Nancy Tsou was born to a diplomatic family of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Her father was the well-known scholar, Chou Yun-ting, who was honoured in Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China. Her mother was the accomplished traditional painter, Jane Chou, who has exhibited widely in Asia and Australia. Born in South Africa, Nancy began her musical education with piano lessons in the Argentine and continued her studies in Canberra and Melbourne. Her repertoire includes piano music by Chopin, Mozart, Granados, Albeniz, and more recently Piazzola. Nancy completed a Master of Music in performance at the University of Melbourne and has toured Australia and China extensively as a recitalist and lecturer. She presently examines for the Australian Music Examinations Board.
Academic
M. Mus, B. Mus. (Hons.), University of Melbourne. Additional study with the Moscow Conservatoire. Studied with Laza Berman, Oxana Yablonskaya, Ronald Farren-Price and Alexander Semetsky. Active recitalist in Asia and Australia. Performed over 200 solo recitals. Debut recording 1989, Newmarket Label. 1989-92 lecturer and tutor in Keyboard, Monash University and Melbourne Conservatorium, University of Melbourne 1988-91. Lecturer in 'History of Western Music', extension studies, University of Melbourne. Areas of research include: Pedagogy, Performance Practice, Speculative Music in the tradition of Pythagoras, Australian Music and Ethnomusicology. Undertaken two years of PhD research in the 'performance practice of Chopin'. Given Papers at ' music pedagogy conferrnce'in Sydney.
RECORDINGS
- The Latin Muse - soon to be released on Move Records.
- The Complete Chopin Preludes Op. 28, Nos 1-24 soon to be released on Move Records.
Aesthetic
The poet W.B. Yeats spoke of certain people ‘who do whatever task's most difficult/among tasks not impossible.’ Playing the music of Chopin with spirit before an audience is one such task. It has the same relation to the economic order in which we live as a butterfly does to the law of the jungle. But of course the energies, which create the butterfly are quite as strong and indestructible as those which produce the alligator and the anaconda. There will always be people to do what Nancy does and people to hear. And it will always be a miracle.
Positions Held
- Pianist in Residence, Trinity College.
- Artist in Residence, Bendigo College of Advanced Education
- Lecturer in Piano, University of Melbourne
- Lecturer in Piano, Monash University
- Staff, Faculty of Creative Arts, University of Wollongong
Recital Highlights
- National Gallery of Victoria
- National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
- Castlemaine State Festival
- Gold Coast Performing Arts Complex
- Canberra School of Music
- Bendigo Art Gallery
- Melba Hall, Conservatorium of Music, University of Melbourne
- Concert tours of Australia & China
- Brunswick Beethoven Festival
- Woodend Winter Arts Festival
- Bendigo Easter Fair
- Como House, Toorak
- Chinese Arts Festival, City of Melbourne
- Whitehorse Symphony Orchestra
- Guest artist, Victorian Wind Quintet, Victorian String Quartet
- Numerous radio and television broadcasts throughout Australia