MoCA\CT Sessions: Karisa Chiu, violin and Frederic Chiu, piano
Date: Saturday, May 16, 7:00-9:00pm
General Admission: $50
Senior: $40
Student: $40
Experience an evening of expressive brilliance with internationally acclaimed violinist Karisa Chiu—celebrated for her “distinctive and fascinating intellect” and prizewinning virtuosity—and renowned pianist Frederic Chiu, whose expansive career and imaginative programming have captivated audiences worldwide. Together, they bring depth, nuance, and electrifying artistry to a program spanning Fauré’s elegance, Prokofiev’s intensity, and Bright Sheng’s evocative contemporary voice.
Program:
About Karisa Chiu
Recognized for her “rare capacity to project a totally distinctive and fascinating intellect” (Spokesman Review) and easy virtuosity…humor, nuance … [and] playful[ness]” (Cleveland Classical), American violinist Karisa Chiu first came to international prominence with her first prize win at the 2021 Isangyun Violin Competition. This led to her debut with the KBS Symphony Orchestra at the Seoul Arts Center, and she has since gone on to solo in some of the most renowned concert halls around the world such as Severance Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and the Casals Forum with ensembles such as the Munich Radio Orchestra, Spokane Symphony, Tongyeong Festival Orchestra, and Asheville Symphony. A top prize winner at the Singapore, Menuhin, Leopold Mozart, and Irving M. Klein Competitions, Karisa continues to earn recognition for her expressive depth and technical command. As the recipient of the 2025 Gerschen Cohen Award, she will make her Carnegie Hall recital debut in Weill Hall in spring 2026.
Raised in a musical family, Karisa began her studies at age two with her father, Cornelius Chiu, a first violinist in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She collaborates frequently with her mother and uncle, pianists Inah Chiu and Frederic Chiu. The Chiu family has given annual concerts for two decades at the Festival of the Arts at Mohonk Mountain House. She released her debut album Home this fall on Cedille Records with pianist Zhu Wang, earning praise for its warmth and deeply personal storytelling. In an exploration of the definition of belonging, the album traces her musical journey through the lens of family and the ties that have shaped her.
In addition to her solo career, Karisa is a passionate chamber musician. She is co-director of the Plymouth Chamber Players, an innovative chamber music collective that inspires new audiences through world-class concerts and supports young artists in the West Michigan area. Karisa has collaborated with esteemed musicians such as Jaime Laredo, Kathryn Brown, Todd Phillips, James Austin Smith, Ida Kavafian, and Colin Carr. As the first violinist of the Tesoro Quartet, formed at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Karisa received the honor of the Sidney D. and Nina Josephs Chamber Music Prize upon graduation. In other chamber groups, she has won top prizes at the Saint Paul, Fischoff, and M-Prize competitions. Karisa has performed in many chamber music festivals around the globe including Ravinia Steans Music Institute, Music@Menlo, Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival, and Music from Angel Fire.
Karisa is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma at the Juilliard School under the tutelage of Catherine Cho and Donald Weilerstein. She received her Master’s degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she was named the recipient of the Anna Y. Tringas Award for an exceptional violinist, and she previously earned her Bachelor’s degree from the Curtis Institute of Music. Her preceding mentors include Jaime Laredo, Malcolm Lowe, Ida Kavafian, and Almita Vamos.
About Frederic Chiu
Frederic Chiu plays in major venues on five continents and extensive tours in smaller and unusual venues. He collaborates with Classical as well as non-Classical music friends to bring vivid live piano experiences to all audiences.
Frederic Chiu recorded the complete piano works of Prokofiev. His wide recording legacy is seen in his latest releases: Beethoven/Liszt Symphonies V and VII, “Hymns and Dervishes,” music of Gurdjieff/de Hartmann, “Distant Voices: Music of Claude Debussy & Gao Ping,” and Schubert’s Fantasy for Violin and Piano.
He presents “Classical Smackdown,” head-to-head contests where listeners vote for their favorite composer: Debussy vs. Prokofiev, Bach vs. Glass, Mendelssohn vs. Chopin before age 20. With his wife, Jeanine Esposito, he co-created two arts non-profits, The HIVE and Beechwood Arts & Innovation, exploring collaboration, technology and conversation to foster community. His interactive ballet of Prokofiev’s Romeo & Juliet: The Choice debuted in 2018. Frederic is Associate Professor of Piano at Carnegie Mellon University and also teaches at The Hartt School.
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Tickets are transferable to another concert of your choice or other individuals. If a concert is cancelled due to weather conditions, tickets will be valid for the rescheduled date. Please consider the price of unused tickets as a donation. No refunds will be issued.