Theophilus Tan is the first cellist to clinch the Centenary Award since it was established in 2011. Cellist Theophilus Tan started piano lessons at the age of seven but was never very enthusiastic about classical music. But through a combination of emotional support from his secondary school teacher mother, strict discipline from his pastor father and from listening to his father’s collection of CDs by Russian violinist Jascha Heifetz, he fell in love with classical music. Read more.