Dr. Thomas Yee
Professor of Music
Undergraduate Studies Chair
Thomas Yee from Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, has won First Prizes in over 20 national and international competitions. Dr. Yee earned an unprecedented distinction from his alma mater, Memorial University of Newfoundland: he was presented with the Horizon Award for Lifetime Achievement under the age of 35 for extraordinary professional, volunteer, and academic achievement. Highlights of his career include winning top prizes at the Josef Hofmann International Piano Competition where he was also awarded a special prize for the best performance of the imposed piece, Ludmilla Kneskova International Piano Competition where he also won a special prize for best etude, Le Tremplin International (International Stepping Stone) where he also won a special prize for best contemporary work, Canadian Federation of Music Teachers Association Schubert Recital Competition, Concours de Musique du Canada, Young Artists Concert Tour Series Competition, and the Eastman-Hamamatsu Piano Competition among others.
Dr. Yee earned his Bachelor of Music degree from Memorial University of Newfoundland where he studied with Maureen Volk and received the University Medal for Academic Excellence. He received his Master of Music degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder where he studied with Angela Cheng and Alvin Chow. He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music where he studied with and was teaching assistant of Nelita True. He has also studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
Dr. Yee is Professor of Music (piano) and has also served on the faculty at the State University of New York at Buffalo. As a respected teacher, his students have won top prizes in state and regional competitions, including five winners of the Honolulu Symphony Concerto Competition and two winners of From The Top’s Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Young Artist Award.
Dr. Yee has performed as guest soloist with orchestras throughout Canada and the United States and has performed extensively as soloist, chamber musician, and collaborative artist in China, Taiwan and Japan. He was Guest Artist and Juror at the Besparmak International Piano Competition and Festival in Cyprus. Notable past engagements included a performance of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with the Honolulu Symphony and the Tchaikovsky Concerto No. 1 with the UH Symphony Orchestra, Liszt’s Totentanz with the UH Band, Grieg Concerto with the Hawai’i Youth Symphony, and Tchaikovsky Concerto with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra. Most recent engagements include performing Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with the NSO and the Tchaikovsky Concerto with the Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra. Dr. Yee has received generous financial assistance from the Liberace Foundation, Canada Council, Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council, University of Hawai’i Research Council, and the College of Arts, Languages, and Letters.