Pianist Jim-Isaac Chua lives in Poland, and he is touring the United States this fall. He will perform in Baker City on Oct. 19, 2024, at Baker High School to benefit youth programs at Crossroads Carnegie Art Center.

SPRAY, BAKER CITY — Music, says Jim-Isaac Chua, is for everyone.

And he hopes, when he sits at the piano for shows in Spray and Baker City, that the music invigorates people in the most personal way.

“Music reminds us of the beauty of our shared humanity,” he said. “And at the same time, reminds us how uniquely beautiful each individual is — the various backgrounds, personalities, and interpretations of life.”

This is Chua’s second time playing concerts in Eastern Oregon — he played a benefit concert for Crossroads Carnegie Art Center in September 2023 as part of a six-concert tour.

This fall, he has 10 concerts scheduled around the United States.

The shows

The first concert in Eastern Oregon will be at The Spray General Store, 208 Main St., on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 6-8 p.m. The performance is sponsored by the Oregon Frontier Chamber of Commerce. Admission is by donation.

On Oct. 19, Chua will perform at Baker High School, 2500 E St. in Baker City, to benefit the ArtSpeak program at Crossroads Carnegie Art Center. Tickets are $15 and available at crossroads-arts.org. The performance starts at 6 p.m.

At the concerts, he will talk about each piece so the audience understands the story behind the compositions.

“Music should be fun, interactive, engaging,” he said. “When you go to a concert, for a moment you can be transported to a different dimension.”

About the artist

Chua, a concert pianist, was born in the Philippines and immigrated to the United States with his family when he was 1. He grew up in Richland, Washington.

He began playing piano at age 8, and his solo debut was at Carnegie Hall in 2009. Since then, he has performed in halls across the United States, Canada, Austria, France, Italy, Poland and Southeast Asia.

He credits his Polish piano teachers, Hania Kyrcz-Dec and Maria Szwajger-Kulakowska, for inspiring his love of classical music, then and now.

“I can’t stress enough how important teachers are,” he said. “Music education is so undervalued — people don’t realize the importance of being in touch with your emotional and creative side. And performing, too.”

About the music

Chua said this year’s tour includes a new program, plus two beloved pieces that he shared last year.

“The thing I try to do in my programs is variety, variety, variety,” he said.

The repertoire ranges from the 1700s to the 1900s with pieces by Gluck, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff and Ravel.

“Music transcends time and captures human emotions, creating such a personal experience,” he said. “This fact remains the same no matter how much time has passed, or how the world has changed.

And the audience helps in setting the tone.

“Music comes to life during the performance,” he said. “The moment I get to share music with people, its true beauty takes form.”