YST Cube debuts new possibilities for music education and performance at NUS

For years, the Orchestra Hall at NUS' Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (YST) served primarily as a venue for rehearsals and masterclasses. Now, the familiar space has been given a new lease of life.

Officially opened on 22 October 2026, the YST Cube is a 254sqm flexible arts space where students and faculty can explore different ways of creating, performing and experiencing music — part of YST's broader efforts to keep up with changing approaches to music education and artistic practice.

“The YST Cube will create new and exciting possibilities for students and faculty to experiment and push the boundaries of artistic practice,” said NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye at the launch of the Cube during the opening ceremony of Performers(’) Present, YST's triennial international artistic research symposium.

“It will also be a convening space for visiting artists, educators and researchers from around the world to converge, create and showcase.”

Akin to black box performance spaces, the Cube can be reconfigured for different performance formats, including arrangements where audiences surround performers. Its integrated lighting, projection and acoustic systems also support multimedia performances and other artistic activities.

More room to create

For third-year Composition student Joel Tan, the Cube offers possibilities for exploring different ways of presenting music.

“Having the Cube would mean that the school has the capabilities to host much more ambitious projects and performances,” he said.

He is particularly interested in its lighting and projection capabilities, having had limited opportunities to explore these elements previously at YST.

Joel's interest in how audiences experience music is also reflected in a piece he is developing, which explores the individual components of sound, and how different parts of sound can come together as a whole. Using three speakers placed in separate rooms connected by a hallway, the piece allows listeners to experience the different sounds individually and how they merge, depending on how they move through the space.

For fourth-year student Chan Chen, who is pursuing Music, Collaboration and Production with a Second Major in Audio Arts & Sciences, the Cube has the potential to bridge the gap between developing artistic ideas and bringing them to life, while allowing him to further hone his technical skills.

Having previously experimented with audio-reactive visuals and soundscape installations in his first two years at YST, he is now developing an immersive multimedia concert experience that integrates live chamber music with real-time audio-reactive visuals for his final-year project.

Finding a suitable venue with the necessary technical infrastructure has been a challenge, particularly when multiple projectors are involved.

“The new YST Cube potentially addresses many of these challenges through its integrated projection capabilities and flexible performance configurations. It presents an exciting opportunity to explore ideas that might otherwise be difficult to realise within a traditional concert setting,” he shared.

Amplifying the arts

The Cube's opening coincided with the Performers(’) Present symposium, taking place from 22 to 25 October 2026. The symposium will occupy the main venue and its adjoining pre-function area, which can also function independently as a smaller event space.

Beyond music education, the Cube will broaden the range of artistic experiences available to students across different disciplines, in line with the university’s Arts for All framework.

It will also welcome arts organisations and external hirers for performances, rehearsals, creative residencies and collaborative projects, fostering artistic exchange and partnerships between YST and the local arts sector.

“The arts is a deeply fascinating and enriching discipline, and we want every student, whatever their discipline may be, to discover and learn about the arts,” said Prof Tan.

“They stretch our imagination, give us new lenses to see the world and deepen our understanding of the human experience.”