Noted for his versatility and dynamic performances, Ignatius Wang (b. 1990) is regarded as one of Singapore's rising conducting talents. He is the founding Music Director of the Lion City Brass Band, Director of Music of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Central Band, Music Director of SEIRA, as well as Associate Conductor of the Temasek Polytechnic Band. 

 

Having joined the SAF Central Band in 2011, Ignatius served as Associate Principal Euphonium and was later awarded an SAF scholarship to the Royal Marines School of Music in Portsmouth, United Kingdom. 

 

A recipient of the Distinguished Star, the Bandmasters’ Course Conducting Prize and the Baldwin’s Award for Best Conductor, Ignatius emerged top of his class and was the first international student to attain Director of Music qualification from Her Majesty's Royal Marines Band Service. He graduated from the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (Master of Music) and the University of Plymouth (Bachelor of Music, First Class Honours). Ignatius is also a Fellow of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (FRSM) in Music Direction.

 

Ignatius studied with Bjørn Sagstad, Chan Tze Law, Clark Rundell, Darrell Ang, Douglas Bostock, Jason Lai, Mark Heron, Nicholas Childs, Tan Beng Wee, Timothy Reynish and Tsung Yeh – in collaboration with renowned groups such as the Argovia Philharmonic, Black Dyke Band, European Union Youth Wind Orchestra, Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra and the Singapore Chinese Orchestra. 

 

Ignatius is the winner of the 2014 Bob Harding Bursary and served as the Young Conductor for the Havant Symphony Orchestra. In 2017, he was selected to represent Singapore at the International Conductors’ Competition at the World Music Contest in Kerkrade, Netherlands. Ignatius also served as assistant to Tsung Yeh in the 2019 ballet production of Don Quixote by the Singapore Dance Theatre.

 

As a guest conductor, Ignatius has conducted some of the most prominent groups in Singapore, such as the Singapore Wind Symphony, The Philharmonic Winds and Orchestra Collective. In Europe, he has also been invited to conduct regularly, including the Sinfonisches Verbandsblasorchester Markgräflerland and the Benefiz - Musik und Kukltur für andere Orchestra in Germany, and the EVAM Estagio de Verão in Amarante, Portugal.

 

Ignatius has also been featured regularly at the WBAS Youth Band Festival and the Asia Arts Festival as a clinician and adjudicator. He has led several conducting and music leadership workshops, including the International Brass Band Summer School, and the Music Leaders Camp and Student Conductors' Workshop for the Arts Education Branch, Ministry of Education. In addition, Ignatius also serves as a board member of the Wind Bands Association of Singapore. 

 

Ignatius was commissioned as a Senior Military Expert on 1st April 2015 and appointed as the Director of Music of the SAF Ceremonial Band at the age of 24 – one of the youngest in the history of the SAF.