Quotes

“...trailblazing a path truly unique.” (PianoForte Foundation Salon Series)

“…a precise and engaged artist, unafraid of deep ambiguities.” (Justin Hayford, The Chicago Reader)

“Shi-An trouve la profondeur dans chaque note.” (finds the depth in every note) 

(composer Philippe Leroux)

“In such spare textures and hushed dynamics, the smallest development seems seismic...pointillist, luminous piano.” (Lawrence Johnson, Chicago Classical Review)

“Steely and granitic… dreamy and sensitive …a tour de force…a thoughtful and adventurous artist.” (Brian Schuth, Boston Musical Intelligencer)

On Shi-An’s compositions

“We first performed sections of [diminishing 5ths] in our first performance as Missing Piece - Tonewood. The piece features a performance of the decomposition of our instruments in an imagined Humid Age. [...] It’s rare that a piece can change how you approach your instrument, or change how you think about the world, and this piece does both. We are grateful for the opportunity to present the work in its entirety - a mixture of notation, aleatoric pitches, and improvisation. It’s a tragic utopia, or a joyful dystopia. Like much of Shi-An’s work, it is about finding humor and joy in fleeting moments, about finding meaning in stasis, rest, or play. It encourages us to listen deeper for what is hidden. 

-Dan Galat and Kelly Quesada of Missing Piece Duo, on diminishing 5ths, (March 13, 2024)

In keeping with Andrew Mark’s ideal of music as a place to process loss and melancholy, human v. nature progresses like a journey in which the listener floats from place to place, some natural, some imagined. [...] Costello’s piece uses recursive patterns that invite the listener to enter into such a contemplative space and which gives listeners a generous amount of time to sit with each musical idea. [...] Although some of the sections are effervescent, some melancholic, and others ominous and threatening, the overall musical effect of moving between these sections gives the listener a sense of distance, as though they are tourists wandering through various colorful locations rather than taking up residence in each section or listening to some kind of action unfold.”

-Dr. Cacie Miller, Composing Cultural Sustenance: A Pianist’s Case Study In New Chicago Chamber Music For Collective Climate (Pub. Dec 1, 2023), on human v. nature 

[...] last year or maybe two years ago, I saw Shi-An in Chicago and he told me he was working on a piece using the “Asian riff.” He told me he wanted to reclaim the oriental fantasy, which was a whole genre of composition during the late nineteenth century into the early twentieth that exoticized and other-ized Asian culture, and in that process reclaim the Asian riff. I was horrified. I thought it was the worst idea ever. How could this work? He was basically using the musical equivalent of a racial slur as the entire basis of a composition. It made me uneasy, to say the least. I think I told him as much. A few months later, he told me he had finished the piece and that he was calling it “the orient.” [...] Shi-An sent me a recording of the premiere in April of last year. I didn’t listen to it. I was scared to listen to it. So, I put it off. I ignored the message and skirted around the topic of the piece when we talked. Until one day in July, I was overwhelmed by guilt (I’m mostly motivated by guilt) and decided to take the plunge. I put my headphones on, turned on the recording, and went for a walk. From the opening, I was hooked. Listening to a great piece of music is like watching a great movie or reading a great book. You’re immersed in a world and you want to know what happens next. “The orient” reeled me in, and for forty minutes I was lost in a world of poppy fields, trains, violent attacks, national ambiguities. Some of it was very beautiful–the opening meditation on the Asian riff. Some of it was disturbing–I still cringe at the first full statement of the Asian riff presented in all its racist glory–and some of it was profoundly sad–the killing of Vincent Chin. By the end of the last movement with its beautiful “national anthem” without a nation, I found myself walking down Penny Lane crying. A piece hadn’t moved me like that in years. I felt like Shi-An had shared a profound message about Asian American history and identity, but it was also deeply personal. He had shared more about himself than anything else. At the same time, I felt like the piece somehow spoke about my experience as an Asian American. It was like the first time I saw an Asian actor in a movie. There’s someone who looks like me. [...] I knew I wanted to bring Shi-An to Chatham Hall after that. The piece was too important, too beautiful for us not to hear it live. The message was too important and too beautiful for us not to experience it together. 

