ABOUT KENNY OOI

In spite of my non-musical background, I pursued my curiosity and embarked on the music journey. After a decade, I decided to inspire and empower more people to follow their dreams.

A few fun facts.

Before I became a music major, I obtained a Diploma in Business Accounting. I love blue, and salmon is my favorite food. I really enjoy traveling around the world, especially when I get to perform (sometimes, I don't even have to pay!)

THIS IS ME IN A NUTSHELL.

I am a trumpeter, conductor, producer, social entrepreneur, salmon lover, and dog person.

Here's the
official bio

A native of Penang, Kenny Ooi is a social entrepreneur, active musician and producer in Asia. He has performed with various orchestras, chamber groups and masterclasses in Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, and many others. He founded the inaugural Penang International Brass Festival in 2019, and subsequently, The Rondo Production, with the aim to develop Malaysia into a country which provides top-notch quality of music education and performance. His passion and effort have led to this recent achievement as one of the top 20 social enterprises in Australia & ASEAN, recognised by the Australian-ASEAN Council by the Australian Government. In the same year, he was selected as one of the 30 Young Music Leaders by the Southeast Asia Directors of Music (SEADOM). In 2021, he was nominated as one of the Asia Youth Leadership Award by the ASEAN Youth Advocates Network. He was a scholar at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore, under the tutelage of Jon Dante and Lau Wen Rong from the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.

Kenny has performed with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, Metropolitan Festival Orchestra, Orchestra of the Music Makers, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory Orchestra, The Young Musician’s Foundation Orchestra, Penang Philharmonic Orchestra, Penang Symphony Orchestra, West Australian Youth Orchestra (in Perth) and Asia Pacific Youth Symphony Orchestra (in Hong Kong). He has taken part and performed in masterclasses by Chris Moyse, Pasi Pirinen, Bill Williams, Anthony Plog, Jason Evans, Adam Rapa, Bill Williams, Lukas Beno, Daniel Mendelow and the Boston Brass.

In 2019, he has been selected as one of the two representatives from Malaysia to perform with the Asian Youth Orchestra in a concert tour across 11 cities in Asia.

Kenny’s previous teachers include William Theis, Alexander White, William Day and Dato’ Woon Wen Kin. During the Italian Brass Week 2017 in Florence, he studied with trumpet virtuoso, such as Sergey Nakariakov, Pacho Flores, Otto Sauter, Rex Richardson and Andrea Tofanelli.

Besides performing, Kenny has been actively involved in concert and festival productions in Singapore and Malaysia. He did his internship with the Conservatory Ensembles Office, where he assisted and managed the ensembles’ activities. In 2019, he founded the inaugural Penang International Brass Festival and The Rondo Production, as its founder and director since then. He was also appointed as the Symposium Liaison for Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music’s International Artistic Research Symposium 2019.

Throughout his music journey, Kenny has worked with renowned artists, such as Bruno Weil, Gabor Takac-Nagy, Igudesman & Joo, Jason Lai, Jorma Panula, Masaaki Suzuki, London Haydn Quartet and Shlomo Mintz.

Kenny is currently a member of the Federation of Asian Cultural Promotion (FACP), Classical:Next, Penang Arts Council, United Nations Association of Malaysia Youth and Malaysian Association for Music Education.