 恩 | ANN ANN creates with a focus on collaboration and nurturing human and artistic connections..
As a composer, arranger and orchestrator, Sarah advocates for bringing the creative process to individuals of all ages, abilities and walks of life. She supports creating and arranging original music to tell stories about our external and internal realities. Performing and conducting such music with others is, to her, the ultimate way to foster human connection (and inclusion), compassion and empowerment.
Sarah's mission is also to empower people with the importance of - and inspire commitment to - learning, playing and creating (music). She fully champions music & art as vital contributors to a rich and full life. With 15 years of teaching experience in various music genres, and half a lifetime in performing, composing, arranging / orchestrating and conducting music, she relishes in interacting with musicians and artists of all levels, exchanging stories, ideas and wisdom.
SELECTED CREDITS
COMPOSER
Sarah aspires to explore different concepts and instrumentation, to deliver a strong and clear story / message in each piece. Her works range from piano solos, duos, chamber groups to orchestra; some involving dance (tap, contemporary), ethnic instruments, non-instrument items, and voice.
She conducts her compositions when appropriate, and whenever possible.
(Live / Studio works)
Featured on two Yamaha School albums ('01 and '03).
Premiered in biannual concerts ('13 - '18) at Boston's Old South Church with the Society of Composers.
* Leadership roles: S.o.C. Board member ('15 - '17), S.o.C. Co-President ('16)
For string quartet:When There Are No Stars ('16), read by the Esterhazy Quartet.
For high school orchestra: Constellations ('11), premiered by SJII Orchestra.
Letter to Singapore (unreleased) for Singapore's SING50 National Song Competition ('15). Engineered by Stella Chuang.
(Film & TV)
Award-winning film short Better Together ('18), directed by Phoebe Ho; animation short re-scored Transit ('93); film short Gelatin Salad ('15) filmed by Nydia Hartono. Demo reel available upon request (for clients).
Session musicians include Manuel Marxer (recording and mixing engineer), Laura Sekarputri (bass, guitar), Ian Ho (drums), Jessie Chiu (violin), and Jacqueline Hazle (clarinet).
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PERFORMING ARTIST
(Piano / Keyboard)
Esplanade Theaters on the Bay (Singapore) with YAMAHA School of Music ('01) and Nathan Hartono ('14); biannual concerts at Boston's Old South Church with Berklee's Society of Composers ('13 to '18).
Premiered concert works by Manuel Marxer, Carlos Virgilio, Anton Ariki, Javier Morales, Jose Ortiz, Bernard Duc, Dai Haraguchi, Roman Soto, Linda Dallimore, Kelsey Joanne Rogers, Matthew Wong, Tina Kayal, Eli Roberts, Dmytro Gordon, Bailey Cunningham, Garrett Wallace, Isaac Johnson, Matt Scutchfield.
Sharing the stage with artists such as NyaLi (voice), Anna Moela (voice), Sanjana Raja (voice), Mahoko Taniguchi (voice), Jina An (viola, voice), Priyant Sundas (guitar, voice), Manuel Marxer (drums), Juan Mejia (drums), Bryan Deister (keys), Lily Lyons (violin, voice), Simon Fagerstedt (bass), Alex Gasser Londono (bass), Artie Sadler (bass), Jaison Buo-Shu Whuang (bamboo flute), Matthew Wong (saxophone), Bebe Hyeryun Kim (violin), Nathaniel Pasague Taylor (cello), Peder Barratt Due (violin) and Roman Soto (cello) and Dan Hoffman (percussion).
Musical Theatre rehearsal & pit keyboardist with Needham Community Theatre (NCT) on Precious Bane (World premiere, Feb '17), and OLIVER! (Nov '17); with SJI International onWest Side Story ('11), Pirates of Penzance ('11), Sound of Music ('08), Joseph ('07), and A Lasallian Story ('07 to '15).
(Pipe Organ)
Self-taught pipe organist (with earlier organ lessons from John Venables). Since 2023, Sarah has been an organist in Liechtenstein's various Catholic parishes (in Schaan, Mauren and Schaanwald, Ruggell, Triesen, Vaduz etc.). Since 2024, she has been serving as the Assistant Organist of the Vaduz Cathedral.
