Thirteen-year-old Tiffany Tsui is an eighth-grade student at the Special Music School of America, in New York City. She plays the violin and piano and studies violin with Julie Kurztman (middle school), and Viktor Basis from Kindergarten to 6th grade. Tiffany was a recent finalist in the 2019-2020 Forte International Music Competition, the Kaufman Music Center Concerto competition and the Rondo Young Artist Competition.In May 2020, Tiffany was chosen by audition to perform at Kaufman Music Center’s Composer Festival. In April 2020, Tiffany received first place for the Great Composers Music of the 20th Century Competition, and in Jan 2020, she was awarded second place for Best Mozart Performance, representing USA. All with the same organization: in Nov 2019, Tiffany placed 2nd in the Art of Strings, violin performance division, in October 2019, she placed 2nd in the Master of Concerto competition, and 3rd in the Master of Sonata competition. In 2018, Tiffany received 2nd prize in the Kabalevsky Competition of the International Great Composers Competition. In 2017, Tiffany was awarded first place (Young Musicians Category) of the American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition. She performed in the Weill Auditorium at Carnegie Hall later that year. Tiffany performs regularly on violin and piano at Merkin Hall and Steinway Hall, and she is a regular participant in the Composers and Contemporary Music Festivals at Kaufman Music Center, with her most recent performance in March 2019 at Merkin Concert Hall.
Tiffany has spent 5 summers (2017, 2016, 2015, 2012, 2011) at the Cremona International Festival in northern Italy, performing in chamber groups, orchestra and as soloist. In 2017 she was awarded the prize for best sonata in the International Competition for Strings, Junior division. She has also participated in numerous domestic music programs.
In April 2019, Tiffany was one of 2 violinists chosen from NY State Middle Schools to perform with NY Pops Orchestra and Cindy Lauper at Carnegie Hall in the Kids on Stage program.
Tiffany started her ballet training at Kaufman Music Center for 3 years before she became a student at the School of American Ballet in 2nd grade. She has been cast in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker from 2014-2019 and has performed many other ballets with New York City Ballet, such as Midsummer Night’s Dream, Sleeping Beauty and Coppelia. Tiffany graduated out of the children’s division in June 2019 and this Fall starts classes in the Intermediate division. She has spent 3 summers at the Manhattan Youth Ballet (2019, 2018, 2017) and this past summer she also was at the New York State Summer School of the Arts Ballet intensive program in Saratoga Springs, the summer home of NYCB. Tiffany is a newly-appointed 2020 Ambassador for Ballet in the City.
Tiffany is a member of Broadway Youth Ensemble and has sung at Bergen Performing Arts Center, American Museum of Natural History, the Pierre Hotel, the Hammerstein Ballroom, the Javitz Center in NYC and has sung for many galas and fundraisers to benefit hospitals and non-profit organizations. Her audience has included Bono, Joe Biden and Michael Bloomberg.
Tiffany has also performed with the Metropolitan Opera and was cast in The Pearl Fishers with a live in HD DVD recording (2016 season), the Flying Dutchman (2017 season), and Tosca (2018 and 2019 seasons).
Tiffany has recently done some runway modeling, walking for Be Girl and Wonderland for New York Fashion Week in Sept 2019 and 2018, and Fashion Nation in Feb 2019. In January 2019, Tiffany walked her first fashion competition with Plitz Kids Fashion Democracy at NYFW and won her age category, at the Pennsylvania Hotel in NYC.
Tiffany loves puppies, reading, painting and shopping!
