Hi! We are

a Los Angeles-based community choir dedicated to Southeast Asian communal singing tradition.

Suara envisions a new canon of choral music that gives suara* to Southeast Asian cultural music in all its diversity.

*suara means voice in Bahasa-based languages

As the only Los Angeles-based choir specializing in choral repertoire from Southeast Asia, Suara is dedicated to

(1) performing and promoting Southeast Asian choral music in Los Angeles,

(2) fostering collaborations between Los Angeles-based musicians and Southeast Asian choral musicians, and

(3) providing meaningful Southeast Asian choral music educational opportunities to our singers and community.

Education

We teach the style, languages, and performance practice of choral music from diverse Southeast Asian cultures to our singers. Through engaging performances, we also seek to educate our listeners and our community on the diversity of cultural music traditions of Southeast Asia.

Innovation

We believe that innovation in repertoire and performance practice is generative for our art. We work actively towards creating innovation in the choral arts by commissioning new works by Southeast Asian composers, seeking new and unusual performance venues, performing a diverse array of repertoire to stimulate continual learning and growth among our singers, and regularly releasing new recordings that help promote awareness and appreciation of Southeast Asian music.

Excellence

Through diligent study and practice, we prepare our singers to deliver high-caliber performances of diverse Southeast Asian choral repertoire with accurate style, pronunciation, and performance practice. To achieve this high standard of performance, we are committed to engaging expert representatives in our field to work with our singers on the languages and musical styles of our repertoire.

Belonging

We are dedicated to creating and providing a musical and cultural home to musicians and music-lovers of all ages from Southeast Asia residing in the Los Angeles area, as well as non-native musicians and music-lovers who are interested in becoming a part of this community. Through our rehearsals, performances, educational workshops, and community events, we extend this sense of home and belonging to all who seek a connection with Southeast Asian cultural heritage in Los Angeles.

Collaboration

We strive to create opportunities for cross-cultural and interdisciplinary musical collaboration by engaging diverse musicians to perform and work with our ensembles and working with local arts and community institutions to present cultural events.

  • From Malaysia, Yu Hang Tan holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Music from the University of Southern California (USC). A passionate advocate for Southeast Asian communal singing traditions, he is the founder of the Suara Southeast Asian Choir. He has been invited to present his research on Southeast Asian choral repertoire at major international conferences and universities, including the 2024 HarbourVOICES! International Festival of Collective Singing in Canada, 2023 World Choral Symposium in Turkey, 2022 World Choral Expo in Portugal, 2022 Western Division American Choral Directors’ Association, and Princeton University.

    Yu Hang is a three-time alumnus of the World Youth Choir and has twice represented Malaysia in the EuroChoir. During his time at USC, he directed the USC Thornton Oriana Choir, leading them to gold rankings at the 2022 World Choral Festival and 2022 Penabur International Choir Festival.

    In addition to his work with Suara, he currently serves as Music Director of North Hollywood First United Methodist Church and Resident Artist at The Ebell of Los Angeles, where he directs the 110-year-old Ebell Chorale—one of the oldest treble choirs in the United States.