Applauded by Hua-In, the leading online Chinese music news source as “a rising star in the twenty-first century international music scene,” award-winning composer, educator and conductor, Maestra Jean Foo, is known for elevating historic concert programs globally. Having represented the Steinway and Bösendorfer brands, Jean is the Chief Conductor of the International Prodigy Orchestra and Choir (IPOC), whose mission is to present adventurous programs that will have historical meaning and revolutionary value. Musicians who have collaborated under the baton and leadership of Jean include talents from New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna Symphony, Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Baltic Sea Philharmonic Orchestra. Jean is also the author of “Orchestral Intelligence”, sharing her insights on orchestral performance and management efficiency based on organizational habits, sensitivity, preparation and informed spontaneity. Jean also founded IPOC Academy, a preparatory orchestra, to provide young music talents between the ages of six and eighteen with a platform to experience orchestra training while being groomed for solo and chamber stage experiences.
As a composer, Jean is recognized by her contemporaries for benchmarking modern musical expressions and performance techniques through the use of noise as a musical parameter, instrumental theatricality and cross applications of performance gestures in Western and Chinese music. A recipient of the Singapore Arts Council Overseas Music Bursary, she was granted early graduation, and obtained her Bachelor of Music degree as a first prize winner in composition from the Beijing Central Conservatory of Music. She later pursued her graduate studies as a recipient of the Tufts Graduate Music Scholarship, graduating with a Masters of Arts degree in music composition.
On top of her musical achievements and endeavours, Jean is an awardwinning education influencer and entrepreneur. Jean specializes in education business, leadership and management in both the private, public and international school systems. Jean is the Founder and CEO of Smart Skills Education Network (SSEN), a global provider of future skills certification, educator wellness plans and 21st century learning initiatives.
A current judge on Microsoft’s Minecraft Hackathon, Jean is one and few of the most active women in the global speaking circuit presenting on future skills, innovative education, financial technology, blockchain, cryptocurrency and human development.
SPEAKING TOPICS
- Organizational Performance and Leadership (drawing parallels from orchestra management and conducting, and from my book "Orchestral Intelligence") with uses cases of:
a. How closely the team follows the leader
b. How to manage a crisis when a planned execution falls through
c. How, when and why to let go a talent who is not a team player
d. How individual and organizational habits dramatically dictate group performance results
e. Cultivating individual and group sensitivity as opposed to honing technical skills
f. Why preparation is key to success
g. How spontaneity becomes an opportunity for displaying excellence - Financial Technology Trends (from social and anthropological perspectives) - Blockchain, Banking Innovation, Cryptocurrency (Utility, Liquidity, Mobility), Currency Systems
- Cybersecurity (from social and behavorial perspectives) - Financial Crime Intelligence, Compliance and Security, Self-Governance
- Future Skills and Workplace Development
- 21st Century Learning Models for Schools
- Inspirational Speeches for Educators and Students
