Pianist Ann Kai-An Wu, winner of the Krannert Center Debut Artist Award, will hold her professional recital April 17 at 3 p.m. in the Foellinger Great Hall at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.

The Krannert Center Debut Artist competition, hosted once a year by the Krannert Center for Performing Arts, was held in January and rewards the impressive talent of the students in the University School of Music by presenting the winner of the contest with a professional recital.

Wu, a doctoral student in music, will be showcasing her 20 years of musical experience with a repertoire including Sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti and Johannes Brahms, Etudes by Claude Debussy and selections by Franz Liszt, Witold Lutoslawski and Isaac Alb‚niz, according to the event program.

The 25-year-old native of Taiwan said she became interested in the piano at the age of two when her older sister began studying the piano. But Wu didn’t begin playing until she was five years old.

“My mom said every time (my sister) was practicing the piano I would just stand beside it and watch my sister,” Wu said. “Then my mom thought, ‘Oh, maybe she should study the piano as well.’ So that’s why I began my study of piano.”

Wu came to the United States in 1997 and attended the Peabody Conservatory of John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in piano performance and then received a master’s degree in piano performance from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio, according to a press release from the Krannert Center.

Now studying under University Music Professor Ian Hobson, Wu is in her second year of her doctoral degree in music. Wu said she was attracted to the University because of Professor Hobson, a renowned pianist and conductor.

“I came here because of Mr. Hobson,” Wu said. “I really wanted to study with him.”

Hobson said Wu is “a very intelligent student” and is at ease playing a range of musical styles.

“Some people are more comfortable with classical or 20th century (music),” Hobson said. “She has a healthy grasp and enthusiasm for variety.”

Hobson said Wu will be demonstrating that variety in her concert on Sunday, playing difficult and intellectually challenging pieces and closing her recital with what he called a “showpiece.”

“She’s ending with Alb‚niz’s ‘Triana,'” Hobson said. “It’s challenging to give a Spanish flair to (the piece), that she does very well.”

Hobson said Wu presents a “calm exterior” when she plays the piano and is “very cool under pressure,” the qualities he believes the judges noted when Wu performed for the Debut Artist competition. Hobson said that although she does not give much away visually, there is a lot of passionate music making underneath.

“That’s why it’s such a pleasure to listen to the music,” Hobson said.

Ling-Ti Huang, Wu’s friend, fellow pianist and doctoral student, described Wu as a very good pianist.

“She works diligently – very responsive, very spontaneous in her own study,” Huang said.

Huang also said she hopes for a large turnout at Wu’s concert.

“We don’t always have the chance to play at Krannert,” Huang said. “There should be a huge audience for her. She prepares carefully.”

Wu said she wasn’t concerned about the public audience – only that she hoped her friends will attend.

“I think that if I see my friends there, I’ll feel more secure than seeing a stranger’s face,” Wu said.

Wu said she enjoys playing the piano because it allows her to communicate without words.

“I can express myself (at the piano) because I’m not very good at oral expression,” Wu said. “There are things I don’t tell people, but I can play music and release it.”