-Dr. Francis Yun, Music Director of Chatham Hall, on the orient, (Feb 28 2024)

“Costello began writing this piece [the orient] as a musical exploration of his reaction to the pentatonic “Asian motive” used throughout pop culture and the way his experience as an Asian American has evolved throughout his life. This pentatonic motive is generating force behind Costello’s contribution to the genre of the long-form Asian piano fantasy which, at 45-minute performance time, vies in scope with such works as Mily Balakirev’s Islamey. These reimaginations of stereotypes and appropriation musically portray cultural narratives of marginalization and hate alongside expansive beauty, survival and regeneration. The movement titles are second person renderings of cultural stereotypes or racial violence, effectively including listeners as part of the narratives they evoke. The piano writing harnesses the virtuosic force of the instrument in every way: speed, volume, and writing that is, at times, both percussive and atmospheric. Costello’s role as composer and performer of this piece brings together key elements of both his cultural heritage and his powerful and nuanced pianism in a way that blends these aspects of his identity and invites the audience to position themselves within the scenes programmed into each movement. -Dr. Cacie Miller, Composing Cultural Sustenance: A Pianist’s Case Study In New Chicago Chamber Music For Collective Climate, (Pub. Dec 1, 2023), on the orient

"The Orient originated in an insidious earworm: the three-pitch, nine-note 'Asian riff,' deployed as racial caricature in pop culture for more than a century. Instead of pushing it out of his head, Costello leaned into his discomfort, using the riff to build out what would become The Orient [...] Throughout The Orient, Costello takes the riff as a jumping-off point to document cultural and historical touchstones of the Asian American experience. [...] In 2015, when the Reader first covered Costello, he was performing a 20th-century program under his old name shortly after returning to Chicago. The Reader critic, Justin Hayford, described him as ‘a performer unafraid of deep ambiguities.’ This time, with The Orient, Costello is confronting his own ambiguities—and virtuosically embracing them." -Hannah Edgar, “Shi-An Costello Confronts Prejudice with the Piano in The Orient”, Chicago Reader

“The quartet [human v. nature] is written in two movements (one notated, one improvised) that depict the conflict signaled in the title through several structural dualities that move through an exploration of the harmoniously dissonant relationship between the human populations and the ecosystems that sustain them [...] Besides the two-movement structure and simultaneous use of two tonal centers, other dualities in this piece include: the oppositional forces of bowed strings and piano, opposition between the two hands of the piano, paired registers and textures, and allusions to two different dreams whose remembrances mark two sections [...] Costello’s use of polytonality depicts the cohabitation of humans in the natural world, an interaction rife with dissonance but also beauty. This mindset emerges out of his adolescent escapades and exploration of forbidden urban landscapes, but also is a metaphor which can be mined for a multitude of commentaries on the place of humans in relation to the natural world. This musical choice allows him to often use homogenous musical contours and gestures between parts (whether between strings, the two hands of the piano, or both). These homogenous textures allow the two keys to unfold in a parallel fashion that can be seen as analogous to the existence of humans and their environmental context moving in tandem throughout epochs. This coexistence has, at times been harmonious, but the dissonance between the two in this piece evokes the extractive and incongruous practices that have hurt the systems that support habitability. Just as these extractive processes unfold in the same space and time as natural cycles, the piece operates in different tonalities that harmonize with each other but do not belong to the same tonal hierarchy. Polytonality itself can be perceived as an aural illusion, one in which all the notes of distinct harmonies blur into one sonic entity, echoing the dynamic between humans and nature – are they distinct from each other after all?” -Dr. Cacie Miller, Composing Cultural Sustenance: A Pianist’s Case Study In New Chicago Chamber Music For Collective Climate(Pub. Dec 1, 2023), on human v. nature and other works

