Prof. Albert Tiu

Born in Cebu, Philippines, Albert Tiu has been called “an artist of uncommon abilities” by American Record Guide. His last Centaur recording, “Grand Russian”, pairing Tchaikovsky’s Grand Sonata and Rachmaninov’s 1st Sonata, was cited in ARG: “Even with some legendary competition in this repertoire, Tiu stands tall with his interpretations and technical accomplishment.” A previous disc, “The Classical Elements”, featuring twenty pieces grouped under Earth, Air, Water and Fire, was rated 5 Stars in International Piano and praised by Fanfare for a “fascinating recital containing some stunning playing.”

Head of Piano Studies at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore, he holds the Madeline Goh Professorship in Piano. He studied with Jerome Lowenthal at the Juilliard School, with Michael Lewin at Boston Conservatory, and with Nita Abrogar-Quinto and Nelly Castro in the Philippines. He is a recipient of Juilliard’s William Petschek Award and a prizewinner of competitions in Pretoria (UNISA), Calgary (Honens), Helsinki (Maj Lind) and Santander (Paloma O’Shea).

Known for his innovative programming, he has presented thought-provoking thematic recitals, like “Chopin: Before & Beyond” (works that influenced Chopin and works inspired by Chopin), and “Bee Flat” (the two Sonatas in B-flat by Beethoven). He has performed with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Hamburg Symphony, Finnish Radio Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Winnipeg Symphony, and Philippine Philharmonic. In 2005, he gave the Singapore premiere of Samuel Barber’s Piano Concerto with the Singapore Symphony and Tang Muhai. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he performed Mozart’s Piano Concerto K.488 with the SSO and Hans Graf in their first concert in January 2021.