Jane’s Salon Evenings at Home

New Dates to be confirmed :

Guest:    Marilyn Tan
Theme:  Jewellery Designer (ladies only)

Marilyn Tan is a Singaporean born jewellery designer whose jewellery making began as a personal love that grew into an unique and compelling passion. Her design interests are vast and ref!ect everything from modern art to her many world travels. Marilyn’s talent for fusing antique aesthetics with modern fashion results in timeless wearable works of art, thus her pieces have been worn by everyone from budding fashionistas to celebrities like Nadya Hutagalung, Linda Black, Liz Lazan, Tolula Adeyemi, and Oli Pettigrew.

Since incorporating her company nearly 20 years ago, Marilyn’s designs have received high profile press attention both in Singapore and internationally with features in publications like the International New York Times and Vogue Italia. As a result of her success and bold outlook, Marilyn was invited to be on the panel of external examiners for the jewellery department of Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore.

Marilyn Tan Jewellery evokes a will to touch. To try, and to wear. Inspired by nature, architecture and her own environment, she constantly creates collections that are exquisite with a quirky edge. Featuring stunning necklaces, rings and bangles made of beaten silver, hammered gold and studded with raw precious stones, Marilyn’s bold pieces are perfect for the strong, confident and independent modern woman looking to stand out from the crowd.

Guest:    Tsung Yeh
Theme:  Music Director, Singapore Chinese Orchestra

Maestro Tsung Yeh began his tenure at the Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) as Music Director in 2002. Under his leadership, SCO expanded its repertoire with ground-breaking works such as Marco Polo and Princess Blue — A Symphonic Epic (2002), and Admiral of the Seven Seas (2005) and Awaking (2008). In 2013, Tsung Yeh was awarded the Cultural Medallion; the highest accolade in the arts. He is also currently serving as advisor to the Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra.

With relentless vigour, Tsung Yeh pioneered and developed SCO’s signature Nanyang music style, infusing Southeast Asian elements and heritage into symphonic works. Tsung Yeh put on a grand display of Nanyang music during the National Day Parade 2007, where he conducted an awe-inspiring performance comprised of musicians from SCO, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Armed Forces Central Band, Malay, Indian and Nanyin ensembles. The Singapore International Competition for Chinese Orchestral Composition (SICCOC) was initiated by Tsung Yeh, and subsequently supported by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, to act as a platform to educate and establish repertoire of Nanyang and Singapore-inspired music. 

Flying the Singapore flag high, Tsung Yeh has led SCO on numerous international concert tours to great acclaim. In March 2005, he led the orchestra on its first tour to Europe at Barbican Centre in London, The Sage Gateshead and the Budapest Spring Festival. History was made when Tsung Yeh led SCO to be the first Chinese orchestra to perform in the Edinburgh Festival. Since then, SCO’s international performances have proliferated under Tsung Yeh’s guidance, touring China, England, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, and South Korea. In 2019, Tsung Yeh led SCO on a wildly successful concert tour in Europe, showcasing Nanyang music to Berlin, Prague, Forli and Ioannina to standing ovations at every leg of the tour.

As a highly sought-after conductor and music director, maestro Tsung Yeh has worked with a myriad of prestigious orchestras. He served as the Music Director of the South Bend Symphony Orchestra (SBSO) in the United States from 1988 to 2016, and was honoured with the ASCAP Award in 1995. Upon his retirement from SBSO, Tsung Yeh was presented the “Sagamore of the Wabash Award” from the Indiana State – the highest honour given by Indiana governor Mike Pence. The mayor of South Bend City, Pete Buttigieg, also declared 7 May 2016 as “Tsung Yeh Day”. Maestro Tsung Yeh is currently designated as Conductor Laureate by the South Bend Symphony Orchestra Association. 

He has also collaborated with reputable international orchestras including San Francisco, Tucson and New Haven Symphonies, Calgary and Rochester Philharmonic, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and various orchestras from China, Europe, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Russia and Czech Republic. As part of the Conductors’ Mentor Programme sponsored by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Tsung Yeh worked with Music Director Daniel Barenboim and Principal Guest Conductor Pierre Boulez. Tsung Yeh was also the former Music Director of the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, and the Exxon/Arts Endowment Conductor of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. He served as Resident Conductor of Florida Orchestra and was the Principal Guest Conductor of Albany Symphony Orchestra of New York. Over the years, Tsung Yeh has made various recordings under the HUGO, Delos and Naxos labels. At the Shanghai Grand Theatre, Tsung Yeh conducted the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra at the 2020 New Year’s concert; organized and broadcasted by Tencent to over 1.2 million audiences. 

