Stephen Mak is a Malaysian Bassoonist who began his journey at the age of 11 under the tutelage of Alexander Lenkov.

Since then, he has performed with numerous ensembles around South-East Asia, namely the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, the High Winds Ensemble, the Penang Philharmonic Orchestra, the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Jakarta Simfonia Orchestra, as well as the Orchestra of the Music Makers.

This has led him to work with artists such as Gerard Salonga, Wong Kah Chun, Rebecca Tong, Professor Chan Tze Law, Sir Stephen Hough, as well as pop figures such as Jaclyn Victor, Datuk Aisyah, and Siti Nurhaliza.

In 2021, he won the inaugural Ong Kim Kiat Wind Prize and emerged as one of four winners of the annual YST Concerto Competition, through which he made his solo debut with the YST Conservatory Orchestra at the Victoria Concert Hall.

In 2022, Stephen was selected by the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music to participate in the Let’s LEAD! Orchestra project organized by the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki, where he worked with Jukka-Pekka Saraste, cellist Alban Gerhardt, and faculty members and students from various conservatories.

Stephen is currently studying with Professor Zhang Jin Min and plays on a Püchner Model Superior generously loaned by the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music.

When he is not playing the bassoon, Stephen finds other joys in running, food hunting, and a good cup of kopi.