BIOGRAPHY

Taiwanese-American Cellist, Phoebe Tsai is a performer, educator, and entrepreneur of international presence. Holding a Bachelor of Music Degree from New York University (NYU), and a Master of Music degree from Manhattan School of Music (MSM), Ms.Tsai specializes in the art of cello performance and cello pedagogy, performing to audiences and teaching cello to children and adults from beginner to advanced levels. While pursuing her professional degrees, she studied under the esteemed cellist and cello pedagogue, Professor Marion Feldman, and was concurrently mentored in her graduate school years by Qiang Tu, Professor of Cello Orchestral Studies at MSM and cellist of the New York Philharmonic. Supplementing the teachings of her two mentors, she also benefited and grew musically from the coachings of several distinguished musicians within the classical music industry as listed below.

Accruing upwards of 20 years of cello-playing experience since starting her music studies at nine years old, Ms. Tsai advocates for and continues to express her passion for classical music, performing both domestically in the U.S., and abroad in Taiwan, and China as a soloist, chamber ensemble member, and orchestra member. Some notable venues she has performed at include Carnegie Hall, The DiMenna Center for Classical Music in NYC, and the National Concert Hall and Eslite Performance Hall in Taipei.  

As an avid performer of solo cello repertoire and chamber music, she is recognized through several awards and honors. Two notable awards she received upon college graduation are (1) The Music and Performing Arts Professions Program Award for Exceptional Achievement, Service, and Leadership, and (2) the NYU Founder’s Day Award for high level of academic achievement. Furthermore, she was nominated multiple times by professors of the string program to perform in NYU String Honor Recitals and was also featured on the cover of the 2017-2018 The Strad Magazine String Programs Booklet, and on both NYU and MSM’s school website pages. 

Ms. Tsai has played in many performances, collaborations, competitions, and masterclasses throughout her career, demonstrating her devotion and experience with the art of cello. She placed first in NYU’s Concerto Competition in her sophomore year and performed at Carnegie Hall for the 79th Annual Young Musician’s Concert hosted by the American Music Teacher’s League (AMTL). During her graduate studies at MSM, she placed first with her then quartet at the Fuchs’ Chamber Music Competition twice in a row and was selected through an audition process to perform in the String Miniature’s Concert.
Beyond engaging in solo and chamber music, she was appointed principal cellist of her school orchestras in concerts for the NYU Philharmonia, NYU Symphony, and MSM Philharmonia.

Noteworthy collaborations include a track collaboration for a Golden Melody Award-nominated album The Path, and a special Disney song medley collaboration as a cellist between Disney+ and Taiwanese renowned pop singer A-Mei for the company’s official launch in Taiwan. Additionally, she performed in solo masterclasses led by the Julliard School professor Natasha Brofsky, former New York Philharmonic cellist Eric Bartlett, and a chamber music masterclass led by Daniel Phillips of the Orion String Quartet.

Given the circumstances and decline of live performance opportunities during the pandemic, Ms. Tsai is grateful for her time spent in Taipei from 2020-2022, which resulted in the fruition of [ Phoebe X Classical ] Music Studio, as she took on the role of producer, promoter, and performer in a series of concerts. After years of living and splitting her time between Manhattan and Taipei, she has relocated to the West Coast. She now resides in Seattle/Kirkland fostering classical music interest in Washington.