Meet Our Professional Experts
Artistic Team
Sabrina Tnay
Conductor
SABRINA TNAY is a distinguished conductor and music educator, renowned for her leadership of Dolce Chanticleer, which won the Gold Prize at the Best Classical Musicians Awards 2025. She conducted the choir’s charity concert Echoes of Love: An Evening of Music 2025 at St. Peter’s Church, Kuching, and led them at the Sarawak International Festival of Music and Arts (SIFMA 2024), gaining international recognition.
Her career began in Sibu, where she received the Golden Kenyalang Award and was invited as Artistic Director for music videos, collaborating with M-Girls, Crystal Ong, and her own students. In Kuching, she performed in numerous concerts organized by the Sarawak State Government with Koir Simon Orkestra Negeri Sarawak. Her expertise in choral conducting was developed under the mentorship of Stephen Carleston, a renowned choral conductor from the UK and was invited to the Cambridge Choral Summer Course.
Sabrina’s dedication to music and community shines through her studio, where she continues to inspire the next generation of musicians.
Esme Wong
Artistic Director
Hailing from Borneo Island, Malaysian classical pianist Esme Wong has performed at major international venues, including Carnegie Hall’s SongStudio with Renée Fleming, Dresden Kulturpalast, and the Winspear Opera House in Dallas. Now based in Dresden, Germany, she was recently appointed Korrepetitorin at Landesbühnen Sachsen following her relocation from the United States. She has received recognition from leading institutions and has been described by The Dallas Morning News as an “adept collaborator…with vibrant urgency.”
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At the age of 14, Wong earned the Licentiate Diploma from Trinity College London, and by 16 she joined the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. She later received a prestigious full scholarship to study at United World College in Italy, where she was recognised for her musical achievements under the tutelage of the Trio di Trieste. Her operatic experience includes engagements with The Dallas Opera, serving as Assistant Conductor with Red River Lyric Opera, and as Music Director for Nashville Opera’s Mary Ragland Emerging Artist Program.
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A passionate advocate for vocal and contemporary music, Wong has collaborated with esteemed artists including Graham Johnson, Martin Katz, Jake Heggie, and Libby Larsen. Performance highlights include appearances at the New York Festival of Song Gala, SongFest at Colburn, The Puccini Society of Dallas, and Dresden PalaisSommer. She has premiered works by Robert Beaser and coached Vit Žuhar’s Coronide at the UNT Czech Music Festival.
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Wong’s formative years at United World College profoundly shaped her worldview and ignited a lasting commitment to social and cultural advocacy. Grounded in her Southeast Asian heritage and enriched by her international experiences, she is dedicated to bridging cultures through curated recital programmes that explore marginalized narratives, identity, cultural memory, and belonging. Her initiatives and collaborations, including #14DaysAsianCultureAwareness, have been featured by the Kimbell Art Museum, The Washington Post, The Denton Chronicle, OperaWire, Borneo Talk, and North Texas Classical Radio WRR 101.1 FM.
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Esme Wong is a graduate of the University of North Texas and Luther College.
Jacob Nydegger
Artistic Director
American pianist, Jacob Nydegger, began his musical journey in his hometown of San Antonio, Texas, and has since garnered critical acclaim from numerous sources. Theater Jones Journal describes him as a “gifted performer with formidable technical skill,” while Fanfare Magazine compares his “smooth, elegant power” to that of the legendary Van Cliburn. Nydegger’s debut album with Toccata Classics received widespread praise and was featured on the Classical New Releases: Spotify Picks Playlist in 2018. His commercial recording success is further complemented by notable achievements in international competitions, including First Prize at the 2022 Petroff Piano Competition and the 2021 Grand Prize Virtuoso Competition. He has also earned top prizes at the William Knabe International Piano Competition, the Richardson Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition, and the Weatherford International Piano Competition, among others.
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A consummate performer, Nydegger has appeared on prestigious stages throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. He has performed as a soloist with orchestras such as the Lüneburg Symphony Orchestra, the Colorado College Festival Orchestra, and the University of North Texas Symphony Orchestra. His international engagements have brought him to renowned venues including London’s Royal Albert Hall, the Dresden Kulturpalast, and the Dresden Frauenkirche. In addition to his solo career, Nydegger is a sought-after chamber musician, having collaborated with distinguished artists such as David Ying of the Grammy Award–winning Ying Quartet. He also served for several years as a staff pianist at Texas Woman’s University.
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Nydegger is in demand as a guest artist and educator, presenting performances and masterclasses at institutions worldwide, including the International Westfjords Piano Festival, the University of Texas at San Antonio, and the Musical Arts Center of San Antonio.
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He honed his artistry through masterclasses and private study with esteemed pianists such as Yefim Bronfman, Bernd Goetzke, Jerome Lowenthal, Ursula Oppens, and Jon Nakamatsu. Nydegger completed his studies in the United States with Joseph Banowetz at the University of North Texas, and later pursued advanced studies in Germany with Hinrich Alpers as a Deutschlandstipendium holder in the Meisterklasse at the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber in Dresden, where he currently resides.
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His most recent album, Portraits—featuring music for flute and piano by Peter Senchuk—was released in 2024 and is available on all major streaming platforms. Upcoming projects include a second recording with Toccata Classics, featuring works by prominent Dutch composer Leo Samama.
