Interweaving Generations: Changing Perspectives on Piano Performance
What does it mean to shape the future of classical piano performance today? Bringing together Prof Albert Tiu, YST’s Head of Piano Studies and Artistic Director of the Singapore International Piano Festival 2026, and pianist Vincent Ong, this conversation explores how programming choices can open up new perspectives on the piano repertoire, challenge established concert traditions, and create opportunities for emerging artists.
Through his innovative programming at the Singapore International Piano Festival, Tiu brings diverse musical approaches and pianistic voices into dialogue, creating fresh ways for audiences to experience the piano. Ong, who became the first Malaysian finalist and laureate of the International Chopin Piano Competition in 2025, brings the perspective of a younger pianist navigating an evolving international musical landscape. He will also be performing in Singapore under Altenburg Arts, offering a timely opportunity to consider how pianists build their artistic identities and engage with the traditions they inherit.
Prof Albert Tiu
Born in Cebu, Philippines, Albert Tiu has been called “an artist of uncommon abilities” by American Record Guide. His Centaur recording, “Grand Russian”, pairing Tchaikovsky’s Grand Sonata and Rachmaninoff’s First Sonata, was cited in ARG: “Even with some legendary competition in this repertoire, Tiu stands tall with his interpretations and technical accomplishment.”
A Professor and the Head of Piano Studies at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore, he holds the Madeline Goh Professorship in Piano. Tiu is a prizewinner of competitions in Calgary (Honens), Santander (Paloma O’Shea) and Helsinki (Maj Lind). He won First Prize and two special prizes, for Best Mozart Concerto and Best Piano Concerto, in the 1996 UNISA International Piano Competition in Pretoria, South Africa.
A graduate of the Juilliard School, he has performed with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Hamburg Symphony, Finnish Radio Symphony, Gstaad Festival Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic and Winnipeg Symphony. In 2005, Tiu gave the Singapore premiere of Samuel Barber’s Piano Concerto with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. Known for his innovative programming, he has presented thought-provoking thematic recitals: “Nocturnal Fantasies”, and “Chopin: Before & Beyond”.
His collaboration with Qin Li-Wei on Decca (Beethoven and Rachmaninov), Kam Ning on Meridian (American violin works), and Zhang Manchin on Centaur (Brahms Viola Sonatas) have garnered praise. He has also performed with Pierre Amoyal and Nobuko Imai in recitals.
YST Conservatory of Music
Vincent Ong
Malaysian pianist Vincent Ong has established himself as one of the country’s leading classical musicians. Born in Penang, he began studying piano at the age of four and later trained under Maestro Ng Chong Lim and Professor Natalia Trull of the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. His early achievements include winning the International Taipei Maestro Piano Festival in 2018 and performing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No 1 at the Taipei National Concert Hall the following year. In 2024, he won First Prize at Germany’s prestigious Robert Schumann International Competition. In 2026, Ong made history as Malaysia’s first-ever finalist and fifth-prize winner at the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition, widely regarded as the world’s most prestigious piano competition.