Piano fest includes memorial concert for Sin-Hsing Tsai

For six years, Dr. Sin-Hsing Tsai organized a piano arts festival on the campus of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga designed to educate and encourage young, talented pianists.

Even while undergoing treatment for cancer last year, the concert pianist and music professor was planning her seventh festival, which the UTC Music Department will present in her memory Friday-Sunday, March 3-5. Tsai lost her life to cancer in November at age 45.

But in addition to the master class and performance opportunities the festivals offered, this weekend will include a benefit concert in Tsai’s memoryto be presented Saturday night in the UTC Fine Arts Building to raise funds for the UTC piano program.

The concert will feature guest artist Chih-Long Hu, a friend and colleague of Tsai’s, who is on the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. According to Dr. Sigrid Luther, festival coordinator, Hu would visit Tsai in the California hospital where she underwent treatment. To lift her spirits, the two would often play duets on the keyboard she kept in her room.

Hu and Tsai presented a dual piano concert at UTC in fall 2013, then repeated it in February 2014 at East Tennessee State University, where Hu was on the faculty. Saturday’s concert will include a slide show of photos submitted by friends and colleagues, sharing their memories of Tsai. Music from Hu and Tsai’s 2013 performance will back the slide show, says Luther.

A native of Taiwan, Hu has performed in Asia, Europe, Canada, China and America as a soloist and chamber musician. His four albums have each received critical acclaim.