Hearing the Unspoken: Euphemism, Musical Expression and Risk Communication
Euphemisms can appear to obscure meaning, yet for topics shaped by stigma, shame, social norms, identity or censorship, indirect expression can create space for communication. It may provide emotional distance, preserve dignity, test trust and enable people to articulate experiences that might otherwise remain unspoken.
This presentation examines indirect expression in risk communication, drawing on research into how people perceive and respond to difficult and uncertain risks, alongside the original composition 3uph3n1sm for guzheng and erhu. Rather than viewing risk communication simply as the transmission of objective information from experts to the public, the presentation considers communication as a relational process that requires both expression and attentive listening.
Through dialogue between research and musical practice, the presenters explore how ambiguity and indirectness can function not as barriers to understanding, but as meaningful communicative strategies. Music provides a space to embody these dynamics, demonstrating how artistic practice can create alternative modes of negotiating uncertainty, vulnerability and mutual understanding.
Chan Xin Tong
Chan Xin Tong is a musician specialising in cross-genre and intercultural collaboration. An alumna of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, she also studied at the Sibelius Academy’s Global Music Programme, collaborating with musicians from around the world. She performs with Singaporean ensembles including Artusik, Brahmastra Multi-Ethnic Ensemble, Swarhythm and The Straits Collective. Her compositional work includes commissions and projects with The Straits Ensemble and the School of the Arts Singapore.
YST Conservatory of Music
Dr Olivia Jensen
Dr Olivia Jensen is Deputy Director and Lead Scientist at the LRF Institute for the Public Understanding of Risk, National University of Singapore. An economist and public policy scholar, her research focuses on climate, water and environmental risks, with particular interests in risk perception, protective behaviour and risk communication. She leads interdisciplinary research with scholars across engineering, environmental science and urban planning, and collaborates with government agencies, multilateral organisations and civil society.
National University of Singapore
Ryan Lim
Ryan Lim is an undergraduate at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore, pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Music, Collaboration and Production. He began piano at six before taking up the erhu under renowned educator Zhang Yu Ming.
An active performer in Singapore’s Chinese music scene, Ryan served as Concertmaster of the Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra. Since joining The TENG Ensemble in 2021, he has performed extensively and received the Mapletree–TENG Academy Scholarship in 2019 and 2021. As an arranger and collaborator, he creates works combining Chinese and Western instruments and explores interdisciplinary artistic collaborations.
YST Conservatory of Music