Acclaimed by the Vancouver Sun as a composer “glittering with professionalism”, Canadian composer Roydon Tse (b.1991) is passionate about communicating to audiences from all backgrounds with his music. His recent works take inspiration from architecture, place, and memories, as well as exploring the fusion between Western classical music and traditional Chinese culture.
He has collaborated with ensembles such as the Brussels Philharmonic, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, Brno Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Victoria Symphony, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Niagara Symphony Orchestra, L’Orchestre de la Francophonie, and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, as well as by chamber ensembles Land’s End Ensemble, Bozzini String Quartet, Delgani String Quartet, Locrian Chamber Players, Ensemble Mise-en, PEP, and the Cecilia String Quartet. His music has been broadcast on CBC Radio 2 and RTHK Radio 4, and has been featured in venues such as Melbourne’s Recital Centre, Tokyo’s Musicasa Hall, Shanghai’s Symphony Hall, and the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.
Awarded over forty prizes and distinctions for his music, Roydon is the winner of three SOCAN Foundation Awards for Young Composers, the Washington International Composition Competition, Canadian University Music Society Competition for Composers, Sun River Prize International Composition Competition, Land’s End Ensemble’s National Composition Competition, the Canadian Music Center Prairies Emerging Composer Prize, Trio Anima Mundi International Composition Prize, Robert Avalon International Competition for Composers, and the Vanguard Voices Choral Composition Competition. He was recently named one of CBC’s Top 30 under 30 Canadian classical Musicians in 2017, and is the winner of the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta’s Emerging Artist Award in 2018.
Born in Hong Kong, Roydon is currently completing his D.M.A in composition at the University of Toronto, and holds degrees from the University of British Columbia (B.Mus) and the University of Toronto (M.Mus). Before immigrating to Canada in 2007, he spent five years in Eastbourne (U.K.) where he studied piano and violin. Key to his formation as a composer were studies with Dorothy Chang, Christos Hatzis, Gary Kulesha, Stephen Chatman, John Estacio, and Norbert Palej. In addition to composition, he is a professional pianist, teacher, and a conductor of new music. He is currently based in Toronto Canada and is an associate composer of the Canadian Music Center.
