PIANIST HSIANG JON TU
The New York Times has praised the “eloquent sensitivity” in pianist Hsiang John Tu’s performance. Born in Taipei, Taiwan, Mr. Tu debuted in New York at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center as the winner of the Juilliard School Concerto Competition, and he returned to the same venue in 2013 as a soloist with the World Civic Orchestra. Since 2018, Mr. Tu has embarked upon a four-recital series comprising the complete piano-solo works by Debussy. Hsiang’s love of thematic programming has also resulted in recitals featuring all animal-themed music and all Opus-1 compositions. As an active chamber musician, Hsiang has premiered new chamber works at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and collaborated in sold-out performances at the Joyce Theater in NYC with the renowned modern dance company Rioult. He has been a frequent guest artist of the Foundation for Chinese Performing Arts in Boston, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, and the Park City Music Festival.
Mr. Tu was prize winners at the New Orleans International Piano Competition, the Iowa International Piano Competition, the Texas Kingsville International Piano Concerto Competition, and the American Paderewski Piano Competition. Hsiang has appeared as a soloist with the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Lake George Chamber Orchestra, Snow College Orchestra, Boston University Symphonic Orchestra, the New England Conservatory Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, and the University of New Hampshire Wind Symphony and Symphony Orchestra.
After winning Taiwan’s National Youth Piano Competition as a teenager, Mr. Tu moved to the U.S. and studied with HaeSun Paik and Hung-Kuan Chen at the Walnut Hill School in Natick, MA. Hsiang then continued with Mr. Chen at Boston University and the University of Calgary, earning a Bachelor’s degree in piano performance and winning the Canadian Music Festival Competition. Thereafter, he studied at the Juilliard School with Jerome Lowenthal, earning a Master of Music degree and a Doctoral of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance. Hsiang was on the piano faculty at Utah Valley University, Snow College, and the University of New Hampshire, and he will begin his new appointment as an Assistant Professor in Piano at Virginia Tech in the fall.
An avid baseball fan and foodie, Mr. Tu enjoys fantasy baseball, cooking, and visiting breweries.