Kenneth Tay (b. 1992) is a Singaporean composer, conductor, and choral practitioner currently undertaking a PhD in Music Composition at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, in partnership with the University of St Andrews. His research focuses on the intersection of Western sacred music and Asian spirituality, exploring how these diverse traditions can converge within contemporary compositions to create meaningful and culturally rich musical experiences. He is supervised by Oliver Searle, Stuart MacRae and Zechariah Goh, and recipient of studentships by the RCS Trust and Tan Kah Kee Foundation.

Kenneth’s music has garnered acclaim from reviewers, described as: “exciting and refreshing” (Alan Cooper), “original and harmonically engaging” (The Flying Inkpot), and “luminous” (The Straits Times). His music has been performed internationally by prominent ensembles including the Victoria Chorale, SYC Ensemble Singers, One Chamber Choir, Raffles Singers, EVOKX, Singapore Symphony Choruses, Voices of Singapore, Singapore Choral Artists, Choir of King’s College Aberdeen, Arcadian Singers and Vokalensemble Crescendo. His compositions have also received international recognition, and featured on BBC Radio 3 by the Echo Vocal Ensemble, the Southeast Asian repertoire reading session at the 2023 World Symposium on Choral Music in Istanbul, and on a CD of Scottish Sacred Music recorded by the University of Glasgow Chapel Choir with Convivium Records. Acclaimed organists Kevin Bowyer, Michael Chamberlain, Jonathan Smith, and Jeremy Wan have performed his compositions in various venues, including St Patrick’s Anderston, Guildford Cathedral, and the Laidlaw Music Centre.

He completed his BSocSci with Distinction in political science at the National University of Singapore, where he studied harmony and counterpoint with Nirmali Fenn. Kenneth later earned his MMus with Distinction from the University of Aberdeen, with a concentration in composition and choral music under the tutelage of Phillip Cooke and Paul Mealor, with the support of the Carlaw-Ogston MMus Scholarship. In addition to his compositional work, Kenneth is committed to music education and has developed and led several courses at the Yale-NUS College, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and the Singapore Bible College’s School of Church Music, covering a range of subjects including musicianship, contemporary composition, counterpoint, harmony, music history, and introductory conducting.

As a chorister, Kenneth has performed and toured extensively with numerous award-winning ensembles: the Victoria Junior College Choir, National University of Singapore Choir, Victoria Chorale, Voices of Singapore, Anglican Chamber Ensemble, Choir of King’s College Aberdeen, Chroma, Symphonia Choralis, Renaissance Singers, and deputises in many others. He has been featured as bass-baritone soloist in many choral competitions, winning gold medals with his choirs in the Festa Musicale (Czech Republic), Venezia in Musica (Italy), and World Choir Games (Latvia).

Kenneth is the founder and artistic director of the vocal ensemble Basement Bunch, with a focus on the a cappella choral repertory across a wide variety of Western and Asian languages. He is a published composer and freelance editor for Muziksea; member of the Composers Society of Singapore, Choral Directors’ Association Singapore, International Federation for Choral Music, and Asian Choral Association. He is presently based in Glasgow for his studies, where he is Cantoris Bass in the University of Glasgow Chapel Choir, conductor of the University of Glasgow Medics Music Society, and research department student representative at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

• Contemporary Choral Composition
• Sacred Music
• Conducting
• Collective Flow Experiences in Ensemble Musicians
• Music in Social Movements and Collective Action

Recent commissions and performances:

• Victoria Chorale (Nelson Kwei) – 偶雨 (2022), Flowers of the Forest (2017)
• The NUS Choir (Nelson Kwei) – Ave Regina Caelorum (2022)
• EVOKX (Terrence Toh) – Cherryblossom Elegy (2022), Isle of Mist (2019)
• Voices of Singapore (Darius Lim) – My Spirit Sang All Day (2022)
• One Chamber Choir (Lim Ai Hooi) – To See a World (2022)
• Anglican Chamber Ensemble (Margaret Chen) – Bright Stars (2021), Rorate Coeli (2018)
• Renaissance Singers (Toh Ban Sheng) – Love Came Down at Christmas (2021)
• Basement Bunch – The Angels Came From Heaven High (2021)
• SYC Ensemble Singers (Jennifer Tham) – Uwu (2019)
• Choir of King’s College, Aberdeen (John Frederick Hudson) – Jubilate Deo (2018)
• University of Aberdeen Chamber Choir (Paul Mealor) – Flame (2018)

Teaching and Choral Conducting:

• Adjunct Lecturer in Composition, Singapore Bible College (2021-present)
• Artistic Director, Basement Bunch (2020-present)
• Assistant Conductor, Victoria Chorale (2017-22)
• Visiting Lecturer, Yale-NUS College (2018-19)

Research Projects:

• Awarded grant by National Arts Council for Composing Monumentality, focusing on a cantata by pioneer Singapore composer Phoon Yew Tien (2021-22)
• Researcher to Ministry of Education to support policy review of Singapore Youth Festival Music Performances (2020)
• Research Assistant to Assoc. Prof Leonard Tan, studying collective flow in music contexts (2018-19)

Publications, Conferences and Presentations:

• Tay, Kenneth, Leonard Tan, and Wilson Goh. "A PRISMA review of collective flow experiences in music contexts." Psychology of Music 49, no. 3 (2021): 667-683.
• Kepaduan Suara Podcast Episode 3: What does Singaporean Choral Music sound like?
• Methodist School of Music Worship Symposium, 2021
• Choral Directors’ Association (Singapore) E-teaching Strategies Conference, 2020

Professional Affiliations:

• Asian Choral Association
• Choral Directors' Association (Singapore)
• Composers' Society of Singapore