Ariana Chong

Ariana was the first student to study Music at Oxford University under the Singapore Public Service Commission (PSC) Scholarship. She attained her ABRSM Grade 8 in piano at the age of 13, LRSM Performance Diploma (Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music) at 16, and FTCL (Fellowship of the Trinity College of Music, London) at 18. She was the only Singaporean in that year to be awarded the FTCL.

While at Worcester College, Oxford, Ariana studied musicology under Dr Susan Wollenberg and the late Dr Sherlaw-Johnson, and was awarded the College Instrumental Scholarship. She also travelled to London fortnightly to study piano with the renowned piano teacher and music adjudicator, Norma Fisher.

Soon after her BA Honours Music degree, Ariana was awarded the MA Music degree by Oxford University. She then proceeded to attain her second MA Music degree from the National Institute of Education (NIE) of Singapore under a Music Research Scholarship.

Ariana had been highly active in the arts scene, having been the musical director in the production of "Dining With Ernest"(by Bob Nimmo) held at the Mandarin Hotel Ballroom, and having sung in productions with the Singapore Lyric Opera and in the Singapore Symphony Chorus.

She had also conducted a number of school choirs in Singapore, helping them win awards in the highly competitive Singapore Youth Festival (SYF) Choir Competitions. In addition to having done numerous CD recordings with the choirs, she had also led choirs on performance tours to Europe and Australia.

Besides teaching piano and choral singing, providing piano accompaniment and performing by invitation, Ariana had also been involved in the planning and organisation of music programmes for weddings, anniversary celebrations and festive occasions. She had performed in the presence of dignitaries like the former Singapore Transport Minister RAdm Lui Tuck Yew, former British High Commissioner to Singapore Paul Madden, former Singapore Chief Justices Yong Pung How and Chan Sek Keong, and the last Governor of Hong Kong and former EU Commissioner, Lord Patten of Barnes.

Ariana had served as Honorary Assistant Secretary to The Oxford and Cambridge Society of Singapore (OCSS), and is also a member of the Oxford University Society (OUS) of NSW.

She is currently freelancing as a piano accompanist in Sydney, Australia.