(Other Instruments)
Irish penny-whistle and bodhrán for Lily Lyons's show ('17), and on Sarah's own projects in concert.
Member of the SJII Balinese Gamelan troupe ('08 to '11).
Tenor saxophonist in the SJII Jazz Band ('09 to '10).
SESSION MUSICIAN
(Piano / Keyboard)
Two compositions for Yamaha School albums ('01 and '03), JoLe's album (Epigraph, '15).
EP and single releases by NyaLi (Your Own, '17; Sunshine for Christmas, '19; Pancakes, '20), Nathan Hartono (Wait for Me, '12), Anna Moela, Phoebe Lee (This Time Around; Listen to Me 听我唱 '17), Bernard Duc (3 Dessins d'enfants, '17) and Kelsey Joanne Rogers (Fluctuations, '16).
Cover sessions with Sanjana Raja (Liane La Havas - What You Won't Do, '17; Adele - Million Years Ago, '18).
Big band recording sessions for Pranav Pokhriyal and Premiere Mason.
Film and video game scoring sessions for Jina An, Yvonne Teo, Yung-Hsin Chen, Yu Fong Chen, Angelina Park, Carol Kusuwanto, Roy Salguero, Joseph Su, Pablo Flores, Jeremy Huey, Ishita Sinha, Juan Pablo Trillo, Daniel Vitale, and more.
Pianist and singer for "In The Bleak Midwinter", "We Three Kings (Medley)", "Candlelight Carol (by John Rutter)" - recorded and filmed at Yellow Box Studios, and broadcasted on TV for the National Catholic Bi-Cenntenial Celebrations (Singapore, '21).
Engineers involved include Daniel Wong (Pancakes), Nathaniel Mah (Sunshine for Christmas), Tyler J. Scott (Wait for Me), Kenneth Jin (3 Dessins d'enfants), Simon Mongtrison (This Time Around), and Tim Liao (Listen to Me 听我唱).
(Other Instruments)
Irish penny-whistle and bodhrán on various Berklee Film Scoring sessions.
Vocals and ukelele on Manuel Marxer's commercial demo reel.
Vocals on Laryssa Okada, Yu Fong Chen & Kino Lee's film & video game scoring sessions.
DANCE ACCOMPANIST
('17 to '18): Company classes at Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre for Mary Thompson (Ballet Mistress), as well as classes for Bettina Indaco, Patricia Chiang and Magdalena Gyftopoulos, and Molly Wheat at Dance Complex.
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EDUCATOR
Sarah has been teaching music since 2011. She was selected to volunteer with Berklee's City Music Program in Boston ('15 - '17) as a piano instructor and mentor. Upon graduating from Berklee in 2016, she continued teaching privately, until her return to Singapore in 2018. From 2018 to 2022 in Singapore, she taught private bespoke individual lessons in Classical and Pop Performance & Theory to students of all ages and at various levels. Since August 2024, she has been teaching at Liechtenstein Musikschule in Liechtenstein, and joined their faculty in 2025.
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ARRANGER & ORCHESTRATOR
With Simone Scazzocchio (Asst. Prof., Berklee): a South-East Asian medley in Rhythm of the Universe (ROTU)'s multicultural production, for Boston Common's OUT OF THE BOX Festival ('13).
With Singaporean artist NyaLi: her originals (In My Head, Falling Forward '15) and covers (Cruz '14, Fly Away '15, Kite '16), in Boston.
Eugene Seow's original, Looking Back: for jazz orchestra ('15).
Teresa Teng 邓丽君 medley: for large ensemble, at Louisa Foong and Xingyu Yao's Mandarin Pop tribute concert ('16).
Julian Moreen's originals (The Wall, Aurora): for the Julian Moreen Quartet & SJII Band (faculty & selected students).
*Organizer of the Julian Moreen Quartet's show at SJII on their inaugural Asia tour ('18).
Arranger of "In the Bleak Midwinter" and "We Three Kings" Medley, recorded at Yellow Box Studios and broadcasted on TV for the National Catholic Bi-Centennial Celebrations (Singapore, '21).
