Renewal of Agreement between the National University of Singapore and the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University

The National University of Singapore (NUS) has signed an agreement with the Johns Hopkins University to renew the collaboration between the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (YSTCM) and the Peabody Institute.

The signing ceremonies took place on 5 and 27 November 2007 first in Singapore and then in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. The ceremony in Singapore held at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore, was witnessed by Minister for Education and Minister for Finance Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, former Chief Justice Mr Yong Pung How and Chairman of YSTCM Governing Board Mr Goh Yew Lin. For the ceremony on 27 November 2007 at the Peabody Institute, NUS Senior Deputy President Professor Tan Chorh Chuan and Dr William R. Brody, President of the Johns Hopkins University, were the signatories to the agreement.

The renewal of the agreement follows the first agreement signed in 2001 between NUS, Johns Hopkins University and the Peabody Institute which provided a comprehensive framework for the setting up of a conservatory in Singapore. Officially opened in 2003, YSTCM has established itself as Asia’s International Conservatory. The Conservatory’s achievements in the past five years include:

1.	A distinguished faculty of 24 full-time and 24 part-time professors comprising artists from 10 countries.
2.	Top prize winning students at international music competitions in Italy, France, Poland, New Zealand, China, Turkey, Malaysia, Thailand, the United States and Singapore.
3.	The opening in October 2006 of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory Building with its state-of-the-art facilities.
4.	Regular student and faculty exchanges with the Peabody Institute.
5.	Its first graduating class of 2007, half of whom secured scholarships to top graduate schools in Asia, Europe and North America.
6.	Students and alumni who have taken on leadership positions in professional and youth orchestras in Singapore, China, Japan, Hong Kong, the United States and Australia.

Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Education and Second Minister for Finance, said he was impressed with the progress made by the Conservatory. “Things have moved up in a relatively short space of time. This happy state of affairs owes itself to a few things. We chose the right partners for the Conservatory in John Hopkins’ Peabody Institute. We were backed at every level including the top leadership at Johns Hopkins. NUS was totally committed. The government played its part. And we received tremendous support from the community, in particular through the very generous endowment from the Yong family, which the government was happy to match. Together, these things started this Conservatory off on very sound footing, and gave it the confidence to chart a path to success.”

Chairman of the YSTCM Governing Board Mr Goh Yew Lin said, “Six years on, the foundations firmly established, we are now ready to grow further. The renewal of the agreement allows us to build on the strong foundation established in the past five years and to expand the scope of collaborative activities between our two conservatories.”

The new agreement aims for greater collaboration between the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory and the Peabody Institute in the following areas:

1.	Working together to support curriculum development with potential new programmes and joint degrees, shared symposium presentations and co-publications.
2.	Taking music performance and training forward through exploring new technologies together.
3.	Sharing performance opportunities, including joint performances.
4.	Promoting strong mutual awareness through ongoing programmes of student and faculty exchanges.
5.	Developing three-way collaborations with other international institutions.
6.	Participating together in international music festivals and projects to enhance Singapore’s cultural life.

Mr Jeffrey Sharkey, Director of the Peabody Institute said, “Working together we’re going to enrich one another’s programmes. This new partnership will be different from the old one which was helping to start up a unique venture. Now it’s like a child that has grown to young adulthood and we’re going to be learning from one another. While we may share the same DNA, our location, our history, our size and relative composition have some unique differences that we can each learn from. I feel that my work at Peabody is only enhanced by having such a wonderful partner as we seek to create the most profound musicians of tomorrow.”

NUS Senior Deputy President Professor Tan Chorh Chuan commented, “The renewal of the agreement between NUS and Peabody Institute is an important milestone in this unique and exciting partnership and journey. NUS has high aspirations for the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory and for this partnership and we are strongly committed to make the Conservatory an even greater success.”