Award-winning artist Albert Tay is a multi-hyphenate composer, conductor, and educator—a global citizen and “playaholic” for whom “work” is play! This thinker-innovator can be found guest-conducting, giving lectures, instructing masterclasses for choral and instrumental ensembles, serving on international committees, and adjudicating choral and singing competitions. His work takes him to various cities in Asia, Europe, and the USA, invited by top choirs, government or national institutions, associations, and foundations dedicated to choirs and music education. He is also a producer of large-scale events and conferences, a Scrum Master in app development, and a commissioned composer-sound engineer producing music videos, film and game music, and instrumental and choral music across genres from classical to pop.

Albert is the founding director of the Kodaly Academy of Music (Singapore) (KAM), where he leads diverse and dynamic teams of artists, administrators, and volunteers from different countries. Together, they spearheaded the biennial Asia Kodaly Symposium, an international event held in collaboration with his alma mater, the Kodály Institute of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music.  KAM provides multidisciplinary training and direction for hundreds of choristers annually in school and community choirs, encompassing a full range of voicing, age groups, genres, and skill levels. Due to sound processes and values-based education, many of his choirs have won top awards and received excellent reviews in international and local festivals. Albert is the Artistic Director of Schola Cantorum Singapore Ltd., a non-profit choir collective that seeks to bring art and art-making of the highest quality to the masses and has performed in operas, music festivals, and gala events.  Albert has taught conducting, solfege, musicianship, methodology/pedagogy and chorus/chamber choir as an adjunct faculty member at New York University Steinhardt, the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA, University of the Arts Singapore, UAS), trainer for Ministry of Education’s (MOE) Academy of Singapore Teachers (AST) and at various institutions around the world.

The NAFA alumnus credits his teachers—Professor Peter Erdei, Leong Yoon Pin, Professor Laszlo Nemes, Dr. Kelly Tang, Jennifer Tham, and Dr. Zechariah Goh—as major influences in his journey as a musician. He is grateful to the International Kodaly Society, the National Arts Council (Singapore), and NAFA for scholarships that supported his degree and postgraduate studies. Albert was awarded the Illinois Distinguished Fellowship by the University of Illinois for his doctoral studies in choral music (conducting). In over 20 years of professional work, he has been paying it forward to the international and local communities via sponsorships, in-kind donations, and musical support for numerous arts organizations, charities and events.

Albert serves on the Advisory Committee of The International Young People’s Choral Music Education Alliance (CMEA) 国际青少年合唱教育联盟. He was awarded the professional title of Magister Chori and an honorary membership by the Association of Croatian Choral Directors. Albert is the first Singaporean musician to receive the Hungarian Gold Cross of Merit, a state decoration conferred by the President of Hungary in 2021 for his efforts in promoting classical music and the Kodaly Concept in Asia.

Correct as of 26 June 2024