tiu

Albert Tiu (Associate Professor of Piano, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music)

Born in Cebu, Philippines, Albert Tiu has been described as “an artist of uncommon abilities” by American Record Guide. His 2010 recording on Centaur Records, “Nocturnal Fantasies”, featuring the music of Chopin and Skryabin, has received glowing reviews. This “compelling and poetically imaginative recording” (Clavier Companion) has been dubbed “one of the all-time great piano recordings” (Fanfare). Gramophone hailed it as “performances where heart and mind unite in a deeply affecting union.” According to American Record Guide, “this is one of the most inventive recital programs I have ever seen or heard. He has the heart and soul of a true romantic pianist, as well as an abundance of technical skills. He can float a delicate melody one moment and rise to an impressive and exciting climax the next. He is a pianist I would go out of my way to hear in concert, and I will look for his future recordings.”

Other recording projects include 2 discs on Decca with cellist Qin Li-Wei, showcasing the complete cello works of Rachmaninov, and the Beethoven Sonatas, for which they were nominated in the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Awards in 2010. He collaborated with violinist Kam Ning on "Road Movies", a disc featuring American composers John Corigliano, John Adams, and John Novacek, released by Meridian Records (UK) in 2013. Soon to be released is another disc on Centaur with clarinetist Marcel Luxen and music by the “Germanic Giants”—Brahms, Schumann and Weber.

Currently an Associate Professor of Piano at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, he studied with Jerome Lowenthal at the Juilliard School, Michael Lewin at the Boston Conservatory, John Winther at the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, and Nita Abrogar-Quinto at the University of the Philippines. An early period of rebellious youth led to his dismissal from the Philippine High School for the Arts, after which he flourished with Nelly Castro in Cebu. In 1996, he won First Prize and two concerto prizes in the UNISA International Piano Competition in Pretoria. He is also a prize-winner in Calgary (Honens), Santander (Paloma O’Shea) and Helsinki (Maj Lind).

Known for his passion for innovative programming, he frequently presents recitals with themes like “The Classical Elements” (Earth, Air, Water and Fire), “Chopin without Chopin” (music by Godowsky, Busoni and Rachmaninov influenced by Chopin), and “Bee Flat” (the two Sonatas in B-flat by Beethoven). He has appeared with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Hamburg Symphony, Finnish Radio Symphony, Gstaad Festival Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic, Winnipeg Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, Johannesburg Philharmonic, Cape Town Philharmonic and Philippine Philharmonic. In 2005, he gave the Singapore premiere of Samuel Barber’s Piano Concerto with the Singapore Symphony under Tang Muhai.

After a short teaching stint in the Pre-College Division of the Juilliard School, Albert joined the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory in 2003 as one of the pioneering faculty members. His students have distinguished themselves in competitions in Singapore, including winning the 1st Prize in the last three National Piano and Violin Competitions in the Artist Category, as well as in international competitions in Denmark, Italy, Japan and New Zealand. Under his guidance, several of them have made their orchestral debut with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Festival Orchestra, Metropolitan Festival Orchestra, Vietnam National Orchestra and the Silesian Philharmonic Orchestra.

Website - www.nus.edu.sg/music/01d_aboutus_faculty.03_2.html