[Yvonne Wang | PR Maven] Born in Hong Kong and raised across four continents, Yvonne’s appreciation for the arts was nurtured from a young age. As the editor of The Muse, she also writes about visual arts, theatre and design. Yvonne is an experienced corporate / arts & culture communications consultant based in Singapore. Yvonne currently leads communications in APAC for the world’s largest online travel site. Previously, Yvonne worked for a leading communications agency in Hong Kong where she led the public relations campaigns for ART HK – Hong Kong International Art Fair, Asia Hotel Art Fair, Asia Art Archive, Sovereign Asian Art Prize, amongst others. Twitter: @miss_yvonne.
[Natasha Kaye Whiffin | Arts Development & Research] Hong Kong born, former londoner graduating with a BA in Photography from London College of Communications, University of the Arts London. Natasha is currently based in Hong Kong with non profit arts institution Asia Art Archive. As an independent writer and researcher in the field of contemporary art focusing on arts from and in Asia as well as photography and photographic theory, Natasha is a guest writer for the Muse.
Twitter: @natashakwhiffin | www.natashakayewhiffin.com.
[Huishan Aprilene Goh | Educator] Educated in Singapore and in the United Kingdom, Huishan’s love for the arts was cultivated by the Gothic architecture of the Bodleian, the contemplative halls of the Victoria and Albert and flamboyant West End gigs. Huishan writes about visual arts and theatre. She is a full time educator of language and literature and is a part-time pen saver who recycles pens in her spare time.
[Lee Mun Wai | Dancer] Lee received his contemporary dance training at Lasalle College of the Arts in Singapore and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts both under scholarship. He has worked with several notable choreographers including Robert Tannion, co-artistic director of Stan Won’t Dance and former dancer with DV8, Natalie Weir (Australia), Mui Cheuk-Yin (Hong Kong), Cheng Tsung-Lung (Taiwan) and Ricky Sim (Singapore).As one of the founding members of T.H.E Dance Company, Lee has performed in all the company’s works since its establishment and choreographed works for T.H.E Second Company.
[Gwen Pew | Journalist] Gwen began her nomadic lifestyle at the age of nine when she left Hong Kong for London. Since then she has lived in Beijing and Leeds, where she had just graduated with a degree in English Literature, before moving to Singapore in search of a brand new adventure (and a job). She has a passion for journalism and has previously had works published in Time Out Beijing, the Hong Kong Standard as well as Digyorkshire.com, one of the most prominent online listings guides in Northern England. She mostly enjoys writing about theatre, art, and other cultural happenings around the city, and also blogs at The City I See (www.thecityisee.com). Twitter: @gwenpew.
[Joyce Cheng | Arts Administrator or Marketing Executive] Joyce works with the national orchestra, and teaches drums and cello on a freelance basis. She writes about music and theatre. Her interest in music sprouted during her teens when she was fervently involved in leading and directing the school band, ensemble and independent music group. An ardent supporter of the local music scene, she marvels at unique music arrangements of the alternative rock and folk pop genres. In all, Joyce revels in complex rhythms and melodies and is currently working hard on mastering the ukulele.
[Max Armbruster | Consultant] Max has been working in Asia for almost a decade, as an entrepreneur, a consultant and a specialist in alternative investments. From his Singapore home base, he has keenly observed the growth of the art scene across the region, seeing new design schools open, creative industries flourish and successful businessmen begin their own art collections. Max likes to keep the right side of his brain active, making time to paint, write and explore art galleries as often as he can.
[Jean Tan | Legal Counsel] A legal counsel by day, and a writer by night, Jean’s interest in the arts originated in her teenage years when she studied Shakespeare’s 4 great tragedies and dabbled in choral singing. She has particular interest in fine art photography and its overlaps with photojournalism. She loves to write about literature, photography, music, and theatre, and blogs at Jtbeans (www.jtbeans.wordpress.com).
[Diana Othman | Arts Communications Executive] Diana was most recently a Communications Executive at The Esplanade. Previously, she was a journalist who wrote for a number of print and online publications including The Straits Times. A self-proclaimed cinephile, Diana is a permanent fixture at movie theatres where she catches at least 10 films a month, attends as many festivals as she can, voraciously reads film industry news and and spends half her paycheck on DVDs. She fell in love with the medium when her father took her to watch Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor at the cinema when she was six and has grown to appreciate all genres from art house to schlock horror.