P’ng Tean Hwa has appeared in many public concert performances as a soloist as well as collaborative pianist in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, South Korea, Hungary, and the USA. As a clinician, he has presented numerous lectures, workshops, and seminars to both piano teachers and the general audience, and conducted many masterclasses. He is frequently invited to serve as a guest examiner and also to adjudicate competitions, most recently the 2nd Thailand Mozart International Competition and the Ars Nova Competition in Singapore (2012), and the Asia International Piano Competition in Taiwan (2013) and in South Korea (2014).
A music teacher since 1979, Tean Hwa continues to be passionate in his teaching and in wanting to see his students realize their best potentials. Over the many years, he has taught numerous students of all ages at all levels. A number of his university students have successfully moved on to complete their master’s and doctoral degrees in music on full scholarships, and won numerous international awards along the way.
Currently, Dr. P’ng is Professor of Music and Director of the Institute of Music at UCSI University in Kuala Lumpur. At UCSI University, he is a long-standing member of the University Examination Board, has served as the Chair of the Senate Learning and Teaching Committee in 2007–2010, and is a member of the University Council. He is a strong advocate of problem-based learning in higher education. In addition, he is a DISC trainer, and had also contributed as a peer reviewer for the Pertanika Journal at Universiti Putra Malaysia.
Dr. P’ng holds a doctoral degree in piano performance and literature from West Virginia University, master’s and bachelor’s degrees in piano performance from Western Illinois University, FTCL and LTCL diplomas in piano performance from Trinity College of Music, and a chemical engineering degree from Universiti Malaya. His principal piano teachers include Prof. Dr. Peter Amstutz and Prof. Dr. Michael Campbell. Tean Hwa is a life member of the national scholastic honor society of Phi Kappa Phi in the USA
Institute of Music, UCSI University 