張小惠 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. A recipient of Juilliard’s William Petschek Award and a prizewinner of competitions in Calgary (Honens), Helsinki (Maj Lind) and Santander (Paloma O’Shea), he won the First Prize and two concerto prizes in the 1996 UNISA International Piano Competition in Pretoria, South Africa. 

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, Gstaad Festival Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia, Calgary Philharmonic, Winnipeg Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, Johannesburg Philharmonic, and Philippine Philharmonic. In 2005, he gave the Singapore premiere of Samuel Barber’s Piano Concerto with the Singapore Symphony under Tang Muhai. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he performed Mozart’s Piano Concerto K.488 with the Singapore Symphony and Hans Graf in their first concert in January 2021 after a lengthy lockdown.

Other recording projects include collaborations with violist Zhang Manchin in the Brahms Viola Sonatas, and with tenor Alan Bennett in Schubert’s “Winterreise”, both on Centaur; with violinist Kam Ning in “Road Movies”, a Meridian disc featuring American composers; and with cellist Qin Li-Wei, in two discs on Decca of Beethoven and Rachmaninov. He has also collaborated with violinists Maxim Vengerov and Pierre Amoyal, and violist Nobuko Imai, in recitals.

His “Tiudents” have distinguished themselves in competitions and festivals around the world, and they have pursued further studies in North America and Europe. Aside from teaching, he has adjudicated in international piano competitions in the United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Lithuania, New Zealand, Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore.

Most recently, he was appointed the Artistic Director of the Singapore International Piano Festival, starting from 2026.