Wong De Li, Dedric aspired to be a conductor in his teen years, and his interest was ignited again by the renowned Chinese music educator and Singapore Cultural Medallion recipient, Dr Tay Teow Kiat. With his master’s degree in orchestral conducting at the China Conservatory of Music in Beijing, under the tutelage of renowned Professor Yang You Qing and guidance from conducting maestro Tsung Yeh, he aims to push Ding Yi to new heights of artistic excellence and to develop a unique Singaporean musical direction.
In 2013, Wong was selected to participate in the Conducting Masterclass by renowned conducting maestros Professor Zhang Guo Yong and Qu Chun Quan, organised by the Taipei Chinese Orchestra. While in 2015, he was again selected to attend the Conducting Workshop by Tsung Yeh, organised by the Singapore Chinese Orchestra.
As a 2014 National Arts Council (NAC) Arts Scholarship recipient and a two-time recipient of the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan Arts and Cultural Bursary in 2004 and 2006, he has performed in many countries such as China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Cambodia.
In 2016, Wong staged his conducting recital with the China Conservatory of Music Middle School Youth Chinese Orchestra with reputable conductor Gu Guan Ren. In the same year, he assumed the conductor role for the Cultural Symphony Orchestra and was also featured as an outstanding NAC scholar in the 2016 Straits Times Scholars’ Choice.