Recital: Brian Hsu – piano

The Programme

Brian Hsu – piano

Selections from Années de pèlerinage
Première année: Suisse
(First year: Switzerland)

1. Chapelle de Guillaume Tell
2. Au lac de Wallenstadt
3. Pastorale
4. Au bord d’une source
5. Orage
6. Vallée d’Obermann

The Artist

Taiwanese American pianist Brian Hsu made his concerto debut at the age of 16 with the Philadelphia Orchestra, and has since gone on to establish himself as a pianist of great energy and unusual communicative ability. Critics have described his performances in surperlatives, noting his “breadth of expression and technical ability”.

Mr Hsu has performed throughout the USA, Europe, Asia and South Africa, and has appeared as concerto soloist with such ensembles as the Philadelphia Orchestra, Taiwan National Symphony, Juilliard Orchestra, Haddonfield Symphony, Sendai Philharmonic and University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra. He has also been a guest on WQXR radio station in New York and performed in music festivals including Amalfi Coast Music Festival, Gijon International Piano Festival, Eastern Music Festival and Banff Festival. His USA debut solo recording, Night at the opera: Part I, which consists of opera transcriptions for solo piano, was released in the fall of 2018.

An avid chamber musician and collaborator, Mr Hsu frequently performs with colleagues throughout the music world. In 2011, he participated in the world premiere of Paul Schoenfeld’s Piano quintet with members of the Pro Arte quartet and recorded for Albany Records, released in the spring of 2014. In 2016, he premiered Logan Skelton’s Letters to Santa with voice alumni of Loyola University New Orleans. He also premiered Skelton’s Gershwin song transcriptions for two pianos earlier this year. His piano trio, Ensemble Peri, completed its inaugural tour in Korea during the summer of 2019.

Mr Hsu served as a staff accompanist at Juilliard, Yale University, University of Michigan and Eastern Music Festival, and also served as schedule coordinator, staff pianist, faculty, and assistant to the director at Amalfi Coast Music Festival in Italy. He frequently performs, presents, teaches at colleges and universities throughout the USA and Asia, collaborating with varied artists and faculty.

Mr Hsu’s primary piano professors include Logan Skelton, Peter Frankl, Jerome Lowenthal, Yoheved Kaplinsky and Wha-Kyung Byun. He received his degrees from the Juilliard School, Yale School of Music and the University of Michigan, and is associate professor and keyboard department coordinator at Loyola University New Orleans.