Interview with Jonathan Ong, Verona Quartet violinist, for Singapore Chamber Music Festival | The Flying Inkpot
By Aileen Tang | 18 January 2024
Jointly organised by re:Sound Collective and Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, the Singapore Chamber Music Festival (SCMF) boasts a line-up of workshops and concerts from top chamber musicians, as well as the Chamber Music Academy for amateur chamber groups.
Aileen Tang has a chat with Singaporean violinist Jonathan Ong, one of the founding members, and first violinist of the internationally acclaimed Verona Quartet (formed 2013), about the art of communication.
The Flying Inkpot: The Verona Quartet champions contemporary music as well as interdisciplinary and collaborative projects. Can you tell us a little about that vision and why it is so essential in the 21st century?
Jonathan Ong: To quote an old saying: “all old music was once new music!” We love performing our bread and butter, the traditional canon of Haydn, Beethoven, Mendelssohn and many more. However, we also believe it is every musician’s privilege and responsibility to work with the composers of today, to commission and discover contemporary works that will hopefully be performed and loved by many generations to come…
“Playing chamber music is very much about learning the art of communication, and the best communicators are also the best listeners and observers. This is true both in the practice of playing chamber music and also in the rehearsal space where you are constantly giving each other comments and criticism.” - Jonathan Ong
