old music, new words
old music, new words is an interdisciplinary performance that explores how a pianist can leverage on the written and spoken word to reframe Western classical music and create relevance, for both the artist and the audience.
This presentation is grounded in insights gained from varied encounters with art and entertainment, as well as from reflecting upon two performances from 2025: a performance of Hensel’s Ostersonate framed with fictional letters from Hensel to her brother, and Of Childhood and Correspondences, which presented readings of poetry and prose by Singaporean writer Zhang Ruihe alongside works by Bacewicz and Schumann.
Through this newly created artistic product combining music and speech, pianist Frances Lee will address the challenges and opportunities that arise out of such cross-disciplinary interactions, and raise new ones through the presentation itself.
Dr Frances Lee
Born in Singapore, pianist Frances Lee has performed internationally as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral keyboardist. Her wide-ranging interests include premiering contemporary works, performing on historical instruments, and presenting outreach projects focused on women composers across the centuries. Dr. Lee holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance from The Shepherd School of Music, Rice University, and is currently an Instructor at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore.
Photo courtesy of Shengyuan Zhou
YST Conservatory of Music