Seventeen-year-old Connor Tsui just graduated from 12th grade at Trinity School NYC. He is a merit scholar on the Dean’s list in the pre-college program at Manhattan School of Music, studying with Ole Akahoshi. He graduated from the Special Music School of America in June 2016, where he studied with Vladimir Pantaleyev for 8 years.
Raised in New York city, Connor has performed in all 4 concert halls of Lincoln Center: as boy soprano soloist with the Metropolitan Opera Children’s Chorus for many years; as soloist with the NY Philharmonic, making his debut in 2014; at Alice Tully Hall with Chamber Music Society’s Young Musicians Program; and at David Koch Theater as part of New York City Opera’s children chorus. Connor has also performed many times at Carnegie Hall in the Isaac Stern Auditorium and Weill recital halls, at the Rose Theater at Lincoln Center, Morse Hall at Juilliard, Merkin Hall in NYC, at the Musikverein in Vienna, Museo di Stradivari in Cremona, the Chan Center in Vancouver, as well as many other concert halls in USA, Europe and Australia.
Connor has won many international and domestic competitions including winning the concerto competition with Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Institute and playing with the University of British Columbia Chamber Orchestra in June 2019, winning the regional round of the Osaka International Competition in Weyer Austria in July 2019, winning 1st prize in the 2020 Golden Classical Music Awards International Competition with a performance at Carnegie Hall in March 2020, placing 2nd in the Concert Artist International Virtuoso Competition with a performance at Weill Hall, Carnegie Hall on March 8 2019, winning 1st prize in the Art of Strings, Art of Chamber Music, Masters of Cello Sonata & Masters of Cello Concerto competitions in October and November 2019, placing 2nd in the Best Performances of Dvorak, Shostakovich and Haydn, Great Composers Competitions in 2019, placing 3rd at the NY International Competition for Young Artists in 2019, placing 2nd in the Best Performance of Kabalevsky Great Composers Competition in 2018, winning 1st prize in the school-age (13-18 years) category of the American Protégé International Concerto Competition in 2018, and winning the Cremona International Music Competition twice, in 2012 and 2015, where he was awarded prizes for Best Baroque Piece, Best Virtuosic/Concert Piece and Best Etude. Connor was a finalist in the 2018 Ensemble 212 Young Artist Competition, and the 2017 Lyra Youth Music Concerto Competition in New York City. In the summer of 2013, Connor made his orchestral debut at age 10 with the National Academic Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine in Kiev. In that same year, Connor placed 1st in the American Protégé International Talent Competition and performed at Carnegie’s Weill Hall at the Winner’s recital. Connor’s trio, Trinity Trio, was also chosen by the Chamber Music Society to perform in their Young Musicians Program at the Rose Theater and at Alice Tully Hall in the spring of 2019.
Connor sang for 5 years with the Metropolitan Opera Children's Chorus, singing many boy-soprano solo roles such as the 1st Spirit in Die Zauberflote for 2 seasons, and the Shepherd in Tosca. He made his debut with the NY Philharmonic in December 2014 as a boy soprano soloist, performing in Handel’s Messiah as soloist. The New York Times said, ""The 11-year-old Connor Tsui is utterly charming in his short proclamations, which he performs from memory (being, after all, a member of the Metropolitan Opera Children’s Chorus).""
Connor plays the piano, is on the water polo team at school and enjoys conducting, fencing, robotics and traveling.