Heidi Hau

Heidi Hau serves as Assistant Professor of Music, Piano at Shenandoah University's Conservatory, Department of Keyboard, beginning Fall 2024. A distinguished pianist with an international performance career, she maintains a studio in Rockville, Maryland where she accepts new students.

Education:

• B.A. from Stanford University (recipient of the Deans' Award for Academic Excellence)
• M.M. with First Class Honors from the Royal Irish Academy of Music
• Studied with Erna Gulabyan at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music since 1988
• Selected as Fulbright Scholar for graduate study in Ireland

Heidi Hau is renowned for her unique approach to classical music performance, specializing in Debussy repertoire (currently recording a complete Debussy CD) while also performing works by Chopin, Liszt, Beethoven, and other masters. She passionately believes in making classical music accessible to all audiences, actively breaking down the 'fourth wall' between performer and audience through commentary and anecdotes during concerts. Her research interests center on audience engagement strategies, performance interpretation, and music education outreach.

Her recent performance history reveals a strong focus on Romantic and Impressionist repertoire, particularly Chopin and Debussy works, alongside significant orchestral collaborations. She frequently programs thematic concerts that connect musical works to broader human experiences of 'love, joy, sorrow, temptation, and triumph.'

Awards:

• First prize in the 1990 Piano Competition of the Soviet/American Youth Festival
• 1993 Silver Lake International Piano Competition winner
• 1994 Palo Alto Philharmonic Concerto Competition winner
• 1996 French Piano Institute award
• 1998 Carmel Music Society's Piano Competition winner
• Finalist in multiple prestigious competitions including Naumburg (2002), AXA Dublin (2003), and China International (2004)

As an educator and mentor, Heidi serves as founding Artistic Director of the Marilyn Mindell Piano Competition at Stanford University and coordinates educational music workshops for the Peninsula Symphony's 'Bridges to Music' program, which introduces classical music to hundreds of elementary students annually. She has also served on numerous competition juries including the Menuhin-Dowling Competition and MTNA Piano Competition.

Her performance career spans prestigious venues worldwide including Carnegie Hall, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing. She has performed with major orchestras such as the Peninsula Symphony, American Philharmonic, and National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland.