SIMPeF Committee
Dr. Kim Bo Kyung, Director
Dr. Kim Bo Kyung received her Doctoral degree in piano performance from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to that, she obtained a master’s degree in piano pedagogy and piano performance from the University of Wisconsin at Madison where she worked as a Teaching Assistant and was chosen as a member of Pi Kappa Lambda (National Music Honor Society), and a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from Eastern Michigan University. She is a recipient of the Dean’s honor, numerous scholarships, and awards such as the Jacobson’s scholarship and Music Awards.
Dr. Kim has given many solo, duo, and chamber recitals in the US, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Russia, Germany, Rumania, Turkey, Malaysia and Singapore.
She has taught piano pedagogy at several universities in South Korea, and has given presentations at conferences and articles for music journals/magazines. She has been invited as a piano faculty member at the Euro Art Music Festival in Germany, Piano Island Festival in Singapore, and the Asia International Piano Academy Festival (AIPAF) since 2011 in Korea.
She has been an adjudicator at many competitions such as Singapore International Piano Competition, Singapore Golden Lion Awards International Music Arts Festival, and Singapore Raffles International Music Festival. Previously she served as Head of the Music Department at University of Malaya. Currently she is based in Singapore, she is a piano faculty at theSchool of the Arts (SOTA) and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), and also runs a KBK Music Studio.
Dr. Nicholas Ong
Dr. Nicholas Ong is the recipient of numerous international prizes, including First Prize at the Yvonne Lefébure International Piano Competition in France and a finalist position at the Clara Haskil International Piano Competition in Switzerland. The New York Times praised him for his “firm rubber-ball touch and bounce,” while Le Figaro commended his “astonishing virtuosity.” He has performed in prestigious concert halls across the United States, Europe, and Asia — including Alice Tully Hall and Miller Theatre in New York, Salle Gaveau and Salle Cortot in Paris, Seoul Arts Center, and Tainan Cultural Centre — and at festivals such as the Castleton Festival, Focus! Festival, Chopin Festival in Paris, Festival de l’Orangerie, Jeunes Pianistes Virtuoses in Lyon, “Piano en Saintonge” in Cognac, and the Villa Medici Festival in Rome.
He has appeared as a soloist with the NAFA Orchestra, The Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Penang Symphony Orchestra. A versatile chamber musician, he has collaborated in chamber concerts with musicians from the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, participated in faculty chamber concerts at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, and undertaken concert tours with principals of major orchestras and rising young talents.
Dr. Ong earned his Doctorate in Piano Performance from the Juilliard School in New York. He previously studied at the École Normale de Musique de Paris on a French Government Scholarship, and received his Master of Music degree from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. He is currently Head of Keyboard at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), University of the Arts Singapore. He has served on the jury of the Singapore International Young Pianist Competition 2024, Steinway Youth Piano Competition, Ananda Sukarlan Award International Piano Competition, Singapore Raffles International Music Festival, and the Music Singapore International Piano and Violin Competition. He is in high demand for masterclasses and is a frequent guest faculty member at the Asia International Piano Academy & Festival (AIPAF) in South Korea.
Hayoung Lee
Samuel Pang En
Samuel Pang En 彭恩 is a pianist with humble beginnings. Fueled by his passion for the musical arts, he has persevered through numerous challenges throughout his piano studies. His formative experiences have shaped his journey as he expanded from performance studies to include piano pedagogy, music education, and research, with the aim of empowering students and teachers.
He is the first Singaporean to be admitted to the renowned piano pedagogy program at the University of Oklahoma (OU) with dual full graduate teaching assistantships. He is a PhD student in piano pedagogy and music education, and an instructor of record for aural skills, as well as a teaching assistant in music theory. He continues to teach pre-college piano through the OU Beginning Piano. In 2026, he earned a MM in piano performance and pedagogy while serving as instructor of record for secondary applied piano and group piano class. He was recently awarded the Genevieve Vliet Piano Scholarship, the Marjorie Martin Caylor Memorial Scholarship, the Music Activities Scholarships, and the Robberson Research Grant.
His work has been published in Behavioural Sciences and the MTNA e-Journal. He has presented at the 3rd UCSI Piano Pedagogy Conference, the 14th MTNA Collegiate Chapter Symposium, the 14th International Conference for Research in Music Education, the OMTA State Conference, and The Piano Conference: NCKP 2025.
In 2019, he was selected by Ursula Oppens to receive mentorship after his performance at the Nanyang International Music Competition. That year, at the Nanyang International Piano Academy Competition, he was recognized as one of the top scorers and received mentorship from You Xi. He has also performed in masterclasses by Lilya Zilberstein, Claudius Tanski, Andrzej Pikul, Melody Quah, and Louis Schwizgebel.
Samuel’s principal teachers include Jeongwon Ham, Kim Bo Kyung, Rena Phua, and Nellie Seng for piano; Sara M. Ernst and Julie Tan for piano pedagogy; and Rebecca Kan and Miranda Francis for research. He has also received coaching in piano from Hwaen Ch'uqi, Penelope Roskell, and Loo Bang Hean.
In Singapore, he earned a BEd (piano pedagogy) with first-class honours from the Royal College of Music, London, supported by the NAFA Scholarship and the Shariff-Vaidhya Arts Scholarship at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA). There, he was conferred the Best Graduate Award (BEd) and became the first-ever recipient of The NAFA President’s Award (Degree) in 2024.