Albert Tiu
Encyclopedia
Albert Tiu is a Filipino
classical pianist from the province
of Cebu
in the Philippines
.
, Albert first learned to play the piano at the age of five through his sister. At the age of eleven, he was accepted at the Philippine High School for the Arts, a government-run school for the musically gifted at the National Arts Center
, in Mount Makiling
, Laguna
province.
He studied piano with Nita Quinto at the University of the Philippines College of Music
, with John Winther in the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
, and with Michael Lewin at the Boston Conservatory
. In 1996, he received his Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School
, where he was a scholar and student of Jerome Lowenthal
.
Between 1996 and 2002, Albert participated in piano competitions, winning First Prizes at the 1996 Unisa Piano Competition in South Africa
and the 2000 Web Concert Hall Piano Competition in the U.S. He also won prizes in Calgary (Honens), Helsinki (Maj Lind), Santander (Paloma O'Shea), and special awards for his performance of Mozart Piano Concerto K595
and the Rechmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2
at the Unisa Competition (see list below).
His performance highlights include soloist with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Hamburg Symphony
, Finnish Radio Symphony
, Gstaad Festival Orchestra, Baden-Baden Philharmonic, Northern Sinfonia
(England), Calgary Philharmonic
, Winnipeg Symphony
, Louisiana Philharmonic
, Michigan Chamber Symphony, Johannesburg Philharmonic, Cape Town Philharmonic, Guangzhou Symphony
, Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra
and Juilliard Symphony.
He has settled in Singapore
, where he is an Assistant Professor at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory, National University of Singapore
, and member of the Singapore Music Teachers' Association where he was a Vice President.
; "Bee Flat", featuring the two Sonatas in B-flat (Op.22 and Op.106) by Beethoven; and "Chopin without Chopin", featuring some of Leopold Godowsky
's Studies on Chopin's Études
, the Skryabin Polonaise and the Busoni and Rachmaninov Variations on the same C-minor Prelude.
As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with violinists Pierre Amoyal
, Cho-Liang Lin
, Robert McDuffie
and Qian Zhou, violist Nobuko Imai
, cellist Qin Li Wei, the T'ang Quartet
, the St. Lawrence Quartet
, the Australian String Quartet
, and in duo-piano concerts with Thomas Hecht. In January 2005, he and the T'ang Quartet
played together in a fund-raising concert at Victoria Concert Hall
, Concert for Hope, to aid the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami
.
In August 2005, he gave the Singapore premiere of Samuel Barber
’s Piano Concerto
with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra
under conductor Tang Muhai at the Esplanade Concert Hall
.
In September 2007, after suffering a dislocated left thumb from a bicycle accident, he performed an entire recital with his right hand alone. Albert arranged eight of Chopin preludes for the right hand and played a commissioned piece by Kawai Shiu.
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
classical pianist from the province
Provinces of the Philippines
The Provinces of the Philippines are the primary political and administrative divisions of the Philippines. There are 80 provinces at present, further subdivided into component cities and municipalities. The National Capital Region, as well as independent cities, are autonomous from any provincial...
of Cebu
Cebu
Cebu is a province in the Philippines, consisting of Cebu Island and 167 surrounding islands. It is located to the east of Negros, to the west of Leyte and Bohol islands...
in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
Biography
Born in 1969 in CebuCebu
Cebu is a province in the Philippines, consisting of Cebu Island and 167 surrounding islands. It is located to the east of Negros, to the west of Leyte and Bohol islands...
, Albert first learned to play the piano at the age of five through his sister. At the age of eleven, he was accepted at the Philippine High School for the Arts, a government-run school for the musically gifted at the National Arts Center
National Arts Center
The National Arts Center is a sanctuary for young and aspiring Filipino artists that is located in Mount Makiling, Los Baños, Laguna, the Philippines.The Center was established in 1976 by First Lady Imelda Marcos as a haven for young and aspiring artists...
, in Mount Makiling
Mount Makiling
Mount Makiling, also rarely Mount Maquiling, is a potentially active volcano in Laguna province on the island of Luzon, Philippines. It rises to 1,090 m above mean sea level.-Legend:...
, Laguna
Laguna
Laguna may refer to:* Laguna Pueblo, a Native American people of the southwestern United States- Asia :* Laguna , Philippines, a province of the Philippines found in the CALABARZON region in Luzon...
province.
