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THE CONSORT TEAM
Esther Jong
Esther discovered her passion for music at the tender age of two, when she received her first musical instrument, an electone organ. At eight, she picked up the cello through her schooling in Perth, Western Australia, joining her school's string ensemble and participated in interschool collaborations too. During her adolescence, Esther self-explored a variety of other musical instruments such as piano, violin, flute, recorder, experimenting with different genres and even dabbling at composition too.
Her journey into sacred classical and operatic music began in 2021, when she became a chorister and cantor for the Catholic Archdiocese of Perth, most notably at St. Mary's Cathedral, St. Patrick's Basilica, Sacred Heart Church, Holy Rosary Church, regularly singing for weekly Mass, concerts, weddings and funerals. This exposed her to many intricate sacred works by Palestrina, Victoria, Bruckner, Poulenc, and rekindled her with her first instrument, the organ, as it was regularly featured as accompaniment for the church services.
Since returning to Singapore in late 2024, Esther has continued her music engagement by singing with the Immaculate Heart of Mary choir, the Singapore Lyric Opera and the Singapore Symphony Chorus. Esther also had the opportunity to lead and conduct a sacred music concert at Church of St. Teresa in May 2025. From this, she co-founded STELLA ÆTERNA CONSORT with the musicians she befriended along her journey!
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR | MEZZOSOPRANO
Samuel Lee
Samuel Lee currently serves as Conductor of the Ave Maria Choir at the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour (OLPS), a role he held since 2012. He also sings Bass in the Immaculate Heart of Mary Choir at St Joseph’s Church, Victoria Street at every Sunday 5:00PM Mass since 2024.
Samuel began his formal musical journey with the Victoria School Symphonic Band as a clarinettist. Within two years, he auditioned successfully for and joined the Singapore Youth Orchestra (SYO) and came under the tutelage of Ma Yue, Principal Clarinettist of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. Very rapidly, he was appointed to the position of SYO’s Principal Clarinettist from 1996 to 2001.
During Samuel’s National Service, he served as a Military Musician with the Singapore Armed Forces Central Band, performing at numerous national and ceremonial events. Upon completion of his service, he continued performing as Solo Clarinettist with the Singapore Lyric Opera Orchestra and other professional ensembles.
As an avid amateur conductor, Samuel received his first formative experiences on the podium of the Victoria Junior College Symphonic Band as Student Conductor, under the mentorship of Dr. Zechariah Goh Toh Chai. His passion for conducting extended to Catholic Church music and liturgy where he became involved in weekly Masses and important liturgical events as Conductor of the Christus Dominus Choir from 2000 to 2010 and the Cantate Domino Choir from 2012 to 2024, both in OLPS.
Guided by several mentors and driven by a deep commitment to musical excellence, Samuel continues to contribute actively to the Singapore Catholic Church. In recent times, he became even more passionate about early Church music, sacred polyphony and Gregorian chants, having come full circle from his early roots in classical music and opera.