Widely recognized as one of the leading classical saxophonists in the world, Kenneth Tse is certainly one of the instrument’s outstanding proponents on any saxophone aficionado’s short list. He burst on the scene in 1996 as the winner of the prestigious New York Artists International Award, which resulted in an acclaimed debut recital at Carnegie Hall and being hailed “a young virtuoso” by the New York Times. The Alex Award from the National Alliance for Excellence led to another Carnegie Hall performance. And these are but two of the multitude of awards that Tse has garnered in less than a decade and a half. Since then he has been a frequent soloist in five continents. He has also been a guest clinician at conferences hosted by the California
Band Directors’ Association, Iowa Bandmaster’s Association, and the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinics. Prestigious universities and conservatories worldwide, such as Sydney Conservatory, Moscow Conservatory and Paris Conservatory have invited him to give master classes. He was recently a judge, representing the USA, at the 6th Adolphe Sax International Competition in Dinant, Belgium.
Tse has been an active recording artist since his first CD for Crystal Records at age 23. His discography now includes a total of seventeen CDs—presenting a wide variety of saxophone repertoire, most of it new, some with assisting artists—on Crystal Records, RIAX records, Jeanné records, Enharmonic records, Arizona University Recordings and MSR Classics. As an advocate for new music, Tse has had more than thirty works dedicated to him by notable American composers as well as international composers. Tse has recorded and premiered many of these concertos, sonatas, solo works and chamber pieces. His arrangements for the saxophone are published by Reed Music, Australia, and his articles and interviews have been featured in the Saxophone Journal, The Instrumentalist, Fanfare Magazine, Saxophone Symposium, Iowa Bandmaster Association Journal, Japan’s Piper and The Sax Magazines, and Yamaha Education Series. Tse has also founded the Hong Kong International Saxophone Symposium which connects saxophonists from Asia and Oceania with world-class saxophone performers and teachers in a week-long event.
Tse is currently Professor of Saxophone at the University of Iowa in the United States. Tse’s students have garnered high recognition through teaching positions, competitions and recordings as well as concert appearances throughout the world. He is the first saxophonist to have been elected the presidency in both North American Saxophone Alliance and the International Saxophone Committee concurrently.