Back at his alma mater, Tsung Yeh is a guest professor at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. He has taught conducting workshops hosted by the Conductors Guild, The League of American Orchestras and the Music Hochschule of Zurich and is also active in conducting masterclasses in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. In recent years, he was appointed the Principal Guest Conductor of the China Central Chinese Orchestra, Artistic Committee Member of the Jiangsu Centre for the Performing Arts and Senior Researcher of the He Luting Chinese Music Research Institute of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and a member of the Faculty of the International Conducting Institute (ICI) in Czech Republic. In 2016, he was selected as one of ten outstanding conductors by the China Nationalities Orchestra Society. In the same year, Tsung Yeh was also appointed as the Expert of China Thousand Talents Programme.  

Guest:    Esmé Parish, owner of EP Antique Silver
Theme:  Silver Specialist

The FAQs she receives include: “Is a piece real silver? Is it antique? What it is worth?”

An ex banker (Chemical Bank and Bankers Trust) who spent 10 years working in ship finance, she started Esmé Parish Silver in 1983 in Singapore – turning a hobby into a business.

Her business now operates in Singapore and Hong Kong both via private sales and exhibitions. And the events of 2020 have turned it digital– a new challenge!

On a more personal note moving around the world – living in Yemen for 3 years was a particularly amazing experience – while running a small business has been quite a challenge but one she has relished.

For more info please visit Esme’s website: www.esmeparishsilver.com which gives a good overview of her wide range of silver.

Guest:    Glenn van Zutphen
Theme:  Radio & Media 

Glenn van Zutphen is an international journalist and the Founder of VanMedia Group Pte Ltd, a global media consultancy. He is passionate about coaching high-performing business leaders and the next generation of diverse executives to be confident, credible and clear communicators with the media, in conferences, and during client and internal meetings.

Glenn also hosts the Weekend Mornings radio show on Singapore’s MoneyFM 89.3 where he interviews local and international newsmakers.

In over 25 years as a professional journalist, Glenn has worked in TV, print, radio, and online news for CNBC Asia, CNN International, USAToday, NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corp.), and others. He’s an active member of AmCham Singapore and the Asia Professional Speakers Singapore; Glenn is a Board member of The East-West Center and the Asian American Journalist Association as well as the Past-President of the American Association of Singapore and Singapore’s Foreign Correspondents Association. 

He co-authored the marketing book “Happy Customers Everywhere” and “The American Journey in Singapore”, and chapters in four editions of “Living in Singapore Reference Guide.”

Glenn, his wife Kat Hawthorne van Zutphen, and their two children are Singapore Permanent Residents.

Guest:    Margriet Vonno
Theme:  Margriet is the Dutch Ambassador to Singapore

In August 2017 Margriet was appointed Ambassador to Singapore and Brunei on behalf of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (a country close to Jane’s heart as her youngest is studying in Amsterdam!). 

Margriet has three key topics that she aims to promote in Singapore during her time as Ambassador: innovation, sustainability – and cycling! With the help of the entire Netherlands Embassy, she hopes to bring together the Singaporean and Dutch communities active in these fields.

She is also a passionate advocate for, and supporter of, women led businesses so her genesis as a special Salon guest came from her kind offer to support Jane. 

Margriet studied International Relations at Utrecht University, and holds an MBA from the Rotterdam School of Management. In 1990 she started her career at the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and has held various positions in New York, Washington DC, Brussels and The Hague. Before becoming Ambassador to Singapore, she was Director at the Strategy and Policy Advice Department at the Netherlands Ministry for Infrastructure and the Environment from 2014-2017 and Deputy Director of the Europe Department at the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2011-2014.

Margriet was also a member of the advisory board of Velocity, the international cycling conference that was held in the Netherlands in June 2017. In addition she is a board member of the Dutch Association of Public Management. 

She is married to Martin Vonno and they have one daughter, Leda.

Guest:    Ben Slater
Theme:  Film evening

Come and learn more about one of the most interesting – even notorious – movies ever made in Singapore, masterminded by the famous Hollywood director, Peter Bogdanovich. Based on Paul Theroux’s book of the same name, it was immediately banned on its release in 1979 and has now become a cult classic. 

Ben Slater, who’s a Senior Lecturer at the School of Art, Design & Media in NTU, and who wrote a book, “Kinda Hot” (which is also great fun!), about the making of the film, will introduce us to this amazing insight into the Singapore of the late 1970s.

Ben has lived in Singapore for nearly two decades and in that time has written screenplays, script edited other people’s films, published a lot of writing on film (among other things), created theatre, audio art projects, and given a lot of talks and workshops.

Please note the price of this evening is $100pp which is for the cheese, finger foods and wine (as well as popcorn!) we will serve as opposed to a full dinner.”