From 2021 - 2023, Sarah served as one of the on-call arrangers for MUSICAL TOUCH, fellow Berklee graduate, Alvin Khoo's one-of-a-kind pop orchestra for live events in Singapore.
SARAH'S PROJECTS (in Concert)
In 2016, Sarah was band-leader, arranger, pianist, vocalist and conductor on two of her own projects: Soundtrack of Our Lives (for small ensemble), and Midnight Society FM (for large ensemble). Her shows included live poetry and narration, woven into arrangements that featured each ensemble member in their element.
Prior to that, Sarah premiered her original work for orchestra, Constellations, at St. Joseph's Institution International's inaugural concert (Symphony Under the Stars, '11). She orchestrated The Verve's Bittersweet Symphony also for SJII's orchestra, which premiered the following year ('12).
CONDUCTOR
Apart from conducting her original works (Constellations) and arrangements on her own shows, Sarah also conducted her arrangements on NyaLi, Eugene Seow, Louisa Foong and Xingyu Yao's shows.
From 2021-2022, Sarah served as one of the conductors for MUSICAL TOUCH, fellow Berklee graduate, Alvin Khoo's one-of-a-kind Pop Orchestra for live events in Singapore.
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MUSIC DIRECTOR
'08 production of A Lasallian Story: a musical created and produced for Lasallian leadership camps.
'21: Production board member for Singapore's National Catholic Bi-Centennial Celebrations, and concert director of the "Original Showcase Night".
VIDEOGRAPHER
Manuel Marxer (Boy Meets World Official MV, '17), and Priyant's Darjeeling Groove (Heartsky Official MV, '18). Sarah also films her own projects.
STAGE / MUSICAL ACTRESS
Bernadette in St. Bernadette The Musical ('09), Glinda in Wizard of ORS (SJII '09), Butler in Andrew Lloyd-Weber's Joseph (SJII '07), and a multiple-role feature in a site-specific production of Shakespeare's Julius Cesar (CHIJ Toa Payoh '06).
(Both Wizard of ORS and Julius Cesar were directed by Wendy Ng.)
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DANCE TRAINING
Sarah attended open classes ('16 - '17) with George Birkadze and Helena Froehlich at the Boston Ballet School, and at Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre ('17 - '18) with Jean-Robens Georges. She is currently choreographing Manuel Marxer's and her own works.
© Sarah Chong (Ann Ann) 2025. All Rights Reserved.
Sarah's original (God's Story for Life) has been recognized with the CARITAS National Songwriting Award '09 and the inaugural SJII Dick Lee Arts Award ('10).
In 2011 she was a Top 10 finalist in the Instant Composition Competition at TRANSATLANTYK (Poland), Poznan's inaugural film music festival.
BERKLEE College of Music, '16
B. Mus. Film Scoring & Professional Music
Minor in Conducting
At Berklee, Sarah studied with Eric Stern, George Monseur, Bill Elliott, Mikael Ringquist, Elena Roussanova Lucas, Alla Elana Cohen, Ruth Mendelson, Andreas Bjorck, David Newman and Tom Stein, amongst other faculty.
She has accompanied musicians in classes taught by Neal Smith, Donna McElroy, Gabriele Vanoni and Jamie Lynn Hart; in exams adjudicated by Tony 'Thunder' Smith, Mark Walker, Marko Djordjevic, Casey Scheuerell, Eugene Friesen, Bradford Gleim and Larry Finn; and in auditions for Berklee's annual premiere student concerts (Singer's Showcase and Singer's Night) for faculty panelists Ken Zambello, Rob Rose, Tom Baskett and Christiane Karam.
ABRSM (UK) Dip. '08 Piano Performance (1999 - 2008)
ABRSM (UK) Distinction, '10 Gr. 8 Theory
Yamaha Music School Advanced Program, '06 (1999 - 2006)
At YAMAHA, Sarah trained under Angelyn Aw and Yeo Kian-Boon. At SJII, she studied with John Venables as choir alto, pianist and organist; and with Chua Siong Loo and Susan Harmer as a tenor saxophonist. Sarah trained in Balinese gamelan with Pak Alit and Niky Lewis ('08 - '11), including a '09 tour to Bali. Post-graduation, she completed a composer residency at SJII High School with Ineke Thorpe before moving to Boston.