There can’t be too many violin-playing dentists in Singapore. But more than a novelty, Dr Wilson Goh has proven to be a successful entrepreneur and a true patron of the arts.

Dr Goh started GPA Dental in 1995, working long hours and seeing up to 20 to 25 patients a day.  His decision in the early years of his practice to proactively embrace technology was partly a way of giving better service to his patients, but also as a way to free up time to pursue his renewed love affair with music, especially playing the violin.

GPA was one of the first to use CAD/CAM and 3D diagnostics technology. And in 2006, they acquired the Waterlase MD2, the first in Singapore to offer virtually painless dental treatments with the use of laser.

Armed with money and time, Goh pursued his musical interests vigorously. He encouraged his wife Karen, a professional cellist, to start Singapore’s first cello school, Tanglewood, in 2000. In 2003, it expanded to include a violin and viola department. Since then, the school has also included piano and orchestral conducting.

He also started a chamber group, Camerata, which is based in Singapore but has international members from Armenia, Vietnam and Bulgaria. But perhaps his most significant contribution to music is his loaning of antique instruments — the collection has 40 pieces worth around $6 million — to aspiring musicians for performances. “If someone is emerging, I want him or her to have more access to instruments to take part in competitions, performances and exams. Instruments make that bit of a difference.”
It’s a wonderful irony that through a profession he never wanted Goh has managed to dramatically indulge in a passion he though he could never truly fulfil.

Destination hotels are becoming more of a draw in this era of ubiquitous luxury accommodation. The Peak susses out some of the more esoteric choices out there.

PROTEA HOTEL FIRE AND ICE (Cape Town, South Africa)
It stands out as a rarefied enclave of edgy chic. Guests who wish to engage in some macabre humour may do so in the smoking lounge (appropriately named the Coughin Bar), which is furnished with seats built to resemble plush upholstered coffins.

CROWNE PLAZA INDIANAPOLIS (Indianapolis, USA)
Staying here is an amalgamation of two separate, equally unusual experiences: That of living in America’s first Union Station and of staying in a haunted house.

ARIAU TOWERS HOTEL (The Amazon, Brazil)
Imagine staying at a hotel perched high above the Rio Negro, tributary of the Amazon River. Ariau Towers Hotel is built at the level of the rainforest canopy and is reachable only by boat or helicopter.

NEW YORK NEW YORK HOTEL AND CASINO (Las Vegas, USA)
It may have been around since 1997, but its arresting profile on the glittering Las Vegas Strip still continues to take breaths away — no mean feat when its neighbours include such Sin City legends as the Bellagio and MGM Grand.

ICEHOTEL (Jukkasjarvi, Sweden)
Every year, thousands of visitors make the trek over frozen landscapes to drink at the hotel’s Absolut Icebar (where cocktails are served in glasses chipped out of pure ice), wander through the hotel’s crystalline passages and spend the night in temperatures that can dip to as low as -8°C.

AYDINLI CAVE HOUSE (Goreme, Turkey)
This hotel retains many of the original rock-cut features of this former residence for authenticity, while updating the facilities with contemporary comforts.

Chairman of Sincere Brand Management, Kevin Chau, shares the latest news on Franck Muller and the effects of the recession on the watch industry.

What is the key to Franck Muller’s success?
Franck is the father of new watchmaking. Less than two decades ago, you only saw traditional brands that were quite conservative in their approach to watchmaking. He was able to combine traditional watchmaking with a new look and more creativity in terms of the shape of the watch, colour of the dial, strap, size and a different way of telling time.

Why did you open your second standalone Franck Muller boutique at Ion Orchard?
The Ion boutique is inevitable because in Singapore, shopping is concentrated around Orchard Road. Franck Muller will also be in the Integrated Resort to give us access to a different level of clientele. Buying habits are very different in a casino — you are less likely to haggle with the price because it’s easy money. People will be very different from before, as they come from around the region.

Tell us about the new Conquistador Singapore Grand Prix 2009 Racing Chronograph.
This is something completely new for the brand in terms of casing and size. We’re making 80 watches in rose gold and titanium. The other one will be in a new material called ergal and titanium, also 80 pieces, each with the Singapore GP logo on the back.

What has been your biggest challenge?
Maintaining a competitive edge and coming up with products that can still excite buyers. I need to make sure that people share the same passion as I have for the brand, and to come up with good people behind me to take it forward.