Kuan-Chuen Wu, 42
Mechanical engineering Ph.D. student
Ames, Iowa
Taiwan/United States

Kuan-Chuen Wu was born in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1973, and nine years of piano lessons constitute his musical studies. Mr. Wu has excelled in academia, receiving his bachelor’s degree in electrical computer systems engineering from Harvard University in a five-year honors program, an MBA from Iowa State University, and a master’s degree in computational and mathematical engineering from Stanford University. He is currently pursuing his doctorate in mechanical engineering from Iowa State. (After graduating from Harvard, he spent five years surfing the dot-com wave before returning to school.) Mr. Wu competed in university-wide competitions at Iowa State. In 2014, he placed third in the American Protégé International Concerto Competition and in December 2015, performed at Carnegie Hall as part of a winner’s recital. Besides classical piano, Mr. Wu counts chess, mathematics, engineering, and physics among his interests.

COMPETITION REPERTOIRE

Preliminary Round
CHOPIN   Prelude in B-flat Minor, op. 28, op. 16
LISZT   Transcendental Etude No. 4 in D Minor “Mazeppa”

Quarterfinal Round
CHOPIN   Prelude in D Minor, op. 28, no. 24
BEETHOVEN   Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp Minor, op. 27, no. 2: III. Presto agitato
CHOPIN   Etude in C Minor, op. 25, no. 12 (“Ocean”)
CHOPIN   Ballade No. 3 in A-flat Major, op. 47

Semifinal Round
LISZT   Liebesträum No. 3
BEETHOVEN   Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, op. 57 (“Appassionata”)

Final Round
MOZART   Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467           I. Allegro maestoso