One of today’s most exciting artists, Diana Soh is a multidisciplinary Singaporean composer based in Paris. She has written for a wide range of instrumentation and disciplines from chamber music to orchestra, dance, film, choral and vocal music, and multi-media site-specific works.

Diana’s musical interest is directed at exploring performance interactivity and obtaining specific sound colours from the intimate collaboration with performers. Known for her interest in theatre and integrating the use of technology, she often surprises her audiences and finds unique ways to address the social issues of our time in her work and “composes the impossible” (Concert Classic).

Her recent commissions reflect the continuation of her adventure in the world of music theatre: The Carmen Case; a co-commission from La Chapelle Musicale, the Gulbenkian Foundation, Théâtre de la Monnaie and Théâtre du Luxembourg and ensemble Ars Nova, was premiered at the Tap in Poitiers May 2023, and will be repeated at the Opéra de Bordeaux and Théâtre du Luxembourg in January 2024; an opera commission, L’avenir nous le dira, for the children’s choir of Opéra de Lyon will be premiered as part of the Lyon festival in 2025, which also see Diana write for Rinat Shaham and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France (Festival Manifeste). Subsequent to the success of both Tu es Magique for the Maîtrise de Radio France as part of the 2022 Festival Présences and Ackee for vocal ensemble Sequenza 93 as part of the Paris Olympic Games, Diana’s exploration of vocal writing continues with La Ville-Zizi for soprano Laura Bowler, Unbroken, written for mezzo Rosie Middleton and a new commission I linger lately beyond my time for soprano Claron MacFadden and Ensemble Intercontemporain premiered as part of the Aix-en-Provence festival. In addition, she wrote again for the SYC Ensemble Singers for their 60th anniversary. As for instrumental works, 2024 was a prolific year with an array of new pieces: on, off and on again for solo organ (Philharmonie de Paris), a combination of a chamber ensemble and electronics titled Of the spaces between for Ensemble Æquilibrium in Singapore, the juxtaposition of 5 different works in one, I forget to remember when I am with you, co-produced by 5 festivals and 1 orchestra in the French Alps as well as the world premiere of And those who were seen dancing for the Arditti Quartet (Philharmonie de Paris). It is also in her hometown where an original score for in November 2024, as well as major project involving 6 musical organisations in the Alps, France with performances scheduled from July (festivals) to October 2024.

Notable past highlights include A is for Aiyah with soprano Elise Chauvin as the soloist, which was premiered in Singapore by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (2018), as well as her string quartet ‘sssh’ with the Mettis Quartet at the Aix en Provence Festival (2018). Diana also wrote the monodrama Zylan ne chantera plus with writer Yann Verburgh and staged by Richard Brunel as part of an “Opera de Lyon – hors les murs” initiative. It was first performed in November 2021, just shortly after her Viola duo My other self, premiered at the Grand Théâtre de Provence as part of the ‘Nouveaux Horizons’ festival and Of the Spaces between, for Austrian ensemble Schallfeld, repeated by Æquilibrium in Singapore.

Since establishing herself in Paris, Diana was Composer-in-Residence for two years (2012-13) at the National Centre for Creation – La Muse en Circuit, which concluded with a one-hour monographic concert of her works during the 2013 Festival Extension. In 2019, she was Composer-in-Residence with Divertimento Ensemble and released her first monographic CD, Still, Yet, And Again, under the Italian label Stradivarius. She also regularly collaborates with Abbaye de Royaumont.

Diana Soh studied at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory in Singapore with Peter Edwards and Ho Chee Kong, at the University at Buffalo with Jeff Stadelman, David Felder, and Tony Arnold (conducting), and IRCAM with Mauro Lanza. She has also participated in masterclasses and workshops with Péter Eötvös, Wolfgang Rihm, Salvatore Sciarrino, Brian Ferneyhough, Isabel Mundry, Misato Mochizuki, and Beat Furrer. Diana is the recipient of the 2015 National Arts Council Singapore’s Young Artist Award, the 2017 Impuls composition competition and the 2021 SACEM Francis and Mica Salabert Prize. She has received commissions from several prestigious institutions and festivals including the Barlow Endowment for Music, Festival d’Aix en Provence, IRCAM, Ministry of Culture France and Abbaye de Royaumont Foundation, and Klang Festival Copenhagen, amongst many others. She was composer in residence at Opera de Bordeaux during the 2023/2024 season.