Qiao Yelu, Ayaka Kubota, Ravi Arrauf and Lee Chak Sum (Sam Lee) are names and faces that regular SSO audiences may already know, especially those who have attended since around the end of 2025. The Sun Symphony Orchestra is delighted to welcome them as official members: Qiao Yelu as Principal Flute, Ayaka Kubota in the viola section, Ravi Arrauf in the double bass section, and Lee Chak Sum as Principal Tuba.
Joining the woodwinds, brass, and strings of the SSO family, the four share a common thread: they have performed across Asia and Europe and earned prizes at international competitions.
Qiao Yelu, Principal Flute
A graduate of the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe in Germany, where he completed the Solistenexamen, the highest performance diploma, Qiao Yelu went on to hold positions with leading Chinese orchestras, serving as Associate Principal Flute of the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra and later as a member of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. Winner of Fifth Prize and the Audience Prize at the Japan National Woodwind Competition, he now serves as Principal Flute of the SSO. He has already proven himself as a soloist with the orchestra on two recent occasions: in Martin’s Concerto for 7 Winds at “Swiss Visions” and in Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 2 at “Rules and Rebellion”.
Lee Chak Sum, Principal Tuba
Lee Chak Sum studied at The Chinese University of Hong Kong before completing two master’s degrees, both with distinction, at the Zurich University of the Arts. He has performed with ensembles across Europe and Asia, including the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Asian Youth Orchestra and Musikkollegium Winterthur. Also active as a soloist, he won Third Prize at the 2024 Akiyoshidai Tuba Competition in Japan and Fourth Prize at the 2024 Jeju International Competition. He now serves as the Principal Tuba of the SSO.
Ayaka Kubota, Viola
After graduating in violin performance from Tokyo College of Music, Ayaka Kubota moved to Italy, where she turned to the viola and earned her master’s degree at the Conservatorio di Musica in Novara with a final mark of 110/110 cum laude. She went on to perform with two of Italy’s most prestigious ensembles, the Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala in Milan and the RAI National Symphony Orchestra in Turin. A Second Prize winner in viola at the Premio Nazionale delle Arti in 2024, she now joins the SSO as a tutti violist.
Ravi Arrauf, Contrabass
A graduate of the Indonesia Institute of the Arts in Yogyakarta, Ravi Arrauf has shaped his playing through international programmes such as the Pacific Music Festival and the Ljubljana Festival Masterclasses, learning from musicians of the Vienna Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In Indonesia, he performs regularly with leading orchestras, including the Jakarta Concert Orchestra, Jakarta Sinfonietta and Jakarta City Philharmonic. He now joins the SSO as a tutti contrabassist.
Next time you attend an SSO concert, look out for them on stage! You will find the flutes centered on the raised woodwind platform just behind the strings. The violas sit at the front right from the audience’s view, while the double basses stand directly behind the cellos at the back of the string section. Finally, look to the far right end of the brass row to spot the tuba.
