Tommy Seah is a Singapore-born pianist and musicologist based in Perth. He began violin and piano lessons at the age of four, then at ten, moved to Perth with his family. Tommy studied with Anna Sleptsova for many years, privately and at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). He has also studied with Seta Tanyel and Leslie Howard in London over several years. Tommy holds a Graduate Diploma in piano performance and Master of Arts degrees from WAAPA. In addition, he also holds a Licentiate Diploma (LTCL) in piano performance of the Trinity College London, and Bachelor of Engineering and Bachelor of Economics degrees from The University of Western Australia.

 

As a solo performer, Tommy has performed across Australia, Asia, Europe, North America, and Central Asia. He has been selected to compete in prestigious international competitions such as Hamamatsu International Piano Competition in Japan, and Liszt International Piano Competition, Bayreuth-Weimar in Germany, to name a few. Tommy also frequently performs chamber music and vocal collaborations.  

 

Locally, Tommy performs solo and chamber recitals frequently. He has collaborated with some of the country’s finest musicians including Akiko Miyazawa, Margaret Blades, Anna Sleptsova, Ashley Smith, Andrew Nicholson, Yi-Yun Loei, and Philip Everall. 

 

Since 2017, Tommy has been teaching at WAAPA as a sessional piano lecturer. He also runs a private piano teaching studio where his students have won many prizes at competitions. Additionally, is also the artistic director and founder of Perth Recital Series.

 

Tommy’s musicological research interests are in early recordings, nineteenth century Russian music, and Liszt’s lieder and transcriptions. As a researcher, he has presented his work at the Historical Performance Institute of the Jacobs School of Music, University of Indiana, The Liszt Society, and the Musicological Society of Australia. Tommy recently edited and published the first edition of Liszt’s Italian version of Mignons Lied for the Liszt Society Journal. He is currently a Doctor of Philosophy research candidate at WAAPA and was awarded the Australian Government Research Training Scholarship.

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Additionally, Tommy is the artistic director and founder of Perth Recital Series, and he is also the President of the Royal Schools Music Club.