Associate Professor

Dr. Tom Pierard

Dr. Tom Pierard is a New Zealand-born composer, performer, and educator based in Kuala Lumpur. A former member of the internationally touring ensemble Strike Percussion, he has performed across jazz, rock, and pop on stages worldwide, and has composed for film, television, and festivals. At the university level, he has served as a lecturer, researcher, and department head, and is the creator of the online course The Modern Beat — bringing both stage and classroom experience to the panel.

Mr. Alex Koh

Alex Koh is a versatile guitarist and session musician with over a decade of experience performing across classical, blues, jazz, rock, and pop at events, concerts, and in recording studios. Alongside his performance career, he has devoted considerable time to music education, working with students of all ages with a focus on nurturing individual creativity and personal expression.

Dr. Poon Chiew Hwa

Dr. Poon Chiew Hwa is a Malaysian pianist who has performed and given masterclasses at universities in the United States, Mexico, and Spain, and is a prize-winner of two international piano competitions. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Arizona, serves as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Malaya, and is an accredited examiner for Trinity College London.

Assistant Professor

Mr. Justin Lim

Justin Lim Fang Yee is a pianist, composer, and Malaysia National Art Award winner whose collaborations include work with artists such as Kris Dayanti, Kang San-Eh, and Pete Teo. A key organiser of the Malaysian Jazz Piano Festival since 2014, he currently serves as an Assistant Professor at UCSI University and holds a Master of Music from Pennsylvania State University.

Mr. Edmund Yong

Edmund Yong is a drummer and educator with extensive performance experience across rock, jazz, Latin, and fusion styles, including appearances alongside artists from Taiwan and Hong Kong. He holds a Rockschool Level 6 Teaching Licentiate and serves as a Yamaha Drum Examiner and Yamaha Product Specialist, reflecting his standing as a recognised authority in drum education.Mr.

Dr. Tham Horng Kent

Dr. Tham Horng Kent is a performing musician and Senior Lecturer at Sultan Idris Education University, with a Doctorate in Musical Performance from the Royal Irish Academy of Music and a Master of Music from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He has performed as a soloist and chamber musician across Europe, the UK, New Zealand, and Asia, and was a recipient of the Emerging Artist Incubation Funding from Malaysia's Cultural Economy Development Agency in 2018.

Dr. James Boyle

Dr. James Philip Sheng Boyle is an award-winning music director, pianist, and Dean of the Faculty of Music at ASWARA. A Berklee College of Music graduate with a PhD in Musicology from Universiti Malaya, he is an active jazz performer, composer for stage and screen, and a certified film director from the Hollywood Film Institute.

Assistant Professor

Mr. Terrence Ling

Terrence Ling Hung Shu is the Head of Programme at UCSI University's Institute of Music, founder of the Malaysian Voices Collective, and organiser of the Borneo International Vocal Arts Festival. His choirs have won international awards, his students have signed with major labels, and he has been recognised as one of the Southeast Asia Directors of Music Association's "30 Under 30."

Ms. Yim Soi Chee

Yim Soi Chee is a violinist, pianist, and educator who founded the Pastorale Conservatoire of Music in 2000. Over more than two decades, she has guided students to scholarships, competition awards, and professional careers in music, and remains an active organiser of charity concerts and educational seminars across Malaysia.

Phoebe Tsen

Phoebe Tsen is a singer-songwriter and vocal producer from Sabah, Malaysia, whose work spans indie pop, electronic, and ambient music. Known for her reflective songwriting and powerful vocals, she has recorded for Netflix's Carlo & Malik and built a career as both a solo artist and a sought-after creative collaborator in the industry.