Where in the World is Chih-Long Hu?

Article by Brooks Clark

Thanks to the Sandra G. Powell Endowed Professorship of Piano, the School of Music has for the past four years benefited from having internationally-recognized pianist and professor Chih-Long Hu on its faculty.

“It was an unbelievable gift to our program to be able to hire someone with the credentials of Chih-Long Hu and to gain the recognition associated with him,” says School of Music Director Jeffrey Pappas. “Chih-Long’s ability to go out and promote the program and be such a strong draw is something that only someone of his talent and stature can do. It has transformed our piano program.”

“The professorship has enabled me to focus on the pursuit of the performing arts while cultivating the talent of my students,” says Hu.

“As they develop as pianists, I try to help them see their music both as a way to embrace the public and as a vehicle for meaningful human expression.”

Hu received the Chancellor’s Excellence in Teaching award this year at the university’s Honor’s Banquet for his outstanding ability to teach and develop his students.

In May 2018, Hu traveled to his native Taiwan with Pappas. There they signed a memorandum of understanding with Taiwan’s two leading music schools, the University of Taipei and Taiwan National University of the Arts, to expose UT students to musical talent in Taiwan and vice versa. Throughout the past year, Hu has journeyed all over the world to promote the school and UT by giving lectures, master classes, and performances.

To help those who might try to keep track of our peripatetic pianist, here is a timeline showing just how far and wide he has spread the influence of UT across the globe during the 2018–19 academic year.