He studied piano with Nita Quinto at the University of the Philippines College of Music
University of the Philippines College of Music
The University of the Philippines College of Music, Diliman, previously referred to as the U. P. Conservatory of Music is an autonomous unit of the University of the Philippines Diliman. Its first dean is Francisco Santiago from the town of Sta. Maria, Bulacan, Philippines....
, with John Winther in the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts , located near the north coast of Wan Chai on the Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong, is both an academic institution and a venue for performances....
, and with Michael Lewin at the Boston Conservatory
Boston Conservatory
The Boston Conservatory is a performing arts conservatory located in the Fenway-Kenmore region of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in music, dance and musical theater...
. In 1996, he received his Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
, where he was a scholar and student of Jerome Lowenthal
Jerome Lowenthal
Jerome Lowenthal is an American classical pianist. He is a professor of piano at the Juilliard School in New York, where he was also chair of the piano department. Additionally, Lowenthal is on the faculty at Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California.He made his debut at 13 with the...
.
Between 1996 and 2002, Albert participated in piano competitions, winning First Prizes at the 1996 Unisa Piano Competition in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and the 2000 Web Concert Hall Piano Competition in the U.S. He also won prizes in Calgary (Honens), Helsinki (Maj Lind), Santander (Paloma O'Shea), and special awards for his performance of Mozart Piano Concerto K595
Piano Concerto No. 27 (Mozart)
The Piano Concerto No. 27 in B flat major, K. 595, is a concertante work by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, for piano or fortepiano and orchestra, the last piano concerto he wrote.-Time of composition:The manuscript is dated 5 January 1791...
and the Rechmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2
Piano Concerto No. 2 (Rachmaninoff)
The Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18, is a concerto for piano and orchestra composed by Sergei Rachmaninoff between the autumn of 1900 and April 1901. The second and third movements were first performed with the composer as soloist on 2 December 1900...
at the Unisa Competition (see list below).
His performance highlights include soloist with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Hamburg Symphony
Hamburger Symphoniker
The Hamburger Symphoniker is a German orchestra based in Hamburg, Germany. Founded in 1957, it is one of the city's three largest orchestras...
, Finnish Radio Symphony
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra
The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra is a Finnish orchestra based in Helsinki, and is the chief radio orchestra of the Finnish Broadcasting Company . The orchestra primarily gives concerts at the Helsinki Music Centre...
, Gstaad Festival Orchestra, Baden-Baden Philharmonic, Northern Sinfonia
Northern Sinfonia
The Northern Sinfonia is a British chamber orchestra, based initially in Newcastle upon Tyne, and currently in Gateshead. For the first 46 years of its history, the orchestra gave the bulk of its concerts at the City Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne. Since 2004, the orchestra has been resident at The...
(England), Calgary Philharmonic
Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra
The Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra is a Canadian orchestra, based in Calgary, Alberta. The orchestra gives the majority of its performances in the Jack Singer Concert Hall of the EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts...
, Winnipeg Symphony
Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra is a Canadian orchestra based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Its primary concert venue is the Centennial Concert Hall, and the orchestra also performs throughout the province of Manitoba.-History:...
, Louisiana Philharmonic
Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra
The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra is an American orchestra based in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the only full-time, professional orchestra in the Gulf South. The music director is Carlos Miguel Prieto....
, Michigan Chamber Symphony, Johannesburg Philharmonic, Cape Town Philharmonic, Guangzhou Symphony
Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra
The Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra is based in Guangzhou, Guangdong. It was founded in 1957.The orchestra's current artistic director is Long Yu...
, Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra
Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra
The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra is the nation's leading symphony orchestra and a resident company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines , located on Manila's shoreline...
and Juilliard Symphony.
He has settled in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, where he is an Assistant Professor at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory, National University of Singapore
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
, and member of the Singapore Music Teachers' Association where he was a Vice President.
Competitions
- 1996 Honens International Piano CompetitionHonens International Piano CompetitionCanada's Honens International Piano Competition is a leader in discovering and launching the careers of young concert pianists. It searches for Complete Artists – 21st century musicians for 21st century audiences – and awards its Laureates the competition world's largest cash prize and most...
in CalgaryCalgaryCalgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Second - 1996 UNISA Competition in PretoriaPretoriaPretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
, South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, First - 1998 Paloma O'Shea International Piano CompetitionPaloma O'Shea International Piano CompetitionThe Paloma O'Shea International Piano Competition is a piano competition taking place in Santander, Spain every three years, organized by the Albéniz Foundation...
in SantanderSantander, CantabriaThe port city of Santander is the capital of the autonomous community and historical region of Cantabria situated on the north coast of Spain. Located east of Gijón and west of Bilbao, the city has a population of 183,446 .-History:...
, SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Laureate - 2000 Web Concert Hall Competition, First
- 2002 Maj Lind Piano Competition in HelsinkiHelsinkiHelsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, Fifth
Notable live performances
He is noted for his interesting thematic programming, coming up with recital programmes entitled "Nocturnal Fantasies", alternating similarly titled pieces (with similar keys as well) by Chopin and ScriabinAlexander Scriabin
Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin was a Russian composer and pianist who initially developed a lyrical and idiosyncratic tonal language inspired by the music of Frédéric Chopin. Quite independent of the innovations of Arnold Schoenberg, Scriabin developed an increasingly atonal musical system,...
; "Bee Flat", featuring the two Sonatas in B-flat (Op.22 and Op.106) by Beethoven; and "Chopin without Chopin", featuring some of Leopold Godowsky
Leopold Godowsky
Leopold Godowsky was a famed Polish American pianist, composer, and teacher. One of the most highly regarded performers of his time, he became known for his theories concerning the application of relaxed weight and economy of motion in piano playing, principles later propagated by Godowsky's...
's Studies on Chopin's Études
Studies on Chopin's Etudes
The Studies on Chopin's Études, by Leopold Godowsky, is a set of 53 arrangements of Chopin's études. The Studies on Chopin's Études, by Leopold Godowsky, is a set of 53 arrangements of Chopin's études. The Studies on Chopin's Études, by Leopold Godowsky, is a set of 53 arrangements of Chopin's...
, the Skryabin Polonaise and the Busoni and Rachmaninov Variations on the same C-minor Prelude.
As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with violinists Pierre Amoyal
Pierre Amoyal
Pierre Amoyal , is a French violinist. He studied at the Conservatoire de Paris, graduating at age 12 with a First Prize . He then won the Ginette Neveu Prize in 1963, and the Paganini Prize in 1964. At age 17, he traveled to Los Angeles for five years of study with Jascha Heifetz, which...
, Cho-Liang Lin
Cho-Liang Lin
Cho-Liang Lin , born in Hsinchu, Taiwan, is a Taiwanese American violinist who is renowned for his appearances as a soloist with major orchestras. "Musical America" named him its "Instrumentalist of the Year" in 2000...
, Robert McDuffie
Robert McDuffie
Robert McDuffie is an internationally renowned violinist. He has played as a soloist with many of the major orchestras around the world including those of New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Montreal, Toronto, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Minnesota, Houston, St...
and Qian Zhou, violist Nobuko Imai
Nobuko Imai
, is a Japanese classical violist with an extensive career as soloist and chamber musician. Since 1988 she plays an Andrea Guarneri of 1690.-Biography:...
, cellist Qin Li Wei, the T'ang Quartet
T'ang Quartet
The T'ang String Quartet is a Singapore-based classical string quartet that has played to critical acclaim.- Biography :The T’ang String Quartet comprises Ng Yu-Ying , Ang Chek Meng , Lionel Tan and Leslie Tan . The Tang Quartet was formed in 1992 when the members were still performers with...
, the St. Lawrence Quartet
St. Lawrence Quartet
The St. Lawrence Quartet is a Canadian string quartet, and one of Canada's premiere chamber ensembles. It was founded in 1989 and has served residencies at the Juilliard School, Yale University, the University of Toronto, the Hartt School, and Stanford University...
, the Australian String Quartet
Australian String Quartet
The Australian String Quartet is a prominent Australian string quartet, which presents an annual program of chamber music throughout Australia and internationally....
, and in duo-piano concerts with Thomas Hecht. In January 2005, he and the T'ang Quartet
T'ang Quartet
The T'ang String Quartet is a Singapore-based classical string quartet that has played to critical acclaim.- Biography :The T’ang String Quartet comprises Ng Yu-Ying , Ang Chek Meng , Lionel Tan and Leslie Tan . The Tang Quartet was formed in 1992 when the members were still performers with...
played together in a fund-raising concert at Victoria Concert Hall
Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall
The Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall is a complex of two buildings and a clock tower joined together by a common corridor and is located in the civic district of Singapore...
, Concert for Hope, to aid the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
.
