SECOND STAGE: Hui Jou Hsu, piano | Ripples of Sincerity | Graduating Student Project

Ripples of Sincerity

This program is built around the idea of sincerity—not as something grand or fixed, but as something that unfolds quietly, like ripples spreading across water. Each piece reflects a different way of expressing something genuine, whether through simplicity, introspection, or cultural connection.

The program opens with Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Sheep May Safely Graze,” performed in a four-hand arrangement. I chose this piece as an opening because of its gentle and tender character. Its calm, flowing lines create a sense of warmth and ease, inviting both the performers and the audience into a shared musical space.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Sonata in A Major, K. 331 continues with a different kind of clarity. Beginning with a theme and variations instead of a traditional sonata form, the piece reveals its sincerity through transformation—each variation offering a new perspective on the same musical idea. The final “Alla turca” brings a playful and energetic contrast.

In Franz Schubert’s Impromptu in C Minor, the music turns inward. Its restless motion and shifting harmonies suggest a more personal and searching voice, where sincerity is expressed through vulnerability and emotional depth. This atmosphere extends into Amanda Fandos’s Nocturnos de la Ventana (2022), a contemporary work that explores stillness, mystery, and the subtle experience of sound over time.

Johannes Brahms’s Op. 118, Nos. 5 and 6 present a more introspective and mature expression. The Romanze is lyrical and intimate, while the Intermezzo carries a darker, more reflective tone. In these late works, sincerity is found in restraint, nuance, and a deep sense of inward reflection.

The program concludes with Yi-Chih Lu’s arrangement of the Taiwanese folk song Peach Blossom Crossing (桃花過渡). I chose this piece because I wanted to share a part of Taiwanese musical culture with the audience. Rooted in storytelling and everyday life, the piece brings a sense of liveliness and direct human connection, offering a different, more communal kind of sincerity.

Through these works, the program moves between stillness and movement, inward reflection and outward expression. Like ripples, each piece connects to the next, forming a continuous exploration of what sincerity can sound like.

Hoi Jou (Zoe) Hsu is a Taiwanese pianist currently pursuing a degree in piano performance at the Longy School of Music of Bard College. She previously studied at the Department of Music at National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan. She has been playing the piano for over 20 years, developing a musical voice that balances technical precision with expressive depth.

As a performer, Zoe has appeared in both solo and chamber music settings. She has given performances in Italy, presenting both solo repertoire and chamber works. She has also performed as a soloist with the National Tsing Hua University Symphony Orchestra, playing the first movement of Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 1.

Zoe’s musical interests span classical and contemporary repertoire, with a particular focus on exploring sound, color, and expressive nuance. Through her performances, she seeks to create a sincere and personal connection with her audience, inviting them into a shared space of listening and reflection.

with Esther Ning Yau.