By Foong Pek Yee
foongpekyee@gmail.com
July 3, 2026
Mention the thousands of kilometres of Silk Road conjures images from camels, caravans, horses to the rise and fall of empires and civilisations.
Connecting the East and West, the Silk Road started from China about 2,100 years ago as a trade expedition – the primary commodity was its widely sought after silk textiles.
From Chang’an (now known as Xi’an) in Central China , the route went through Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa before reaching out to Europe like Rome, Istanbul and beyond.
The vast network of trade routes – overland and maritime – were not only defined by goods, like silk, porcelain, paper, spices, teas, precious metals especially gold and silver, but also cultural influences.
Two prominent musicians , cellist Elizabeth Tan and concert pianist Lee Jae Phang will stage three concerts in Kuala Lumpur end of this month (July 2026) and another concert in Johor Baru in August “Postcards from the Silk Road” to celebrate this famous ancient route.
For enquires, contact Deciso Fine Violins at 012-9978913.
Elizabeth and Lee Jae : rehearsals underway with a clip from ‘Hopa’ , the second movement of Fazil Say’s Four Cities Sonata.
The pieces for “Postcards from the Silk Road” are:
Impromptu for Cello and Piano (1941) , composer Alexander Arutiunian.
Romance of Hsiao and Ch’in (1998), composer Chen Yi
Silk Road Rhapsody (2026) , composer Lee Jae Phang
Persian Folk Songs (2016), composer Reza Vali
In the Style of Albeniz (1959) , composer Rodion Shchedrin
Song of India (1896) , composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
“Four Cities” Sonata(2012) Fazil Say
Hailing from Kuala Lumpur, Elizabeth Tan has been a familiar face in the Southeast Asian music scene for over two decades.
She began her professional career with the Singapore Symphony , and has served as principal cellist of the Singapore Festival Orchestra.
In 2010 she joined the Malaysian Philharmonic and in 2024 was appointed Assistant Principal Cello.
Elizabeth was part of the historic inaugural cohort at Singapore’s Yong Siew Toh Conservatory , where she graduated with first class honours under Qin Li-Wei and was teaching assistant to his studio.
Lee Jae Phang is a concert pianist and piano pedagogue from Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.
He spent his formative years in the United Kingdom, studying as a specialist pianist at Wells Cathedral School before continuing his education at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, where he graduated with a Master of Music in Performance with Distinction in 2017. That same year he was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Schools of Music with Distinction .
Lee Jae has performed internationally as a soloist, chamber musician, accompanist, concerto soloist and orchestra pianist, appearing in concerts across the UK, China, Germany, Austria, Italy, Cambodia and Malaysia.
