About Us
Our Founder & Songleader
“When people sing together, community is created. Together we rejoice, we celebrate, we mourn and we comfort each other.” — Peter Yarrow
Cheryl Teh can’t recall a time when music wasn’t part of her life. At just three years old, after quietly watching her mother teach piano to neighborhood children, she surprised everyone by playing the same tunes. By age four, she had already asked for a violin. Her parents obliged—driving 2½ hours from their hometown of Temerloh, Pahang, to Kuala Lumpur for lessons, a remarkable commitment at the time.
In the mid-1980s, Cheryl’s family moved to Kuala Lumpur, where she joined the Kuala Lumpur Symphony Orchestra (KLSO) as a violinist. Through KLSO, she first connected with The Philharmonic Society of Selangor, performing in its 1987 production of Guys & Dolls. That experience sparked a lifelong love of musical theatre.
In 1988, Cheryl was awarded a Rotary scholarship to represent Malaysia at the Rotary International Music Exchange (PRIME) program in Sydney, Australia. Soon after, she continued her education in Melbourne, where music became central to her life. She performed with numerous ensembles—including the Victorian Youth Symphony Orchestra, St Kilda Chamber Ensemble, Monash Theatre Group, and Dandenong Light Opera Company—while also becoming a founding violinist of the New Monash Orchestra.
Returning to Malaysia in the mid-1990s, Cheryl rejoined The Phil as a singer with both the Choir and Chamber Choir, while also studying voice under Cha Seng Tiang. In 2002, she was invited to prepare The Phil’s Choir for its Christmas performances, and by 2003 she was conducting the entire season of four major productions. Though she later stepped back to focus on her corporate career, she remained musically active, appearing in productions such as Turandot and The Merry Widow.
In 2008, Cheryl returned to The Phil as both Chairperson and Choir Director. Under her leadership, the society flourished, growing in membership and financial stability. She combined her corporate expertise with her passion for music and community, strengthening The Phil’s foundations for the future.
Her dedication to community choir leadership deepened in 2010, when she attended the Community Choir Leadership Training (CCLT) Program in Victoria, Canada. Inspired by mentors Shivon Robinsong and Denis Donnelly, she returned with a renewed mission: to build communities in harmony through singing.
In 2015, Cheryl was selected for the prestigious Eisenhower Fellowship Program in the United States, where she spent six weeks visiting community choirs and music programs across 15 cities. This experience broadened her global perspective on the role of music in community building.
In 2019, Cheryl retired from both corporate life and The Phil to embark on a new chapter with KLSings and VoxPop Choirs and most recently, Alegria Creativity. Her leadership journey continued internationally: in 2020 she joined the Australia Council for the Arts’ (now Creative Australia) International Leadership Program, and in 2022 she was named a recipient of the Arts for Good Fellowship, supported by the Singapore International Foundation.
Today, Cheryl continues to share her lifelong passion for music by nurturing joyful, inclusive spaces where people can connect, heal, and thrive through song.
Ready to sing, laugh and make new friends?
Add your voice to the harmony. Whether for fun or friendship, KLSings is a place to belong.