On a journey through the world of music inspired by animals, pianist Hsiang Tu introduces us to the Swan, Goldfish, the Serpent, and even the Bumblebee!
Praised by The New York Times for his "eloquent sensitivity," and Fanfare for his “chameleon-like ability to move between the composers,” pianist Hsiang Tu has graced the audience with his creative programming and wide range of repertoire. Hsiang is currently working on the complete cycles of piano solo works by Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel and thematic recitals featuring animal-themed music and opus-one compositions.
Born in Taipei, Taiwan, he has performed twice as concerto soloist at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center and appeared in venues all over the world. A winner of The Juilliard School Concerto Competition and a prizewinner at numerous international competitions, he has appeared with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, among others.
Before being appointed as an Assistant Professor of Piano at Virginia Tech’s School of Performing Arts in 2019, Dr. Tu taught at the University of New Hampshire, Utah Valley University, and Snow College in Utah. He studied with Hung-Kuan Chen, Jerome Lowenthal, and HaeSun Paik, and holds a B.M. in Piano Performance from the University of Calgary and an M.M. and D.M.A. in Piano Performance from The Juilliard School. An avid baseball fan and foodie, Dr. Tu enjoys fantasy baseball, cooking, visiting breweries, and building Lego sets. His debut solo CD, Bestiary on Ivory, was released by Bridge Records in October 2020.
LOUIS-CLAUDE DAQUIN
Le coucou (The Cuckoo)
FRANÇOIS COUPERIN
Les fauvettes plaintives (Plaintive Warblers)
JEAN-PHILIPPE RAMEAU
Le rappel des oiseaux (The Conference of the Birds)
AMY BEACH
A Hermit Thrush at Eve, op. 92, no. 1
CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS / LEOPOLD GODOWSKY
Le cygne (The Swan)
CLAUDE DEBUSSY
Poissons d'or (Goldfish)
TRENT HANNA
Endangered Species (2015)
BÉLA BARTÓK
From the Diary of a Fly
SEYMOUR BERNSTEIN
The Black Fly
NICOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV / SERGEI RACHMANINOFF
The Flight of the Bumblebee
HEITOR VILLA-LOBOS
O Gatinho de papelão (Little Cardboard Cat)
WILLIAM BOLCOM
Tabby Cat Walk
MAURICE RAVEL
Noctuelles (Night Moths)
WILLIAM BOLCOM
Butterflies, hummingbirds
ROBERT SCHUMANN
Vogel als Prophet (Bird as Prophet)
FRANZ LISZT
St. François d’Assise. La prédication aux oiseaux (St. Francis of Assisi. The Sermon to the Birds)
ENRIQUE GRANADOS
Quejas ó la Maja y el Ruiseñor (The Maiden and the Nightingale)
ROBERT SCHUMANN / FRANZ LISZT
Frühlingsnacht (Spring Night)
WILLIAM BOLCOM
California Porcupine Rag
The Serpent's Kiss - Rag Fantasy
