Season Opener

Special thanks to the Coastal Bend Community Foundation for underwriting this concert.

Pianist Dr. Alber Chien is an award-winning soloist, collaborator, and chamber musician praised for his “sparkling technique and musicality.” He has performed at prestigious venues across the United States, including Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, as well as on international stages in Taiwan and Germany. His numerous competition accolades include Second Prize and the Best Performance of a Hungarian Rhapsody Award at the Los Angeles Liszt International Competition.

Dr. Chien currently serves as Instructor of Collaborative Piano at Texas A&M University–Kingsville. An experienced educator, Dr. Chien previously held appointments as Visiting Professor of Piano at McLennan Community College and Visiting Instructor of Piano at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, where he also served as Coordinator of Collaborative Piano and Music Director of the Opera/Musical Theatre Ensemble. 

A sought-after collaborative pianist, Dr. Chien regularly performs with leading instrumentalists and vocalists. He has worked in masterclasses and studios with celebrated artists such as Shmuel Ashkenasi, Midori, and Vadim Gluzman, and has served on the staff of the Manhattan School of Music’s Pre-College Division and Indiana University’s Summer String Academy. Since 2024, he has been a Staff Pianist at the renowned Bowdoin International Music Festival. 

Dr. Chien earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts. His primary teachers and mentors include Daniel Pollack, Shigeo Neriki, Jean-Louis Haguenauer, and Daniel Epstein.

Praised for her “flowing line, crystalline textures and elegant tone in a cogent interpretation” by Harris Goldsmith after performing at Steinway Hall in Manhattan, and for the “freshness of approach that come from a rare combination: youth, innate talent, and a beyond-her-years artistic maturity and musical intelligence” by Peter Jacobi, Dr. Christie Cho performs extensively as a soloist and collaborative pianist while maintaining an active teaching career.

Dr. Cho is currently an Adjunct Professor of Piano at Texas A&M University – Kingsville and an instructor of Piano at Interlochen Summer Arts Camp. Previously she was a Visiting Instructor of Piano at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, where she also served as a Coordinator of the Piano Area and as a Piano Faculty of the Arts Academy. She also held Adjunct Faculty positions at McLennan Community College and Baylor University. 

As an award-winning pianist, Dr. Cho received First Prizes from numerous national and international competitions such as the Junior Chopin Competition in South Korea, the Eumyeon Competition, the Eum-ak Chun-chu Competition, the Eum-ak Journal Competition, the Beethoven Competition at the Edward Auer Summer Piano Workshop (EASPW), the Chopin/Schumann Competition at EASPW, and the Southern Illinois Young Artist Organization. She also received the Bronze Medal at the International Chopin Competition in Japan. She was the winner of the Concerto Competition at Indiana University, performing Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto with IU Philharmonic Orchestra. 

As an accomplished collaborative pianist and chamber musician, Dr. Cho has worked with distinguished artists including Eric Kim, Hurst Lawrence, Mark Kaplan, Otis Murphy, and Peter Stumpf. She served as an Instrumental Collaborative Pianist at Interlochen Arts Camp, where she collaborated with musicians including Margaret Batjer and members of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. At Interlochen, she was also the pianist for violinist Ray Chen’s masterclass. Previously she served as Staff Pianist at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.

Dr. Cho holds her D.M.A. in Piano Performance from the Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts and a M.M. from the Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music where she also received her Performer Diploma. She holds her B.M. in Piano Performance from the Seoul National University in South Korea.