Jan. 18: Pianist Charlotte Hu Presented by Jamestown Community Piano Concert Series – Performing the Music of Frédéric Chopin, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Franz Liszt
Photo of Charlotte Hu by Dario Acosta available in high resolution at www.jensenartists.com/artists-profiles/charlotte-hu
Pianist Charlotte Hu
Presented by Jamestown Community Piano Concert Series
Performing the Music of Frédéric Chopin,
Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Franz Liszt
Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 2pm
Saint Matthew's Episcopal Church | 87 Narragansett Ave. | Jamestown, RI
More Information
“first class talent... superb pianist” – Philadelphia Inquirer
Jamestown, RI – Internationally acclaimed Taiwanese-American pianist Charlotte Hu will be presented in concert by the Jamestown Community Piano Concert Series on Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 2pm. The performance will be held in Saint Matthew's Episcopal Church (87 Narragansett Ave.). Charlotte Hu (formerly known as Ching-Yun Hu) has been praised by audiences and critics across the globe for her dazzling virtuosity, captivating musicianship, and magnetic stage presence. Hu will perform a program dedicated to the music of virtuosos of the Romantic era: Frédéric Chopin, Segei Rachmaninoff, and Franz Liszt.
With a fierce dedication to making classical music more accessible, Hu presents captivating programs that tell human stories inclusive of gender and race. By juxtaposing audience favorites with underperformed treasures and newly commissioned works, Charlotte Hu’s recitals consistently offer musical and narrative contrasts that encourage people to listen deeply and discover anew the work of even the most well-known composers.
Chopin has played an integral part in Hu’s career as a performing artist. The esteemed Polish pianist and composer was the primary inspiration behind her debut solo album Chopin, released on ArchiMusic in 2011. The recording was named Best Classical Album of the Year by Taiwan's prestigious Golden Melody Award. For this concert, Hu will perform these works by Choin: Berceuse, Barcarolle, Polonaise “Heroic”
Rachmaninoff’s powerful and evocative nine Etudes-tableaux, Op. 39 were composed between 1916 and 1917 and were the final works Rachmaninov completed before leaving Russia. Though seeming simple for their miniature status, these works follow in the footsteps of Chopin and Liszt’s concert etudes: challenging technical demands are presented as emotive character pieces. Hu will perform Etudes-tableaux, Op. 39, Nos. 1, 2, 4, 5.
Charlotte revisits another meaningful chapter with the music of Liszt, performing his Five Lieder Transcriptions as part of the concert program. Hu’s 2024 PENTATONE album, Liszt: Metamorphosis is devoted to the work of the Hungarian composer and Hu embraced works that showcased Liszt’s ability to transform the music of composers he deeply admired.
“I’m looking forward to visiting Jamestown for this wonderful concert program of music by virtuosic composer-pianists,” says Hu. “It includes some of the most well known and beloved works by Liszt, Chopin and Rachmaninoff, music that speaks to the heart.”
More about Charlotte Hu: As a soloist, Charlotte Hu has astounded audiences across the U.S., Europe, and Asia, performing sold-out concerts at many of the world’s most prestigious venues — including Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Wigmore Hall, the Concertgebouw, Taipei National Concert Hall, and Osaka’s Symphony Hall. She is a frequent guest at music festivals such as the Aspen Music Festival, Ruhr-Klavier Festival, and Oregon Bach Festival. Concerto engagements have included performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, and Taiwan Philharmonic, among others. Recent and upcoming highlights for Charlotte Hu include performances presented by Newport Classical, the Mansion at Strathmore, the Gilmore Piano Festival, the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra, the Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá, the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, Taipei Concert Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Center, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, and the Taichung Opera House.
An active recording artist, Charlotte Hu’s debut album of Chopin works on ArchiMusic was named Best Classical Album of the Year by Taiwan’s prestigious Golden Melody Award, and recordings released on Naxos/CAG Records and BMOP/sound with Boston Modern Orchestra Project have received overwhelming critical acclaim. Her Rachmaninoff album on Centaur/Naxos received a five-star review by the U.K.’s Pianist magazine, which called it “essential listening for Rachmaninoff admirers.” Her latest album, Liszt Metamorphosis, was released by PENTATONE in July 2024. In June 2026, Charlotte will release her next album on PENTATONE, which will feature Enrique Granados’ Goyescas suite in its entirety.
Charlotte Hu is the founder of two piano festivals across two continents: the Yun-Hsiang International Music Festival in Taipei and the PYPA Piano Festival in Philadelphia. Now in its 13th year, PYPA has become an important fixture in the classical music world, cultivating a deeper appreciation for classical music and serving as a cultural bridge between East and West.
At the heart of Charlotte’s success is a story of strength, dedication, and resilience that has powered her dream of becoming a world-class artist. Moving to the United States from Taiwan at age 14 without her parents to begin studies at The Juilliard School was the first of many challenges Charlotte has overcome in building her illustrious career — one that’s included winning top prizes at the 12th Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Competition and the Concert Artists Guild Competition, performing on classical music’s biggest stages, and fostering the next generation of musicians as an advocate for classical music through entrepreneurial and philanthropic initiatives. A tireless advocate for humanity, Charlotte raised $27,000 for youth education charities through a Hope Charity Concert live-streamed on her Facebook page in June 2020. The online concert reached more than 140,000 people across the globe.
A Steinway Artist, Charlotte Hu serves as an associate professor at Boston Conservatory at Berklee and as an artist in residence at Temple University in Philadelphia, in addition to her busy performance schedule. She is a frequent guest artist, leading master classes and artist residencies at universities and music festivals worldwide. She holds degrees from The Juilliard School, Cleveland Institute of Music, and Germany’s Hanover University of Music, Drama, and Media, where she studied with Herbert Stessin, Sergei Babayan, and Karl-Heinz Kammerling, respectively.
For more information, visit www.charlottehu.com
For Calendar Editors:
Description: Taiwanese-American pianist Charlotte Hu, for whom “praises follow her all around the world” (International Piano) is presented in concert as part of the Jamestown Community Piano Concert Series. Hu will perform a program of vibrant and expressive music by virtuosos of the Romantic era, featuring works by Frédéric Chopin, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Franz Liszt.
Concert details:
Who: Pianist Charlotte Hu
Presented by Jamestown Community Piano Concert Series
What: Music by Frédéric Chopin, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Franz Liszt
When: Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 2pm
Where: Saint Matthew's Episcopal Church, 87 Narragansett Ave, Jamestown, RI 02835
More Information: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Jamestown.Community.Piano