Jason Lai is Principal Conductor at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory in Singapore, and former Associate Conductor of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and Hong Kong Sinfonietta, where he was also HKS Artist Associate from 2009 to 2011. He has been a prominent figure in Singapore’s musical life since his arrival in 2010, while also actively giving international masterclasses in Europe and China. He has appeared as guest conductor with the New Japan Philharmonic, Osaka Symphony Orchestra, Podlaskie Opera and Philharmonic, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Macao Orchestra and Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra.
Intent on broadening the appeal of classical music to audiences who would not normally think of going into a concert hall, Lai is also building a unique reputation as a communicator with mass appeal through his television appearances in both the UK and Asia. He has frequently appeared on BBC television as a judge in both the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition and the classical talent show Classical Star. He reached his widest audience when, as a conducting mentor in the series Maestro, his celebrity student – the popular comedienne Sue Perkins – won with a nail-biting final in front of the BBC Concert Orchestra and a live studio audience. Other BBC television appearances included How a Choir Works and The Culture Show. He also starred in Clash for the children’s television channel, CBBC.
Lai has continued with his television work since settling in Singapore. He was presenter and conductor for Project Symphony, an eight-part series for OKTO where he was filmed setting up a community orchestra. He has been heavily involved in filming for a BBC series Heart of Asia which explores the contemporary arts and culture scene in Thailand, Indonesia, Korea and the Philippines, and a further series for BBC World called Tales from Modern China. His most recent work is for Channel News Asia and includes Sing to Remember, a documentary on dementia and singing in choirs, and Nudge, a five-part series on how we can be persuaded to change our daily habits.
Lai’s roots lie in Hong Kong but he was born in the UK and was a pupil at the prestigious specialist music school in Manchester, Chetham’s, where he studied cello. At Oxford University he studied both cello and composition, and he went on to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London where he was awarded a Fellowship in Conducting.
Despite having toured as a cellist with the Allegri String Quartet and having been a finalist in the BBC Young Composers Award, Lai gravitated increasingly towards conducting after he won the BBC Young Conductors Workshop in 2002. This led to his appointment as Assistant Conductor to the BBC Philharmonic with whom he made his BBC Proms début in 2003.
Education is an important part of Lai’s work in Singapore. At the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory, he trains the next generation of conductors, many of whom have had many successes both at home and abroad, and with the SSO he spearheaded the education and outreach programme, helping the orchestra reach new audiences notably through his Discovering Music and children’s concert series.
