SOTA: School of the Arts Singapore

Pianist, organist and composer Chok Kerong has established himself as one of Singapore’s most versatile talents. His arrangements and compositions have been performed by luminaries like Jeremy Monteiro, Rani Singam, the T’ang Quartet, the Singapore Wind Symphony, The Jazz Association of Singapore Youth Jazz Orchestra, and his own chamber ensemble, ELEVEN. 'Disquiet', commissioned by Singapore Symphony Group for the Victoria Concert Hall Organ Series, is Chok's first work featuring the pipe organ, and was performed by eminent organist Dr Margaret Chen with a string ensemble in August 2017.


Committed to jazz, Chok’s current working band with guitarist Andrew Lim and drummer Soh Wen Ming is regarded as one of the finest groups to emerge from Singapore. The organ trio’s music reflects the members’ deep dedication to swing, the blues, and an aesthetic that favours authenticity above all. In 2016, the trio became the first Singaporean ensemble to perform at the world renowned Tokyo Jazz Festival. 'Tales They Told Me', Chok’s second album as a leader, features this trio, and was released in July 2017.


Chok also works outside the straight ahead jazz scene, most notably as the organist/keyboardist for eminent singer-songwriter Charlie Lim, where his many stylistic influences coalesce with his foundational sensibility as a pop musician. On Lim’s critically acclaimed double EP Time/Space, he can be heard channeling the spirit of the ragtime and stride masters on 'Blah Blah Blues', adding shades of gospel on 'Bitter', and providing emotional depth through his arrangement for strings on the poignant 'Light Breaks In'.