Guest:   Tatyana Kildisheva
Theme: Photography

Born in Kamchatka, Russia, Tatyana has lived abroad for over 18 years. She came to South East Asia by way of New York and London and has called Singapore home for eight years.

Inspired by Peranakan culture and the shophouses of Singapore, Tatyana has made this the theme of her art. She painstakingly searches the island for the most beautiful Peranakan architecture. Areas such as Joo Chiat, Duxton Hill, Blair Road and Chinatown are often featured in her work and she is always discovering new heritage places to photograph.

Years of research and photography resulted in publishing two books in Singapore Shophouse Walks series: released in 2018, 1st book covered areas of Joo Chiat, Katong & Geylang. Second book, published in 2019, showcased the beauty of shophouses in Chinatown, Blair Plain, Duxton Hill & Tanjong Pagar. Both photography books have become popular among expats and locals for their stunning photography and details on history and architecture of Singapore shophouses.

As an advocate of supporting local Singaporean companies, Tatyana ensures all of her art and books printing and artwork framing is done by small local business.

Guest:    John Gordon, founder of Expat Choice
Theme:  Entrepreneur

Prior to coming to Singapore, John chalked up 35 years working professionally across a number of sectors including education as a lecturer in Music Theory and Composition at Sydney University in the 1990s, and advertising as a National Key Account Manager with Yellow Pages Australia in the early 2000s.

Once here, he established himself as a community builder, digital entrepreneur, publisher and writer as managing editor of Singapore’s first and oldest expatriate print magazine,The Finder. He then went on to become Director Marketing and Communications for leading insurance broker, Expat Insurance and is now the owner and co-founder of Expat Choice, a digital community of contributors reporting on local experiences on a global basis.

John’s personal reputation has grown extensively and he is sought after by individuals, brands, and organisations to act as an influencer and advisor on product launches, goods, services and businesses reaching out to expatriate communities globally.

Guest:    Sharanjit Leyl
Theme:  BBC presenter 

Sharanjit is a Singaporean producer and presenter for BBC World News. She regularly anchors Asia Business Report and Newsday from the BBC’s Singapore studio, and is also a reporter and producer on these shows along with World Business Report.

She has filed reports for radio on the BBC World Service business and arts programmes and written features for BBC news online. She has also produced and presented documentaries on Singapore, eg “Singapore at 50” and “Secrets of Singapore” (in which Jane appeared!)

Sharanjit began her broadcasting career at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 1997 but returned to Singapore in 1998 to file reports on the Asian financial crisis for CBC.

She was approached by Bloomberg Television in 2000 and moved to its headquarters in Tokyo, and also anchored a weekly lifestyle and culture segment from Asia.

Sharanjit joined BBC World News in September 2003 and has since reported and presented from places as far afield as Pakistan, Tokyo and London. Noteworthy interviews, many of which she also arranged and produced, include Canada’s Justin Trudeau, New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern, Malaysia’s Mahathir Mohamed and Anwar Ibrahim, and Philippine President Benigno Aquino. She’s also interviewed the current and former Prime Ministers of Australia, Thailand, Pakistan, Singapore, the Presidents of East Timor, the World Bank and the IMF, and chief executives and chairpersons from various Fortune 500 companies ranging from Microsoft to Walmart.

Sharanjit is now such a familiar face of business for viewers in Asia that she is regularly invited to moderate high level debates for the United Nations, the World Bank, the IMF, the ADB and other NGOs. She was highly commended as best presenter at the Asian TV Awards in 2017 and has been nominated several times. An episode of Newsday she co-presented went on to win Best News Programme in 2017.

Guest:    Ben Slater
Theme:  Film evening

Come and learn more about one of the most interesting – even notorious – movies ever made in Singapore, masterminded by the famous Hollywood director, Peter Bogdanovich. Based on Paul Theroux’s book of the same name, it was immediately banned on its release in 1979 and has now become a cult classic.

Ben Slater, who’s a Senior Lecturer at the School of Art, Design & Media in NTU, and who wrote a book, “Kinda Hot” (which is also great fun!), about the making of the film, will introduce us to this amazing insight into the Singapore of the late 1970s.

Ben has lived in Singapore for nearly two decades and in that time has written screenplays, script edited other people’s films, published a lot of writing on film (among other things), created theatre, audio art projects, and given a lot of talks and workshops.

Please note the price of this evening is $100pp which is for the cheese, finger foods and wine (as well as popcorn!) we will serve as opposed to a full dinner.”

 

Fully booked

 

Guest:    Doug Lockett, Owner of China Collection
Theme:  Chinese Antiques

Guest:    Ivan Heng
Theme:  Founding Artistic Director, Wild Rice

Guest:    Russel Wong
Theme:  Photography

Guest:    Dani van den Velde  
Theme:  Clairvoyant