Sun Yi posing with Italian PAS President and the Festival’s Artistic Director, Mr Antonio Santangelo
Sun Yi, a second-year percussion major, won the marimba section of the 6th edition of the International Festival "Days of Percussion" (Giornatte della Percussione) at the G. B. Pergolesi Conservatoire held in Fermo, Italy from 1 to 6 September 2008. Presented by the Italy Percussive Arts Society (PAS), the festival aims to encourage the highest level of artistic expression in the art of performance and literature for percussion.
There were three rounds of competition in this annual event, which attracted over 50 international participants, including three Asians. In the final round, Sun Yi shone and emerged as the winner with his performance of three pieces for solo marimba − Keiko Abe’s Prism, Eric Sammut’s Three Spirals and Andrew Thomas’ Merlin.
Born in Gulangyu − The Piano Island, Xiamen, Sun Yi has a strong musical influence since young. At the age of 5, he started to learn the piano and percussion when he was 8. Before coming to Singapore, he studied at Beijing’s Middle School attached to the Central Conservatory of Music. Sun Yi is currently a student of Jonathan Fox, Principal Percussionist and Principal Timpanist with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.