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For her debut album Home (Cedille Records), violinist Karisa Chiu turns to the music that has shaped her identity – as an artist and as a person. Performing with pianist Zhu Wang, a friend since their days at the Curtis Institute of Music, Chiu has curated a selection of works with personal significance for her by Sibelius, Debussy, Fauré, Cyril Scott and Augusta Read Thomas.
Raised in Chicago by a musical family – her father, Chinese violinist Cornelius Chiu of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and her mother, Korean pianist Inah Choi-Chiu – Karisa grew up surrounded by the repertoire featured on the album. Some of these works have been woven into her life since childhood; others became touchstones during her studies at Curtis and Juilliard, or during a meaningful return visit to Korea, her mother’s homeland.
While the pieces span different eras and styles, they share an emotional thread: many were composed during times of profound personal struggle, from Debussy’s battle with terminal cancer to Sibelius’s financial despair, Augusta Read Thomas’s response to a friend’s terminal illness and Fauré’s heartbreak over a lost love. Chiu traces the many ways music can transform grief and loss into a narrative of resilience and connection She spoke with US correspondent Thomas May about undertaking such a personal project and what this milestone means for her career.
The idea of home is deeply personal. How did you go about translating such an intimate, multifaceted theme into a coherent album programme?
Karisa Chiu: Curating works for this album felt less like choosing a subset of my musical repertoire, and more like harvesting moments in my life that really formed me. From the Sibelius Five Pieces that lulled me to sleep as a child, to the Fauré Violin Sonata that captivated me as an adult – each piece feels like a little piece of home. This album came at a time in my personal and professional life where I have been asking myself what truly defines me. So the theme emerged rather naturally.
Several works on the album entered your life through your family. How did revisiting these pieces as an adult artist change the way you hear – and perform – them?
Karisa Chiu: Some of the works you will find on Home are pieces my parents played together throughout my childhood, and recording them was as inspiring as it was challenging. How does one begin to materialise a piece that has been running through their head for over two decades? It was an interesting challenge to balance the influences of my parents’ voice with that of mine, but in the end I feel it was this juxtaposition that created a richer connection to the music, because it was rooted in a sense of home.
Many of the composers on Home wrote these works during times of hardship. Did that shared thread of loss and resilience influence your interpretations?
Karisa Chiu: Great art often results from moments of true humanity – including moments of deep loss and grief. While many of the lighter, more joyful passages in this album may not seem obviously melancholic, knowing the hardships that surrounded these compositions enabled me to add depth to the written characters. Perhaps joy in this context is not simply bliss, but a joy born of resilience and hope.
You gather music from very different traditions into a seamless narrative: Sibelius’s folk-inflected miniatures, Debussy’s end-of-life sonata, Fauré’s Romantic lyricism, Cyril Scott’s exoticism, and Augusta Read Thomas’s contemporary voice. What connects them for you?
Karisa Chiu: One of my favourite aspects about this album is that, by nature, each listener will take away something slightly – or even radically – different. The pieces themselves come from seemingly disparate worlds, yet they possess an ability to create reflection, inviting each listener to find their own entry point into the music. For me, each work represents a distinct stage in my journey of defining ‘home’, and performing them together is simply a window into my own story.
How did you discover Cyril Scott’s piece?
Karisa Chiu: The Covid-19 pandemic left me, like many others, navigating life within the bounds of my physical home. With a full school year online and no live performances in sight, I had to rediscover where to seek inspiration from. My teacher at the time, Ida Kavafian, encouraged us to explore the works of Fritz Kreisler, and it was through this exploration that I discovered Lotus Land by Cyril Scott, arranged by Kreisler.
I was immediately captivated by its ethereal atmosphere and colourful story. The piece whisks you away into a dream-like state. I found myself transported by the music and reconnected to the excitement that first drew me to the violin. Amid such uncertainty, it reignited my love for music, and has since become a largely defining moment in my life.
Recording a debut album can be a daunting milestone. How did working with pianist Zhu Wang shape the process, both musically and personally?
Karisa Chiu: For a project so personal, I needed more than just a collaborator; I needed a friend. Zhu and I first crossed paths at the Curtis Institute of Music, where we performed Fauré’s Violin Sonata together. It just so happens that when I began my artist diploma at Juilliard, he was there as well, which felt like the perfect opportunity to reunite.
From our very first rehearsal of Home, Zhu brought an innate feeling for the music and offered so much in discussion and interpretation. He approached monumental piano works such as the Fauré, with remarkable ease, while his sensitivity made space for the freedom necessary in charming salon pieces, like the Sibelius. Our friendship brought an environment of trust and enjoyment during the recording process, which I hope you can hear throughout the album.
As the first new violinist in over 20 years to release a solo violin album on Cedille Records, what does this project mean for you at this stage of your career?
Karisa Chiu: It is an incredible honour, to say the least. I’m humbled to follow in the footsteps of the Chicago artists that I have admired for years, and I am beyond excited to make my mark on the musical tapestry of the city in which I’ve lived my whole life. While this project is undoubtedly a huge milestone in my career as my first-ever commercial recording, it is the process that made it happen that holds a special place in my heart. Working with Jim Ginsburg and Bill Maylone at Cedille was a true privilege. Their musical insight, attention to detail and heartfelt dedication helped bring this project to life. The experience was as meaningful as the recording itself, and it will forever remain a cherished part of my musical journey.
Is there anything else you’d like to share about the process or the album’s meaning for you?
Karisa Chiu: This project reminds me that music, like the idea of home, is a concept that is ever-evolving. It grows with us, revealing new layers and dimensions as time passes. Each piece on this album is significant to my life in its own way, and I know that significance will only deepen as I go through more life. To the listener: I hope that in experiencing Home that you are able to take from it what you need at the given moment. For myself, I find that it allows me to always return to what feels essential: those places, people and moments that shape who I am.
Karisa Chiu’s debut album Home is available on Cedille Records from 12 September 2025.