“[the orient] begins with washes of gently pulsating chords that reverberate as they descend and dovetail, creating an almost trance-like atmosphere.[...] The opening haze transforms into fantasia-like motives that fly through a frenzy of angular contours. When the meditative calm returns, an increasing sense of urgency builds on earlier melodic motifs before being subsumed by deep, rattling tremolos. [...] The Orient is a large scale solo piano composition about Asian American racial identity that was premiered earlier this year at Constellation in partnership with Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago. Each of the five movements addresses a different facet of the political history of East Asians in the United States, from the pressure to assimilate for the sake of survival, to the dangerous labor of constructing the first transcontinental railroad. The entire work is built on the problematic “Asian riff” that has been used in video games, movies, and commercial music since the 1800s to mockingly refer to martial arts and other elements of Asian culture. Subtitled “a reacquisition of a fantasy,” The Orient reclaims this symbol of racism and xenophobia, and ultimately offers a message of hope and resilience for future generations of oppressed peoples.” -I Care If You Listen, “Shi-An Costello Performs ‘Opening (like you’re high on opium)’ from The Orient” (Dec 12, 2023)

On Shi-An’s piano interpretations

“An alloy is a metal made by combining various elements with the purpose of creating greater strength, and newest collection of recordings for prepared piano from Shi-An Costello does precisely this. On [alloy], Costello uses the same instrument specifications that John Cage laid out in his 1948 Sonata and Interludes. [...] By combining different compositional approaches to the prepared piano, Costello has created an exciting and engaging album that works just as well as a comprehensive work as it does for each individual piece. [...] Each successive track contrasts the one came before it in a way that creates a larger form over the span of the album. [...] [alloy] is remarkable in its curation: there truly is something for everyone–at least as far as fans of contemporary classical music go–but there are also pieces that warrant a broader appeal. Each composer featured across the album has an entirely different approach to writing for the prepared piano, but Costello has done an amazing job of performing the music in a way that is faithful to the compositions while sequencing the tracks in a cohesive manner and creating a musical through-line. At the risk of putting too fine a point on it, the title really is appropriate – [alloy] is not just an outstanding collection of individual works, but when taken in as a whole, it works on an even greater level.” -Clover Nahabedian, “Shi-An Costello Deftly Mixes Approaches to Prepared Piano”, I Care If You Listen, on Alloy

“…I’ve rarely smiled so much during a piano recital […] the best is saved to the end, Bach and Shostakovich ingeniously conjoined with a brilliant mash-up of both composer’s C major preludes: possibly the most enchanting little piano piece I’ve heard all year. Fascinating, and entertaining.” -Graham Rickson, The Arts Desk, on Rounded Binary

“We recently came across Shi-An Costello’s debut album Rounded Binary […] and were instantly excited by it not only because it is immensely innovative and creative, but also because it is intelligently and beautifully played from beginning to end.” -Rich Coburn of Quintus, on Rounded Binary

“On a recent Sunday on Chicago’s Riverwalk, a few dozen people sat on red and yellow Adirondack lawn chairs listening to classically inspired pianists Shi-An Costello and Jonathan Hannau improvise. [...] Instead of pausing for music from passing party boats or speaker-amplified tour guide trivia, Costello incorporated the sonic scenery into the performance. After the recent concert, Costello said that performing alongside the water, surrounded by a cacophony of sounds, he felt connected to his co-performer, the audience and the city itself. [...] That afternoon, the sounds of hundreds of footsteps, thunderous boat engines, and bits of conversation become their own concert: given new life, just like the Riverwalk.” -Isabella Deleo, “Chicago’s Riverwalk finds its cultural groove this summer with more concerts” (WBEZ, Aug 4, 2022)

