She aims at a real understanding of the works at hand and is able to produce performances of true subtlety … – Matti Raekallio
An acclaimed soloist and collaborative pianist, Dr. Hana Chu has appeared on stages throughout North America, South America, the Middle East, and Korea with many distinguished artists.
Widely recognized and sought after for numerous collaborations, Dr. Chu has shown her diverse artistic scope as a chamber musician. She frequently performs with her piano-duo partner as well as with multiple chamber groups including Luminare quartet in various parts of the globe. In 2015 and 2017, she gave solo and chamber music concerts in Jordan to help cultivate the first generation of classical musicians in the country. Also, in 2017, she was invited to perform in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, with her fellow chamber musicians as part of a cultural event. In the summer of 2019, she was invited to perform and give a masterclass in Bangkok, Thailand.
As an enthusiastic advocate of new music, Dr. Chu has premiered “Blue Pacific” by a leading contemporary composer, Michael Torke, and released a single album on Ecstatic Records, which can be heard on classical music stations across the U.S. While attending Juilliard, she regularly performed with the New Juilliard Ensemble under the baton of founder and director, Joel Sachs, as well as premiered many of her peer composers’ works. She also enjoys collaborating with jazz and pop musicians to bring riveting and unique performances to the audience, including an international tour with her fellow Korean musicians with the novel concept of introducing different genres of music within one concert.
Winning her first competition at the age of five, Dr. Chu is a prizewinner of many distinguished competitions including the Mary Graham Lasley Scholarship Competition, MTNA Solo and Duo Piano Competitions, Nordmann Piano Scholarship Competition, New York Piano Competition, and the Oberlin Piano Competition. She was a semi-finalist in the Ninth Chopin National Competition held in Florida. She was also a recipient of a Van Cliburn Scholarship, Arthur Gold/Robert Fizdale Scholarship, Olga Smaroff Scholarship, Sejong Scholarship, Hyon Chough/Bernie Sacharski Scholarship, and Wollenberg Saphar Memorial Scholarship.
A native of South Korea, Dr. Chu received her degrees from the Juilliard School under the instruction of Matti Raekallio and Jerome Lowenthal, and from Eastman School of Music as a protégé of Nelita True and Jean Barr.
Dr. Chu is currently on the piano faculty at Denison University and has previously taught at Nazareth College, Monroe Community College, Kent State University, and Cedarville University.