Biography
Declan Tse is a pianist, pedagogue, and collaborative artist who performs extensively in Asia, Europe, and North America.
An award-winning pianist, Declan is the first-prize winner of the Brookings Harbor music competition and the GCC Series Piano Concerto Competition. His performances were broadcast on KCIW radio program “Coastal Classics” and RTHK Radio 4 “Youth in Harmony”. He was the guest artist in numerous concert series including the Tutunov Series at the Oregon Centre for the Arts, the American Guild of Organist Keyboard Concert Series, the Season of Joy Series, and the St. Patrick Catholic Church Friday Concert Series. He was frequently invited to collaborate with renowned composers and premiere new music, including Jane Kozhevnikova, Matt Shervy, Bonnie Yung, Benjamin Ng, and Hiu-Ying Cheung. His performances have taken him to major performance venues such as the Hong Kong Cultural Center, Hong Kong City Hall, Oregon Center for the Arts, Église Saint-Étienne de Campoussy, and the University of Florida Auditorium, and Palais universitaire d’Angers.
Declan formed the Tse’s Duo with his wife Tiffany Fung in 2018 and established a piano duet series in Gainesville, FL. They have made their presence to Pablo Casals Festival, and the University of Florida International Piano Festival, and the Music of Women Composer Concert Series. Besides this partnership, he has taken part in a range of chamber music concerts and is frequently sought after as a piano accompanist. He was the pianist of the SONI ensemble and a studio accompanist at the University of Florida. He worked closely with the choirs in the First United Methodist Church (Ashland, OR), the First Presbyterian Church (Gainesville, FL), and the Gethsemane Lutheran Church (Gainesville, FL).
Declan was the Instructor of Record of the Secondary Piano and Applied Piano at the University of Florida. Besides his sought-after sessions at the college, he teaches students of all ages and background where many of them are award-winning and continue to pursue music education at universities. Some of the recent achievements of his students include UFIPF First Prize, FSMTA Piano Competition First Prize (Regional level), Performance in Masterclass at Stanton University Piano Festival, and Distinctions in ABRSM Piano Examinations. Declan is a member of the Music Teacher National Association.
His specialty in Arts in Public Health and enthusiasm in connecting to the community lead him to research and performances in regional and local public health facilities, senior communities, and churches. He was the founder and director of Melody of Caring: Music Project for Staff in Assisted-Living Facility, a music initiative to support the mental and emotional well-being of caregivers through musical activities and workshops. He has also shared his music in Oak Hammock, Palm Garden, Mount Meadows, and Rogue Valley Manor.
Declan was awarded full assistantships to pursue a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance at the University of Florida and a Master of Music in Piano Performance at Southern Oregon University. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in music from Hong Kong Baptist University. His principal teachers include Jasmin Arakawa, Nancy Loo, and Alexander Tutunov. He was the recipient of the Cascade International Scholarship and Brookings Harbour Music scholarship in 2021, and the Consul-General of France in Hong Kong and Macau Language Scholarship Award in 2017.
