POAC brings renowned pianist Tien Hsieh to Panida

By Reader Staff

Acclaimed around the world, pianist Tien Hsieh is also a Sandpoint favorite, having performed twice as a soloist with the Spokane Symphony at the Festival and once as a guest of the Pend Oreille Arts Council at the Panida Theater.

Tien Hsieh. Courtesy photo.

She’ll be making a return visit to the Panida — again as a guest of POAC — for a special one-night concert Friday, May 10 at 7 p.m. featuring selections from Beethoven, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Brahams, Listz, and Clara and Robert Schumann. Tien will also perform contemporary selections, accompanied by a visual presentation of the history and stories surrounding her favorite composers’ lives and their works. 

Find the full program at artinsandpoint.org. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $40 for adults and $10 for youth, available at the POAC website or by calling 208-263-6139.

“POAC is honored to bring back such a high caliber performer who has captured the hearts of Sandpoint residents over the years,” POAC Executive Director Tone Stolz stated in a news release. “Tien is excited to return and connect with her local fans here with a program highlighting some of the romantic compositions of her favorite classical composers. We hope to see lots of moms and families enjoying this Mother’s Day weekend event.” 

Born in Taiwan, Tien Hsieh (pronounced Tee-EN SHAY) began early musical training with her mother, Sylvia. Currently residing in Folsom, Calif., she has enjoyed a far-ranging career with recitals in Hungary, Germany, Italy, France, Canada, China, England and throughout the U.S.  

Performance highlights include Salle Cortot at The École Normale de Musique de Paris; St. Martin in the Fields; Carnegie Hall; all-Liszt program tours; and, most recently, Levitt Pavilion Denver. 

As a concerto soloist, Tien has played with the Roswell, Redlands, Folsom Lake and Spokane symphonies; Oregon Mozart Players; Manhattan Philharmonia; and Houston Civic Orchestra.  Her many honors include receiving the Roy M. Rubinstein Award; grants from the Bettingen Corporation and Li-Ching Cultural and Educational Foundation; and scholarships from the Manhattan School of Music, University of Houston and California Arts Council.  

Tien’s recording of Bach & Beethoven: Mostly Transcriptions 2 drew acclaim, reaching No. 1 twice on amazon.com, and remaining a best seller for two consecutive months in 2015. 

As one recent review noted, Tien “delivered electrifying performances of music of monumentally heroic difficulty. Works by Messiaen, Beethoven and finally Liszt’s ‘Rapsodie Espagnole’ were breathtaking in their technical quality and interpretive maturity.”