News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
The music of renowned classical pianist concert pianist Jim-Isaac Chua will fill the auditorium at Sisters High School on Friday, October 25, starting at 7 p.m.
Pianist Jim-Isaac Chua will offer a feast of classical music in a thank-you concert hosted by Sisters Habitat for Humanity on Friday, October 25, in the Sisters High School auditorium.
Peter Hoover, Executive Director of Sisters Habitat for Humanity, described the event as "an event for the community, to say thank you to the community for their support over three decades." The performance is "an opportunity for those who enjoy classical music to come together and enjoy each other's company and enjoy an evening of phenomenal classical music."
Since his solo debuts at Carnegie Hall (Weill Recital Hall) and the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York in 2009, Jim-Isaac Chua has performed in the USA, Canada, Poland, France, Italy, Austria, Myanmar, Indonesia, and the Philippines. He has received awards in several international competitions and his concerts are praised as "a feast for the ears."
During the 2023-2024 season, the Filipino-American pianist performed in notable halls such as Gesellschaft für Musiktheater, Krzysztofory Palace (Fontana Hall), Józef Świder Concert Hall, Ancienne Église de Maisons-Laffitte, Three Rivers Convention Center, Bing Crosby Theater, CSI Fine Arts Center, Rodelsa Hall, and Fernan Cebu Press Center where the Cebu Arts Council wrote that Chua "gifted us with one of the most beautiful piano performances we have ever seen." After Chua's Delaware debut last month, Lani Spahr described him as, "Prodigiously talented, with technique to burn."
Pianist Jim-Isaac Chua.
Piano is an important part of Chua's family legacy. Of Filipino descent, he told The Nugget that his great-grandmother survived the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II by playing the piano for Japanese troops while his grandmother danced.
"Learning the instrument became an important family tradition on my mom's side," he said.
When he was 11 years old, a piano teacher from Poland introduced Chua to the rich world of classical music.
"I just fell in love with it, and have been in love with it ever since," he said.
Chua feels a particular sense of connection to Habitat for Humanity. His primary and secondary education had Habitat connections and he volunteered regularly.
"I have always thought it was such a wonderful cause," he said. "It's not just the physical home... the people in the organization become part of your family, also."
He noted that his way of living - as a man raised in the USA, of Filipino descent and ethnic Chinese roots, living in Poland - has made him acutely aware of both the importance and the challenges of having a sense of place and of home. Music often touches what he describes as "a sense of longing - which is why I think music is so relatable."
Chua will perform Gluck, Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, Mozart, and Liszt as part of his Fall 2024 tour of the USA (see sidebar, page 23).
The selections for the program touch on the theme of home. Several pieces were written by composers who were living in exile. He noted that Chopin was in Paris when he composed "Andante spianato et grande polonaise brillante," driven into exile after the failed November Uprising of 1830 in Russian-occupied Poland.
"It really affected him that tsarist authorities forbade him from returning to his home country, but he chose to remain in exile to give a voice to Poland's struggles" Chua said.
While the music is among the most sublime ever crafted, Chua's performance does not require a strong knowledge of classical music to appreciate. He plans to talk before each piece, setting the music in context. The atmosphere is welcoming to all. The music is varied and rich.
"The concert is meant for everyone," he said. "It's really like a big feast. There's something for everyone."
Tickets are available at http://www.bendticket.com.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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