SINGAPORE – Six youths were awarded the Mapletree-TENG Scholarship after an intensive round of auditions, including two previous scholars, Preston Ang and Ee Anzhi, who received the scholarship once again. This marks an increase in scholarships awarded from four to six from the previous year. The total scholarship funding now totals $66,000. It will support each scholar for a period of two years, providing recipients from less-privileged backgrounds the financial support and resources to pursue their passion and excellence in Chinese music.

The Mapletree-TENG Scholarship was established in 2018 and is a partnership between Mapletree Investments (“Mapletree” or “the Group”) and The TENG Company (“TENG”). The programme provides financial support for young talents who are passionate about Chinese music to expand their music education. 

Through mentorships, theory lessons, individual training lessons, and performance opportunities provided for during the programme, scholars can improve their proficiency in their choice of instrument and enhance their understanding of music. In turn, the scholars get to give back to society with their musical skills in community outreach programmes.

“We embarked on the Mapletree-TENG scholarship to nurture young musicians in Chinese instrumental music six years ago, as part of Mapletree’s corporate social responsibility programme. This renewal will enable more past recipients to continue pursuing their passion, while expanding opportunities to new recipients. We are excited to see our scholars reach new heights in their musical journey in the years to come,” said Edmund Cheng, Chairman of Mapletree. 

The collaboration between Mapletree and TENG has proven invaluable. 2022 scholarship recipient Preston Ang and 2023 scholarship recipient Li Zhixin had the opportunity to perform in front of a live audience most recently at Once Upon a Time 2024, which was presented by Mapletree and held at the VivoCity Amphitheatre in February 2024. Past scholars, including Ryan Lim Ming Zhen and Ang De Jin, have also achieved awards in their respective categories at the Singapore Chinese Music Competition (SCMC) in 2022 during their scholarship tenure.  
“Since its inception in 2018, the Mapletree-TENG scholarship has supported 22 scholars in their musical aspirations and endeavours, positively impacting their lives and helping them fulfil their aspirations as young performers. We are delighted that we have awarded six scholarship recipients this year, of which two of them are returning scholars and look forward to new milestones by each and every one of them and their exciting musical journey to come in the next two years,” said Yang Ji Wei, Executive Director of TENG. 

Mapletree-TENG 2024 Scholar and Dizi musician Yang Lin Xuan said, “I am grateful to be awarded the Mapletree-TENG Scholarship and hope to use this opportunity to improve my musicality and Dizi playing proficiency. I am excited to see how far I can go in these two years!”

More information about the Mapletree-TENG Scholarship is available at: https://www.thetengcompany.com/academy/scholarship