BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Dr Virginia Tsai is an Associate Professor teaching composition and arranging, music education, and piano courses. She has been a faculty of the School of Church Music since January 2010.

Her choral compositions and arrangements include Prayers of the Saints, Tenebrae: A Musical Commentary to Philippians 2:6-11, Be Thou My Vision (A Musical Commentary). She also writes short solo and choral works, including Psalm 23 and I’d Rather Have Jesus. She is a co-compiler in the recently-published bilingual choral collection, Where Two or Three Parts Are Gathered.

God has called her to train and encourage music and worship ministry leaders and members in different parts of Southeast Asia. She is invited regularly to give workshops and training for pianists, accompanists, choirs, and worship leaders of churches and parachurch organizations, and to teach church music educators. She helps leaders and churches design and lead programs, such as hymn festivals, musicals, and special services. She gives private consultations to ministry leaders. She also serves as pianist and accompanist for special events and performances.

Dr Tsai comes with a wealth of ministry experiences. While in Fort Worth, Texas, she served as pianist and women’s choir conductor of River Oaks Baptist Church for eight years, and as pianist for the senior adult choir, youth choir, occasional choir, and worship services at Gambrell St. Baptist Church for nine years. She was the music and youth pastor of Boscombe Church, Singapore for three years. She was the choral conductor of Grace Christian Church, Manila, for fifteen years, and the pianist for twenty years. She also conducted the youth choir of the United Evangelical Church of the Philippines, Manila, for six months.

Because of her own musical exposure in the Philippines, U.S.A., and Singapore, as well as her exposure to people from different cultural and musical backgrounds, Dr Tsai endeavours to help people from where their roots are, and to use their God-given abilities and resources to reach out to their nations.

Dr Tsai is a member of Grace Christian Church in Manila, Philippines and River Oaks Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas. She worships regularly at Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer where she serves as a pianist.