Shan-Chi Hsu is a Germany-based Taiwanese pianist, fascinated by repertoire spanning from early Baroque to contemporary music. Rooted in a strict traditional musical upbringing and later drawn to the experimental language of contemporary works, she aspires to create performances and programs that provoke reflection and leave a lasting resonance. For her, the discipline of tradition and the freedom of experimentation are not separate paths but intertwined, each enriching the other.

Born in Taiwan, she began playing piano and cello at a young age and soon studied with Rolf-Peter Wille. With his encouragement, she moved to Germany to continue her musical education at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover with Bernd Goetzke, where she earned her Bachelor, Master, and Konzertexamen degrees. During this time, she discovered a profound interest in contemporary music, a passion nurtured particularly through her studies with Pierre-Laurent Aimard at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln. She received further musical impulses from artists such as Sir András Schiff, Menahem Pressler, Robert Levin, and Fou Ts’ong, shaping a performance style praised for its sensitivity, maturity, and individuality.

Shan-Chi’s performances have taken her across Europe and Asia; she has appeared at major festivals including the Stresa Festival, the Emil Gilels Foundation Festival, Wittener Tage für Neue Kammermusik, Impuls Festival, Gaudeamus Festival, and the Lucerne Festival. She has performed as soloist with the Southwest German Chamber Orchestra, Pforzheim, and the National Symphony Orchestra, Taiwan, among others. She is the recipient of the Cultural Youth Ambassador Music Talent Award, the 31st CHIMEI Cultural Foundation Artist Award in Taiwan, the #MusikerZukunft scholarship from the Deutsche Orchester-Stiftung, and the Scholarship for Contemporary Music from the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation.

She was selected as pianist for the International Ensemble Modern Akademie in Frankfurt, Germany, for the 2023/24 season, where she premiered over twenty new works with the ensemble, with performances broadcast by WDR, HR, and SWR Radio.

Combining her love for chamber music with a commitment to commissioning and performing new works from diverse compositional voices, Shan-Chi recently co-founded Track3, a clarinet–viola–piano trio devoted to 20th- and 21st-century repertoire. The trio has been mentored by composers such as Clara Iannotta and has received guidance from members of Klangforum Wien, Ensemble Modern, and Quatuor Diotima.

She finds further inspiration in harpsichord playing and Lied interpretation, thanks to the guidance of Zvi Meniker and Jan-Philip Schulze. When not at the piano, she enjoys chess, table tennis, and analog photography.