Biodata | Ang Mei Foong

Training & artistic background

Malaysian soprano Ang Mei Foong has built a career spanning opera, art song, orchestral concerts, contemporary music and academic research. She trained at National Taiwan Normal University with Prof. Ren Rong, the Conservatorio di Musica Santa Cecilia in Rome with Rebecca Berg, and the University of Melbourne with Merlyn Quaife. She holds a PhD from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), where she is an Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Music.

Awards & recognition

Her early achievements include first prize in the National Taiwan Normal University Vocal Concerto Competition and second prize in the Taiwan Rotary Club Artists’ Awards in 2002, followed by eighth prize and a Young Artist Award at the Mondial Chinese Vocalists Concours in 2003. She received Melbourne International Fee Remission and Melbourne International Research Scholarships during her studies in Australia.

Mei Foong received a Global Music Awards Silver Medal for Outstanding Achievement in 2014. In 2018, the Italian government conferred upon her the title of Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy in recognition of her contribution to vocal arts. Further honours include gold medals at the Berliner International Music Competition in 2018 and 2019, Best Solo Performance (Vocal) at the 16th BOH Cameronian Arts Awards in 2019, and Malaysia’s National Academic Award in the arts category that same year.

Opera & the stage

She made her Malaysian operatic debut in 2013 in the title role of Bizet’s Carmen with EST Opera, now Kuala Lumpur City Opera (KLCO). She subsequently sang the Mother in Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors with KLCO in 2014, and Carmen and Mercedes in performances of Bizet’s Carmen with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra in 2015.

Her repertoire also includes Mimì in Puccini’s La bohème with KLCO in 2016, the First Lady in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra in 2017, Contessa Almaviva in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro with KLCO in 2017, and Violetta Valéry in Verdi’s La traviata with KLCO in 2019. In 2024, she returned to the role of Mimì in KLCO’s Opera Si! La Bohemia, a restaging incorporating Malaysian elements.

Recitals & orchestral collaborations

Mei Foong has presented solo recitals in Kuala Lumpur, Taiwan, Macau, Rome and Melbourne. Her recital repertoire encompasses Schumann’s Frauenliebe und Leben, Fauré’s La bonne chanson, Richard Strauss’s Vier letzte Lieder, Alban Berg’s Sieben frühe Lieder, Canteloube’s Chants d’Auvergne and art songs by Aldo Finzi. She has also appeared as soprano soloist in Handel’s Ode for St Cecilia’s Day and Messiah, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.

Her collaborations include the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, Kamerata String Ensemble and Virama Ensemble. Among the conductors with whom she has worked are Lee Kok Leong, David Chin, Juan Montoya, Kevin Field, Ciarán McAuley, Fabio Mechetti, Sergio La Stella, Guillaume Tourniaire and Naohisa Furusawa.

Art song & contemporary music

As founder and artistic director of The Song Weavers, Mei Foong champions the performance and programming of art song. Her commitment to contemporary music has led to close collaborations with Malaysian composers and world premières of their vocal works, including projects with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and the Society of Malaysian Contemporary Composers. Composers have also written and dedicated vocal works specifically to her.

Her album Multicolour Voices celebrates Malaysian art songs. Her Chinese-language book Listen to Music Speak (《听音乐在说话》) brings together nearly 100 essays informed by her experience as a performer and educator.

Research & education

Alongside her performing career, Mei Foong researches voice rehabilitation, including the effects of singing on people with Parkinson’s disease. Her work brings together vocal performance, teaching and community engagement. A former columnist for Sin Chew Daily, she has also shared her perspectives on music, listening and vocal artistry with a wider readership.

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