After numerous performances worldwide, including concerts with the BBC Concert Orchestra and the China National Symphony, Ithaca native and classical concert pianist Frederic Chiu will return to his hometown on Saturday, January 31, to give a free concert. The performance will begin at 8:15 p.m. in Ford Hall in the James J. Whalen Center for Music.
In addition to music by Mendelssohn and Chopin, Chiu will play one of his own transcriptions, “Erbarme dich” from Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, a transcription by Liszt of Wagner’s “Liebestod” from Tristan und Isolde, and three selections from Liszt’s Annees de Pelerinage.
Chiu’s intriguing piano playing and teaching spring from a diverse set of experiences and interests, including his Asian-American-European background and an early and ongoing exploration of artificial intelligence and human psychology, especially the body-mind-heart connection. With over 20 CDs on the market, his repertoire includes the complete work of Prokofiev as well as popular classics by Chopin and Liszt, with a special place for the piano transcription. Many of his CDs have garnered top honors, including “Record of the Year” by Stereo Review and inclusion in the “Top 10 Recordings” in the New Yorker.
Chiu was a recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant, the Petscheck Award of the Juilliard School, and was a fellow of the American Pianist Association. In 1993 he entered the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, where his elimination from the final round created an uproar in the press.
Chiu is also committed to expanding the place of classical music. He has created unusual collaborations with nonmusicians, such as the Shakespearean actor Brian Bedford and psychologist-writer-clown Howard Buten. He does extensive work with children through concert-lectures for schools and has brought classical music to places where it is rarely heard.
The Ithaca College School of Music presents nearly 300 free concerts and recitals each year. For more information, visit www.ithaca.edu/concerts or call (607) 274-3717.
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20090127124627568