“A very promising young musician with a good sense of performance”. Moncrieff

Hailed as a cellist with ‘exceptional talent and innate musicality, one with superb technique and interpretation’, Melbourne- based Singaporean cellist Noella Yan has been recognised for her ‘expressive sound’ (The Straits Times). A passionate advocate of new music, Noella has premiered numerous works by composers such as Bernard Tan, Andre Myers and Jeff Myer amongst many others. Noella has been a member of Ad Hoc Collective since 2015 with recent performances of works by Australian composer Andree Greenwell at the Arts Centre and Riverside Parramatta.

Critically-acclaimed world premiere of Tan’s Cello Concerto in 2014, written for her marked her return to Singapore and to performing after a hiatus to look after her two young sons. ‘any concessions to technical ability were dispensed with in this demanding work that called for utmost concentration and no little agility.’ (The Straits Times) She has appeared globally with numerous orchestras and given many concerts both as a soloist and chamber musician. Noella joined Trio Anima Mundi as cellist in 2015. Upcoming publications include recordings of piano trios by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Cliffe Forrester, Harry Waldo Warner, Rosalind Ellicott (Divine Art – 2019) and Algernon Ashton (Toccata Classics).

Deeply passionate about using music to effect change, Noella founded ARTIF – Art It Forward (www.artit4ward.org) , a non-profit outreach effort that seeks to bring creativity through the arts to underserved communities. She is currently building this program in Myanmar. A dedicated educator, Noella is on the music staff at Macrobertson Girls’ School and she also directs a cross-cultural Fusion Ensemble at Lauriston Girls’ School.

Formerly artistic co-director of a cross-cultural project celebrating Singapore’s 50th, Noella curated a series of concerts across Australasia, including the Parliament House , Canberra. Previous projects include collaborations with dancers and visual artists fostering awareness around social and environmental issues.

Noella began learning piano at age 3 and the cello at 12. Accepted into Purcell School at 13, she has been a scholarship recipient of both Lee and Shaw Foundations. Noella was the recipient of the Gifted Young Artist Award in 1998, presented by the National Arts Council of Singapore. She was also the winner of the 1997 Audi Young Musician of the Year, 1999 Lesley-Alexander Prize, 2003 Gustavé Rosseels Chamber Award. Her teachers included her father Yan Yin Wing, Herminia Ilano, Pal Banda, Joyce Rathbone, Alexander Boyarsky and Erling Blöndal Bengtsson. Noella received a Double Masters in Performance and Chamber Music as the John P. Miller fellow at the University of Michigan.