Cheng Chung Hsien is a veteran performer and conductor in the local music circle. He was the concert master of Singapore Youth Chinese Orchestra as well as the conductor of Kampong Chai Chee Community Centre Chinese Orchestra and Cheng San Community Club Chinese Orchestra. In 1987, Cheng Chung Hsien participated in the National Music Competition and was awarded champion for Erhu in the Open category. In 2001, he received the “Most Outstanding Instructor of the Arts” award from Temasek Polytechnic; in 2004, Cheng Chung Hsien won the “Singapore Youth Award (Arts and Culture/ Team- The Huqin Quartet)”, the highest youth accolade in Singapore. In 2009, Cheng Chung Hsien was awarded the Licentiate Diploma of the London College of Music (LLCM) in Conducting and was appointed as Assessor for the London College of Music Performance Awards in Chinese Music, both by Thames Valley University, London.
Cheng Chung Hsien started his musical learning in primary school, when he learnt the erhu from Lim Ah Leck. In 1989, under the sponsorship of Singapore Cultural Foundation, he was under the tutelage of Xiang Zu Yin and Min Hui Fen of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. In addition, he learnt the intricate techniques of Erhu under Wang Guo Tong and conducting from Qu Chun Quan while they were in Singapore.
In 1998, Cheng Chung Hsien and three other music aficionados formed the “Huqin Quartet” to promote Chinese chamber music. Cheng Chung Hsien, with the foursome, participated in performances around the world to critical acclaim. In recognition for the quartet’s pioneering work and musical excellence, the quartet was awarded the Singapore Youth Awards(Team) in 2004.
Cheng Chung Hsien, together with the Huqin Quartet, Singapore Youth Chinese Orchestra and Singapore Chinese Orchestra, has performed in various countries including Malaysia, Britain, New Zealand, Australia, Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Hawaii, USA Disneyland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Canada, Brunei and Mexico, and has won accolades from the audience in every performance
Cheng Chung Hsien is also an Erhu player in Singapore Chinese Orchestra, while fulfilling his role as an instructor and conductor for several secondary schools and tertiary institutions.