YPAW 22: Michellina Chan

You Play A What?

Back when I was studying at the Royal Northern College of Music, I was in a Euphonium Quartet (I am also wondering how is this a thing...). We were called The Brass Compass Euphonium Quartet, the name came about as the quartet is made up of members of different nationality, Australia (South), Latvia (North), UK (West), Singapore (East). The quartet started out because of a compulsory chamber music module for all second year, but things escalated quickly. Fast forward a couple of months, we were 1st Place in the Chamber Music Category at the International Tuba Euphonium Conference held in Tennessee, USA. That year, we won everything we took part in except for the overall chamber music price at the RNCM, where we came in with an honourable mention behind a piano trio (of course). The group is now inactive, in fact it has been inactive since my final year of study if not for my chamber music assessment, we would have folded even earlier.

So you might ask what made it all fall apart if the group was successful? The answer is simple, different priority, different commitment level. Since then, I had seen the sustainability of a chamber group differently. The most important thing, all members of the group need to strive towards the same goal and to want to achieve the same outcome. And if you happen to all get along with each other, that would make life a little more enjoyable.

Since returning back to Singapore, I am fortunate to be in a quartet with some colleagues and friends that I hold in high regard. Out of the 3 of them, I had knew Michellina for the shortest amount of time, but what is evident is her is the positivity and dedication to her craft that is a source of inspiration!

Find out more about Michellina with the links below:
Website click here
YouTube click here

Thank you so much for tuning in to this episode of the podcast! You can get in touch with me through https://www.youplayawhat.com . Subscribe and share this podcast with your friends if you enjoyed the episode. Feel free to leave a rating and review on which ever platform you choose to listen to your podcast!