“While nearly all of the day’s events centered on new music, the Avondale Trio’s set neatly bridged Hyde Park’s past and present. The 20-minute work [Piano Trio No. 1, by Ralph Shapey] is fully characteristic of the aggressive Shapey style that discombobulated his university colleagues and baffled listeners in the 1950s and 1960s. His uncompromising modernity even now can pack a punch—and the spiky rhythms, crashing chords, grinding dissonances, and sheer density of the writing drive relentlessly forward with barely any letup throughout the four movements. Violinist Kenichi Kiyama, cellist Kelsee Vandevall, and pianist Shi-An Costello deserve credit not only for their game, boldly projected performance but for the time and patience spent in making corrections to the score in order to present this local premiere. Of the rest of Avondale’s set, Tim Edwards’ The Conjecture blends contemplative music with a sharply accented bite without losing an essential amiability. Levinson’s own “Branches” movement from his The Polyphony of Trees offers a lovely lyrical ode shaded with melancholy that later turns more pensive and shadowy. Both were played with sensitivity.” -Lawrence Johnson, “From Shapey to bubble wrap [...] Ear Taxi Festival hits its eclectic stride” (Chicago Classical Review, Oct 3, 2021)

On Shi-An’s teaching

“...I chose to take lessons with Shi-An in order not to lose touch with the things that I learned in the past school year. In the first lesson with Shi-An, we sat down and discussed my strengths, weaknesses, and what I had hoped to achieve studying under him. Shi-An understands that not every student has the same problems with the piano. I felt that the lessons I had with him were unique and individual to fit my style of learning. Shi-An gave me a new approach to learning how to play the piano.”

-A. C. (Student, age 19)

“...Within a very short amount of time [with Shi-An] I had learned how to better approach the instrument mentally and as a result, practice much more efficiently. With Shi-An I was able to drastically improve every aspect of my piano practice and performance and since have developed an even stronger desire to study piano than I ever had before. I would say without a doubt that these lessons have become the foundation of my studies as a serious piano student.  I would highly recommend to anyone that is considering studying piano with Shi-An that you take the opportunity for you will undoubtedly become a better pianist, whether you are studying academically or just for your own personal enjoyment. Shi-An Costello is a magnificent pianist as well as a highly competent teacher.”

 -M. M. (Student, age 25)

“When I decided to return to the piano three years ago, Shi-An came highly recommended to me by a friend who had taken lessons [with] him for several years. Shi-An is a gifted teacher whose patience and dedication has helped me grow tremendously in this short time to achieve results I am not sure I ever thought I could reach…working through everything from identifying and relieving physical tension, to fine tuning my musical interpretation of a piece, to composing.  Shi-An listens to my musical interests and goals and he finds repertoire and exercises to support them, but is always flexible to change thing up when needed...and he always keeps me honest with myself.  If you are willing to put in the work it takes to learn, Shi-An will match you 110%.  I’m greatly thankful to have him as a teacher and musical mentor!” 

-J. D. (Student, Age 38)

”Thank you so, so much for coming and teaching our students. Both masterclasses were unbelievable; the kids played well and your comments and advise were fantastic! It was a wonderful opportunity for our students to share their talents, improve their skills, and really tap into the spirit of joy that music-making generates. I was beyond impressed with your positive attitude and such joyful approach! It fit beautifully with the atmosphere we try to cultivate here.” 

-Gosia Bagley (Family Program Chair, Chicago Center for Music Education)

Miscellaneous

“Costello presents himself earnestly in conversation, mulling over keywords in questions as though processing them before settling on a response. There is a meditative cyclicity to Costello’s conversational style which is also a hallmark of his musical expression.” -Dr. Cacie Miller, Composing Cultural Sustenance: A Pianist’s Case Study In New Chicago Chamber Music For Collective Climate (Pub. Dec 1, 2023)

“...it’s a winner!” -Frederic Rzewski, world renown composer, on Shi-An’s playing of his music

​CONCERTI

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Johann Sebastian Bach

Concerti 1-6, complete

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Ludwig van Beethoven

Concerto No. 1, Op. 15

Concerto No. 2, Op. 19

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Frederic Chopin

Concerto No. 2, Op. 21

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George Gershwin

Rhapsody in Blue

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Franz Joseph Haydn

Concerto, Hob. XVIII/I

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Concerto, K. 414

Concerto, K. 415

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Maurice Ravel

Concerto in G (1931)

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Camille Saint-Saens

Carnival of the Animals