Kenneth Tse
Associate Professor
Saxophone
Phone: (319) 335-1660
Office: 2046 VMB
kenneth-tse@uiowa.edu
Saxophone Studio Web Site

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Kenneth Tse

Recognized as one of the leading saxophonists in the world, Kenneth Tse [cheh] has been called "a brilliant saxophonist," and "worthy of any stage in the world" by his former teacher, world-renowned saxophonist and pedagogue, Eugene Rousseau. French saxophone master Jean-Marie Londeix praised his playing with these words, "I appreciate particularly the quality of the tone, the perfect tuning, and the musical intelligence..."

Upon his 1996 Carnegie Hall debut, The New York Times heralded Tse as "a young virtuoso." The Herald Times described his playing as "virtuosic brilliance" with a "beauteous, ever-so-smooth voice." The Saxophone Journal observed, "Every aspect of saxophone performance has been refined to the 'nth' degree: His ability to bring out the lyricism of any line no matter how active or convoluted is breath taking." And the Fanfare magazine praised, "Hong Kong-born Kenneth Tse is of the caliber of instrumentalists whose very sound is captivating." American Record Guide echoed with, "supremely elegant tone...sheer virtuosity."

As a Yamaha Performing Artist and Vandoren endorsed artist, Tse is an active international performer and clinician. He has appeared as a soloist with the Des Moines Symphony, United States Navy Band, Slovenian Army Band, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Hong Kong Wind Philharmonia, Indiana University Wind Ensemble, Baylor University Wind Ensemble, Emory University Wind Ensemble, Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony, University of Iowa Symphony Band and Symphony Orchestra, among others. He has also given master classes/lectures at major universities in the United States and abroad and conferences such as the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinics.

Recent event highlights include: Featured soloist with the Slovenian Army Band at the XIV World Saxophone Congress in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Guest soloist with the US Navy Band, featured solo performance at the 2006 NASA National Conference, guest professor at the 7th Faenza International Saxophone Festival in Italy, Recital at XingHai Concert Hall in GuangZhou, China, solo performance with Eugene Rousseau and the UI Symphony Band at the IBA conference in Des Moines, IA, featured guest artist at the Melbourne International Festival of Single Reed, Guest clinician at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Conference, featured soloist at the 13th Asia & Pacific Band Festival in Jeju, Korea. Guest recital and master class at the 2004 Changchun International Clarinet and Saxophone Festival in China. The first classical saxophone recital/master class tour in Ipoh, Kota Kinabalu, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

An active recording artist, Tse has released seven critically acclaimed commercial solo recordings on Crystal Records, RIAX Records, Enharmonic Records and Arizona University Recordings. Paul Wagner, a critic of his recordings, wrote, "Kenneth Tse is a phenomenal saxophonist with incredible technical and interpretive skills. His tone is absolutely lovely. His fingers are precise and rapid. His interpretive skills are excellent having the ability to create vast aural fantasies in the listeners musical soul. The true magic of music is to take a series of ink blots on a piece of paper and turn them into temporal living entities that almost lives and breathes. And in this case, Kenneth Tse is the 'master magician.'"

An advocate for new music, Tse has had several works dedicated to him. They include saxophone concertos, sonatas, solo works, and chamber music by David DeBoor Canfield, John Cheetham, David Froom, Perry Goldstein, Ketty Nez, and Leonard Mark Lewis. Tse has also premiered solo and chamber works by the famed Czech composer Jindrich Feld, whose music has become his specialty.

Kenneth Tse has received numerous awards and grants including the prestigious Hong Kong Jockey Club scholarship, New York Music Performance Trust Fund, Indiana University Marcel Mule Scholarship, U. of Iowa CD Subvention fund and AHI Grant, Barlow Commission Fund (2003 and 2004), as well as an honorary life membership from the Contemporary Record Society. As a winner of the Artists International Competition, Tse gave his acclaimed debut recital at the Carnegie Hall. He made another appearance at Carnegie after receiving the Alex Award from the National Alliance for Excellence.

Tse is currently the associate professor of saxophone at The University of Iowa and serves as the Membership Director for the North American Saxophone Alliance. He holds degrees from Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Indiana University (B.M., M.M. and A.D.) and University of Illinois, Champaign-Urban (D.M.A.); additional study is with Debra Richtmeyer. He was the first saxophonist to receive the prestigious Artist Diploma from the Indiana University School of Music, and was the youngest winner of the saxophone concerto competition. His saxophone arrangements are published through Reed Music in Australia. His articles have been featured in the Saxophone Journal, Saxophone Symposium, Iowa Bandmaster Association Journal and Yamaha Education Series.

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Last updated 2-jan-07