WWU’s Sanford-Hill Piano Series presents Cliburn bronze medalist Daniel Hsu Feb. 27

The Sanford-Hill Piano Series, which supports Western Washington University Music Department scholarships, will present pianist Daniel Hsu at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 27 in the Performing Arts Center Concert Hall.

Hsu’s most recent accolade was his Bronze medal performance at the 2017 Cliburn International Piano Competition, where he also won the Steven De Groote Memorial Award for Best Performance of Chamber Music and the Beverley Taylor Smith Award for Best Performance of a New Work.

Characterized by the Philadelphia Inquirer as a “poet...[with] an expressive edge to his playing that charms, questions, and coaxes,” 20-year-old American pianist Daniel Hsu captured the bronze medal and prizes for best performance of both the commissioned work and chamber music at the Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition last year. Hsu has also garnered a 2016 Gilmore Young Artist award, first prize in the 2015 CAG Victor Elmaleh Competition, and a bronze medal in the 2015 Hamamatsu International Piano Competition.

Last year, Hsu released his first solo album by Decca Gold, and recent highlights include his Philadelphia Orchestra debut in 2016 and his Carnegie Hall debut in 2017 as part of the CAG Winners Series at Weill Recital Hall.

A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Daniel Hsu began his studies at age 6 with Larisa Kagan. He made his concerto debut with the Fremont Symphony Orchestra at age 8, and his recital debut at the Steinway Society of the Bay Area at age 9, before being accepted into Curtis at the age of 10, along with his two older siblings. He is currently the Richard A. Doran Fellow at the Curtis Institute of Music, where he has studied with Gary Graffman, Robert McDonald, and Eleanor Sokoloff.

Tickets to Daniel Hsu are available at the Performing Arts Center Box Office. Seats are $17-42 with $6 discounts for students, and the staff and faculty of WWU. Free parking for all patrons is available in lot 14G, and season ticket holders with a pass may park in lot 11G. More information and online reservations are available at wwu.edu/sanfordhill.

The Sanford-Hill Piano Series was created in 2002 to provide access to professional pianists from around the world for the students of Western Washington University and the greater community and net proceeds generated from the performances fund scholarships for talented WWU piano students. Since its inception, the series has hosted legendary pianists and rising stars including Ian Parker, Orion Weiss, Charlie Albright, Di Wu, The Anderson & Roe Piano Duo, Haochen Zhang, Vadym Kholodenko, Petronel Malan, and Tamara Stefanovich. The final performance of the 2017-18 season features Cliburn Silver Medalist Kenneth Broberg. Learn more at wwu.edu/sanfordhill