Piano Lunch brings classical music to midday

Imagine attending a concert where a renowned pianist/composer expertly plays the works of Beethoven, Mozart and Scarlatti.

You’re probably envisioning a formal evening event at a downtown venue. But what if you could enjoy a live performance of classical music on your lunch hour?

That’s the impetus behind Hsia-Jung Chang’s Piano Lunch series.

She originally launched the series in New York City, where she spent decades as a professional musician.

Musical talent runs in her family.

In Taiwan, Chang’s mother, Ho Lan, was a famous yodeler.

“She was on TV every week,” Chang said.

Chang was admitted to a class for musically gifted children at the Kwang Ren Conservatory of Taiwan, but she didn’t exactly shine.

“I was rejected by the violin teacher,” she recalled. “I got sent to a piano teacher and rejected and sent to another one.”

In 1974, her mother came to Spokane and performed during Expo ’74. The following year, Chang and her two siblings arrived, and in 1976, her father joined the family.

Ho Lan retired from performing in 1985 and three years later, opened Ho Ho Teriyaki in the Flour Mill with her husband, Danny.

Chang continued her musical education in Spokane with Mary Toy. Despite her innate talent, she lacked discipline.

“I made Mary cry because I didn’t practice,” she said.

The spark finally ignited when Chang was a student at Shadle Park High School, and Toy entered her into a competition with college students.

“The winner got to play with the symphony. I practiced, in order not to bring shame to my studio.”

She won the contest and never looked back. Indeed, her passion deepened as she practiced for a solo recital.

“I was playing the second movement of Beethoven’s ‘Tempest Sonata,’ and I was hooked trying to figure out what Beethoven was trying to do,” Chang said.

That curiosity propelled her into a long musical career.

She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in piano performance from the University of Houston and her doctor of musical arts degree from the Manhattan School of Music.

Her career has taken her all over the world, playing solo piano concerts in Scandinavia, Asia, France and the United Kingdom.

After 30 years of living and working in New York City, she returned to Spokane in 2023 to care for her mother following her father’s death.

While in New York, Chang had friends who’d complained about missing classical music concerts because they couldn’t drive at night or because their evenings were packed with family activities.

In response, she launched the Piano Lunch series. It proved popular, and in November, she introduced the program to Spokane.

Salem Lutheran Church on West Broadway provides the setting for the 40-minute concerts.

“I start at 12:10 and end at 12:50,” she said. “It seems like there’s a need for this here.”

A couple with young kids told her the concerts were the only way they could enjoy a date.

On Monday, she’ll perform “Dancing on the Keys,” the third installment in the series. Chang introduces each piece and provides a bit of background about the music.

“Dancing on the Keys” will feature dances by Bach, Chopin and Cuban composer and pianist Ernesto Lecuona, among others. It’s a program designed to make toes tap and spirits lift.

By offering daytime performances, she hopes to include music lovers who are unable to attend evening concerts.

“It’s a way to hear classical music in a beautiful, yet intimate space,” Chang said.