Please join the UW Taiwan Studies Arts & Culture Program and Mrs. Mei-Yuan Hsiao (蕭美媛老師) for an afternoon of performance, discussion, and reflection honoring the legacy of Taiwan’s musical icon, Tyzen Hsiao (蕭泰然).
Tyzen Hsiao (1938–2015) was one of Taiwan’s most influential composers, whose works bridge Western classical traditions and Taiwanese musical idioms. Composing during a time of political repression, his music is deeply intertwined with Taiwan’s cultural identity, democratic movement, and diasporic experience. His compositions—ranging from symphonies and concertos to choral and sacred works—are widely celebrated for their lyrical expressiveness and emotional depth, and continue to resonate across generations.
- Date: May 2, 2026
- Time: 1:00 PM, followed by a reception
- Location: Brechemin Auditorium, UW School of Music / Fishbowl for Reception
- RSVP Here: https://tinyurl.com/TyzenMemorial
- This is a family-friendly event—families with young children are warmly welcome, and guests are free to come and go as needed.
The live performance will feature the Pop Up Choir, conducted by Mrs. Mei-Yuan Hsiao, alongside the following musicians:
Chiao-Yu Wu, Piano & Lecturer
Taiwanese pianist Chiao-Yu is a doctoral candidate in Piano Performance at the University of Washington (UW), under the tutelage of Robin McCabe. She hold piano performance degree from Royal Academy of Music and University of Michigan School of Music. She presented at the UW Scholars Studio (2025), received the Mortar Board Alumni/Tolo Foundation Scholarship (2025), won the American Protege International Concerto Competition (2024), and the UW Piano Concerto Competition (2023).
To remain her original inspiration for studying music: sharing music’s beauty and healing power everywhere. She regularly brings music to senior centers. She played with the UW Symphony Orchestra, UW Choirs, Bellevue Youth Choir, and La Chorale Francophone. She was a Piano TA at NYU and UW. This June, she will present her topic at the Washington State Music Teachers Association Conference.
Violinist Quinn Price is an active performer and chamber musician in the Seattle area. A former member of the Richmond Symphony, he currently plays as a member of the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra and as principal second violin of the Northwest Sinfonietta. He also plays with other ensembles, including the Seattle Symphony and the Fifth Avenue Theater. He holds performance degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music (B.M.) and the University of Texas at Austin (M.M.). While at CIM he was a student of Stephen Rose, and was a recipient of the Dr. Jerome Gross Prize in Violin.
Agnes Hung-Wen Chen, Viola
Taiwan-born violist Agnes Hung-Wen Chen was initiated to viola during early childhood while studying with Yung-Ching Chen and Kao-Pao Huang. She won a scholarship in National Taiwan Normal University, under the guidance of Ting-Hui Chen. In 2000, she was chosen as one of eight exceptional performers among competitors in the Fourth Taiwan Concerto Competition. She holds a Master’s degree in viola performance from The Cleveland Institute of Music with Lisa Boyko and an Artist Diploma at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University with André Roy. Hung-Wen Chen has participated at various festivals, including the International Summer Academy of the MDW – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and the Orford International Academy, among others. She had engagements with Taiwan Youth Orchestra, Taipei Symphony Orchestra, La Pietà – an all-female string ensemble founded by Angèle Dubeau, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and Los Angeles Philharmonic. She is currently the principal viola of the Pacifica Chamber Orchestra and the violist of the Nexus Quartet.
A native of Olympia, Washington, Anne Botka has performed across North America and Europe as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral cellist. While earning her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, she studied with renowned French cellist and chamber musician Jean-Michel Fonteneau as well as Elisabeth Reed on the baroque cello and viola da gamba. She spent two summers studying and performing at the Chautauqua Institution and participated in masterclasses and performances at Le Domaine Forget in Quebec.
Anne has been a member of Symphony Tacoma since 2019 and held the position of Assistant Principal cello in the Olympia Symphony Orchestra from 2017 to 2025. She performs frequently with the Pacific Northwest Ballet, Auburn Symphony, Vashon Opera, and many other ensembles across the Pacific Northwest.
Nicholas Tagab is a Seattle-based pianist and educator who began studying piano at age eight. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the University of Washington, a Master of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Miami, and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from the University of Washington (2023), where he studied with Dr. Robin McCabe and Santiago Rodriguez. Nicholas has performed as a soloist throughout the Seattle area and Hawai‘i and appeared with the Philharmonia Northwest Orchestra as the First Alternate Winner of the University of Washington Piano Concerto Competition. An experienced educator, he has served as a teaching and research assistant at both the University of Washington and the Frost School of Music, and currently maintains a thriving private piano studio in Seattle. He also teaches private and group piano lessons through Shoreline Community College’s Continuing Education Program and is a faculty member at Cascade Music in Shoreline, where he is dedicated to fostering musical excellence and lifelong engagement with the arts.
