*Frederic Chiu*’s intriguing piano-playing and teaching springs from a diverse set of experiences and interests – his Asian/American/ European background, his musical training, 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 of Chopin and Liszt, with a special place for the piano transcription. Many have been singled out, such as “Record of the Year” by Stereo Review, “Top 10 recordings” by the New Yorker, with raves from the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.
He performs in the world’s most prestigious halls including the Berlin Philharmonic, Kioi and Suntory Halls in Tokyo, Lincoln Center in New York and Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Mr. Chiu’s musical partners include Joshua Bell, Pierre Amoyal, Gary Hoffman and the St. Lawrence and Shanghai string quartets.
He was the recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant, the Petscheck Award of the Juilliard School, and was a fellow of the American Pianist Association. He was also the “non-winner” of the 1993 Van Cliburn Competition, where his elimination from the finals caused an uproar in the press.
Frederic Chiu is also committed to expanding the place of classical music. He has created unusual collaborations with non-musicians, 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.
After 12 years spent in France, Frederic Chiu recently returned to the United States.