For award-winning classical musician Jim-Isaac Chua, playing the piano is not just about delivering a grand performance.

But rather, a two-way conversation layered with sensitivity and nuance.

“I try to communicate with every individual note,” he said. “How can I create that sound? How can I create that motion?”

The classical music industry is a complex terrain to navigate, with problems related to accessibility and inclusivity at the forefront.

However, Chua is on a mission to break down those walls, one show at a time.

In 2025, the classical pianist embarked on a 10-city tour, which included towns like Spray, Oregon, and Twin Falls, Idaho.

Chua makes it a point to tour rural Oregon and SW Washington so residents get an opportunity to catch a classical performance — for many, it’s their first.

“Growing up in Tri-Cities, Washington, I really feel that music has a place everywhere. I feel like it has a place in a grand music hall, and it also has a place in rural towns as well,” he added. “I just would love to give everyone a chance to be able to enjoy it, to be able to hear it, to be able to have their own experience of it.”

In addition to hosting formal performances for different communities across rural and eastern Oregon, the musician extends educational outreach to children while on tour.

Last year, Chua performed for elementary school children at St. Mary’s Academy in The Dalles.

“Finding artists that want to come out to The Dalles is often difficult,” Wendy Palmer, the development director of the school, said. “Having that opportunity for the students it gives them something like, ‘Hey, I could do that!’”

Jim-Isaac Chua sat down with OPB to talk more about his artistry, as well as how important educational outreach is when it comes to this genre.

Chua will be back in the Pacific Northwest later this year with shows lined up in Baker City, Oregon, (Oct. 11) and Post Falls, Idaho, (Oct. 17).

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/05/07/jim-isaac-chua/