RP Wind Symphony

At the age of 13, Simon Lee began his musical journey in Compassvale Secondary School Band playing the alto saxophone. He switched to the oboe after a year and was under the tutelage of Mr. Pan Yun (Singapore Symphony Orchestra Associate Principal Oboist). After moving on to Republic Polytechnic, he became a member of the Republic Polytechnic Wind Symphony (RPWS) and also founded the band’s wind quintet, REwind.

Besides his involvement in RPWS, Simon is also a member of The Philharmonic Winds. He has also performed with other groups such as The Philharmonic Youth Winds, SMU Symphonia, Singapore Wind Symphony and Braddell Heights Symphony Orchestra. In May this year, he was offered the opportunity to perform at the 40th anniversary of the Japan Band Clinic, one of the most prestigious wind conferences in the world, with The Philharmonic Winds. In June, he also performed in the inaugural concert of the National Youth Winds under the baton of Maestro Jan Van der Roost, an initiative by the Band Directors Association of Singapore (BDAS).

Recently, he had been featured as a soloist in the inaugural chamber concert of RPWS with the combined group of RPWS Clarinet Choir and local amateur chamber group Clarquinet. In the Beautiful Sunday concert with The Philharmonic Youth Winds at the Esplanade, he had also been featured along with 2 of his fellow woodwinds counterparts as soloists of the band in the arrangement of the well-known Flight of The Bumblebee by Rimsky Korsakov.

Simon had many opportunities to work with renowned local and foreign conductors namely CPT Muhamad Yusri, Mr Adrian Chiang, Mr. Andy Sim, Mr. Regan Wickman, Mr. David Anthony Glosz, Dr Goh Toh Chai, Mr. Surapol Thanayawibool, Dr. John Boyd and most recently, Mr Lui Serrano Alarcón. He has attended masterclasses by Maestro Timothy Reynish and Douglas Bostock. In the recent formation of the National Youth Winds, he has also worked closely with Mr Leonard Tan, Mr Alvin Seville, Mr Brando Tan and Mr Richard Adams.

During his free time, Simon plays football with his band mates. He also loves to find good food around the heartlands. He hopes to major in music in the future, and believes in character over playing.

Lastly, Simon wishes to express his gratitude to Mr Er Wee San for his undying support, CPT Muhamad Yusri for his guidance and patience and Mr Tay Kai Tze for his many valuable advices.