Melvyn Tan

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British musician

title: "Melvyn Tan" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["singaporean-classical-pianists", "british-male-classical-pianists", "british-fortepianists", "musicians-from-london", "alumni-of-the-royal-college-of-music", "people-educated-at-yehudi-menuhin-school", "british-asian-musicians", "british-people-of-chinese-descent", "people-who-lost-singaporean-citizenship", "singaporean-national-service-defaulters", "singaporean-people-of-chinese-descent", "1956-births", "living-people", "21st-century-british-male-musicians", "21st-century-british-classical-pianists"] description: "British musician" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melvyn_Tan" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary British musician ::

Melvyn Tan Ban Eng (; born 13 October 1956) is a Singapore-born British classical pianist, noted for his study of historical performance practice.

From a young age, he went to England to study, first at the Yehudi Menuhin School when he was twelve years old, later enrolling at the Royal College of Music where he studied with Angus Morrison.

Upon returning to Singapore in 2005, he was fined for not having done National Service in Singapore, although he was studying in London during the time he was required to serve and did not have an exit permit to MINDEF, he had already started a busy concert career, and he had already acquired British citizenship.

During his development as a pianist, Tan developed a passion for the fortepiano, which he has promoted throughout his career, and thereby changed other musicians' perceptions of this instrument. He was invited to play and record on Beethoven's Broadwood instrument. He has now returned mainly to the pianoforte and performs a wide-ranging repertoire from Bach to Messiaen. Of Messiaen, Tan has announced that mastering the composer's Vingt regards sur l'enfant-Jésus has been his proudest accomplishment: "It took me nearly two years to learn it, but it was the most life-enriching, the most life-changing experience because it was so spiritual and it changed the way I performed."

He has lived in London since 1978, and continues to give concerts worldwide. In 2007, he performed at the Royal Academy of Arts for Jasper Conran's London Fashion Week collection.

References

References

  1. Duchen, Jessica. (1 February 2010). "Tan, Melvyn.". Grove Music Online / Oxford Music Online.
  2. "'A lot of students don't know how to practise' says Melvyn Tan". Global 2020.
  3. Mattison, Ben. (6 December 2005). "PlaybillArts: News: Pianist Melvyn Tan Cancels Return to Singapore Over Draft Controversy". Playbill, Inc..
  4. (16 January 2006). "Ministerial Statement on National Service Defaulters by Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean". Ministry of Defence.
  5. [https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-beethoven-broadwood-fortepiano-mw0003438545 The Beethoven Broadwood Fortepiano]. AllMusic
  6. "Jasper Conran Autumn/Winter 2007 Collection Video".

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singaporean-classical-pianistsbritish-male-classical-pianistsbritish-fortepianistsmusicians-from-londonalumni-of-the-royal-college-of-musicpeople-educated-at-yehudi-menuhin-schoolbritish-asian-musiciansbritish-people-of-chinese-descentpeople-who-lost-singaporean-citizenshipsingaporean-national-service-defaulterssingaporean-people-of-chinese-descent1956-birthsliving-people21st-century-british-male-musicians21st-century-british-classical-pianists