PHUA EE KIA

Singapore-born countertenor Phua Ee Kia graduated with a First-Class Honours Degree in Music from the University of Birmingham, UK, in 2004. He began formal vocal training with Professor Julian Pike and soprano Cathy Benson at the Birmingham Conservatoire before honing his voice under countertenor Nicholas Clapton, Professor of Singing at the Royal Academy of Music, London.

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During the course of his university life in the UK, Phua was an avid member of no fewer than five choirs, including auditioned choirs such as Birmingham University Singers and one of the UK’s finest choirs – Ex Cathedra. Phua had also sung in master-classes by renowned countertenors James Bowman and Paul Esswood as well as baroque specialist Mark Tucker.

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Phua had given numerous solo performances at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, many of which were in collaboration with the Birmingham Centre of Early Music Research (CEMPR). He performed the alto solo in the Birmingham University Singers’ performance of Handel’s Israel in Egypt and most notably, the demanding lead role of ‘Tirinthus’ in Handel’s Imeneo featured in the 2004 Birmingham Summer Music Festival. In the same year he also topped an audition to assume conductorship of the University Chamber Choir.

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Back home, Phua made his public debut at the age of 17 with the role of ‘Cobweb’ in the Singapore Lyric Opera (SLO)’s production of Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1997) directed by Lim Yau. Following his return from the UK, Phua sang the role of the ‘Witch’ in the SLO’s touring performance of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel (2005). He was one of the invited soloists for the SLO’s Tales of the Supernatural World Halloween Concert (2005) and was also part of the trio in Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti in SLO’s All That Jazz concert (2006). Since then, Phua has made regular appearances in the National University of Singapore Exxon Mobil concert series as part of SLO’s opera outreach programme.

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At the age of 18, Phua topped a nationwide audition to sing the treble solo in Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms (1998) with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO). His other solo performances with the SSO include the the Soprano II solo in Mendelssohn’s Elijah (2005), the Alto solo in Haydn’s The Creation (2006) and the Alto solo in James Macmillan’s Seven Last Words From The Cross (2007) at the Esplanade Concert Hall.

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In 2008, he sang the Soprano II solo in Charpentier’s Te Deum, conducted by Goh Toh Chai, as well as the Alto solo in Bach’s Mass in B minor with the Philharmonic Chamber Choir and Orchestra under the direction of Lim Yau. 2010 saw Phua sing the part of Second Fairy in Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the Philharmonic Chamber Choir and Orchestra and the Treble solo for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Pie Jesu, at the televised YTL Concert at the Botanic Gardens featuring Andrea Bocelli, to a 6000-strong audience, including Guest-of-honour, Mr S.R. Nathan, former President of Singapore. In December that year, Phua also performed the Alto solo in Handel’s Messiah with Voices of the East Indies directed by Ng Tianhui at the Arts House. A familiar face in the local classical music scene, Phua was invited to perform at the Esplanade as part of the ‘Dedicated to You’ series commemorating the concert hall’s 10th anniversary in 2012. In 2013, Phua pledged his support for HIV/Aids patients by lending his singing voice for the Tan Tock Seng Hospital Patient Care Centre Fundraising Dinner, with Mr S.R. Nathan as the Guest-of-Honour once again.

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A versatile singer, Phua Ee Kia takes pride in embracing different musical styles, having sung with early music group Ab Oriente, the illustrious Philharmonic Chamber Choir of Singapore, the award-winning Singers Vocal Ensemble specialising in the music of living composers, as well as pop a-cappella group Curious Attacks.

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In May 2012, Phua originated the role of the Jade Bird in the world premiere of Mark Chan’s operetta ‘Flight of the Jade Bird’ commissioned as the opening item for the Singapore Arts Festival 2012. Phua reprised the role in the Hong Kong New Vision Arts Festival held at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Studio Theatre in December 2012.

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Phua Ee Kia is the vocalist of the famed Teng Ensemble and some performance highlights include the 11th World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention (WCEC) Handover Ceremony (2011), with Mr Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of Singapore, as Guest-of-Honour and the 20th World Orchid Conference (2011) held at Gardens by the Bay with Dr Tony Tan, President of Singapore, as Guest-of-Honour, as well as the fifth Meeting of ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Culture and the Arts (2012), where he sang the 2006 national day parade theme song “My Island Home”. 2014 saw the Teng ensemble perform at prestigious events such as the Singapore Heartland Enterprise Star Awards, DBS Family Day ‘Asia Alive!’ at DBS Marina Regatta and ‘My Clan, My Music’, Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations and the ‘Speak Mandarin Campaign’ Launch 2014 with Mr Lee Hsien Loong as Guest-of-Honour just to name a few. In 2016, the Teng Ensemble was invited to perform at the televised Star Awards 2016 organized by Mediacorp, Singapore. 2016 also saw the Teng Ensemble performing internationally, in countries including The Philippines, Hong Kong and Malaysia.

 

Phua has served on numerous adjudicating panels for talent competitions, including the East Zone Music Competition held at Pasir Ris Crest Secondary School (2010), the Inter-hostel Singing Competition (2010, 2012) organized by Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), the Young Talents Project 2012 organised by Mediacorp Radio Symphony 92.4FM, and most recently, the Barrett Music Competition (2016) organized by Anglo-Chinese School (International).

 

Phua has given vocal masterclasses and workshops at the following institutions:

 

Acappella Society of Singapore

Anglo-Chinese Junior College

Hwa Chong Institution

Innova Junior College Choir

Nanyang Polytechnic Choir

Nanhua Secondary School Choir

Ngee Ann Polytechnic Choir

Singapore Institute of Management

The Peranakan Voices