Chin Yen Chien started learning Pipa at the age of 10. In 1992, he participated in the Inaugural Chinese Music Competition and won the 1st Prize for the Intermediate Category. The next year, he took home the 1st Prize ‘Pipa Intermediate Category’ of the National Music Competition Organised by National Arts Council. Yen Chien is actively involved in various Chinese Orchestras in Singapore, with more prominent roles as the plucked-strings sectional instructor of People’s Association Youth Chinese Orchestra (PAYCO) and as the chairman of Nanyang Khek Community Guild Chinese Orchestra (2007-2011).
In addition to local performances, Yen Chien had represented Singapore in many international arts events, like the World Commonwealth Commemoration Day held in New Delhi in 2004; the Asia-Pacific Harmonica Festival Competition held in Hangzhou on 2008, where he was the Xiaoruan soloist, with Yuhua Secondary School Harmonica Ensemble that clinched the Gold Award; the ASEAN Network of Major Cities 21 (ANMC 21) cultural exchange held in Bangkok in 2009; the Inaugural ASEAN Musical Extravaganza held in Kuala Lumpur in 2012; playing Pipa with traditional Indian musicians from the Bhaskars Arts Academy in the International Ramayana Festival held in New Delhi and Patna in 2015; and the SAC International Conference of Folk Performing Arts in ASEAN held in Bangkok, in conjunction with the 5th Cycle Birthday of Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn in 2015. Currently the plucked-strings instructor of Bukit Panjang Government High School and Hong Wen School, Yen Chien also honed his conducting skills as the conductor of Serangoon Secondary School from 2010 to 2016.