In August 2005, he gave the Singapore premiere of Samuel Barber
Samuel Barber
Samuel Osborne Barber II was an American composer of orchestral, opera, choral, and piano music. His Adagio for Strings is his most popular composition and widely considered a masterpiece of modern classical music...
’s Piano Concerto
Piano Concerto (Barber)
The Piano Concerto, Op. 38, by Samuel Barber was commissioned by the music publishing company G. Schirmer in honor of the hundredth anniversary of their founding...
with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra
Singapore Symphony Orchestra
The Singapore Symphony Orchestra is a 96 members professional symphony orchestra. Its main performing venue is the Esplanade Concert Hall in Singapore although it has also toured widely in Asia, Europe and the United States...
under conductor Tang Muhai at the Esplanade Concert Hall
Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay
Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay is a waterside building located on six hectares of waterfront land alongside Marina Bay near the mouth of the Singapore River, purpose-built to be the centre for performing arts for the island nation of Singapore...
.
In September 2007, after suffering a dislocated left thumb from a bicycle accident, he performed an entire recital with his right hand alone. Albert arranged eight of Chopin preludes for the right hand and played a commissioned piece by Kawai Shiu.
Personal life
Albert Tiu is married to his wife Susan, and they have two children, Alexander and Lauren.Discography
- Sentimyento [Sentiment](2000), with Joseph Esmilla on the violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
assisted by Albert Tiu, Bookmark Audio. - The Clarinetist Composer (2001) is a compilation of clarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
music composed by another clarinetist. David Hattner (clarinet) accompanied by Albert Tiu (piano), Northbranch Records. - Variations: Albert Tiu, Honens International Piano Competition Laureate Series (2002), Arktos Recordings Limited, Canada.
- "Salamisim" (Reminiscence) (2002), a collection of short and popular romanticRomantic musicRomantic music or music in the Romantic Period is a musicological and artistic term referring to a particular period, theory, compositional practice, and canon in Western music history, from 1810 to 1900....
pieces released by Bookmark Audio Philippines. - Concierto para trio (2003) is a collection of pieces by Spanish and South American classical composers performed by Triode, a piano trioPiano trioA piano trio is a group of piano and two other instruments, usually a violin and a cello, or a piece of music written for such a group. It is one of the most common forms found in classical chamber music...
composed of Albert Tiu (piano), Joseph Esmilla (violin) and Sean Katsuyama (celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
), Northbrach Records. - Kawai Shiu: unassuming music (2007) is a compilation of music by composer Kawai Shiu with Albert performing "La coral de una mano alberto", a piece for right hand, Ablaze Records.
- Beethoven: The Cello Sonatas (2010), the five cello sonatas of Beethoven with cellist Li-Wei Qin and Tiu (piano), Decca.
- Nocturnal Fantasies (2011) is a solo piano collection of works by Chopin and Scriabin, pairing and alternating similar pieces by the two composers, Centaur Records.
Reviews
- For his 2002 recording on Canadian label Arktos, Variations, the American Record GuideAmerican Record GuideThe American Record Guide is a classical music magazine. It has reviewed classical music recordings since 1935.Since 1992, with the incorporation of the Musical America editorial functions into ARG, it started covering concerts, musicians, ensembles and orchestras in the US.The magazine prides...
described him as "an artist of uncommon abilities".
- Adam Baer of The New RepublicThe New RepublicThe magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
commented, "Tiu plays with this notion in his mind and in his fingers. While he expresses motifs artfully thought out well ahead of performance time, Tiu, like the world's best artists, eventually allows his heart to take over and lets go."
- American Record GuideAmerican Record GuideThe American Record Guide is a classical music magazine. It has reviewed classical music recordings since 1935.Since 1992, with the incorporation of the Musical America editorial functions into ARG, it started covering concerts, musicians, ensembles and orchestras in the US.The magazine prides...
on "Nocturnal Fantasies", Centaur: "this is one of the most inventive recital programs I have ever seen or heard. Chopin and Scriabin work so well together that I'm surprised that I rarely see them combined on one disc - and never as well as this. 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. His writing, based on superb program notes, supports his program-building ability quite nicely. He is a pianist I would go out of my way to hear in concert, and I will look for his future recordings."
External links
- Albert Tiu web site from Musical Online
- Albert Tiu's Repertoire
- Audio: Albert Tiu's performances at the 2001 Web Concert Hall Competition