On Monday morning, the PBU
community gathered for a special all-University chapel service to
reflect on God's faithfulness and mourn the loss of Dr. Samuel Hsu.
President Williams and members of the administration led students and
staff in prayer, meditation on God's Word, and song.
Dr. Samuel Hsu, Philadelphia Biblical University’s Distinguished Professor of Music and Chair of Keyboard studies, died this afternoon from injuries sustained when he was hit by a car in Center City Philadelphia on Thursday morning. He was taken to Hahnemann Hospital and into surgery immediately. His brothers, Dr. Timothy Hui, Vice President and Dean of Educational Resources, and Dr. Andrew Hui, Assistant Director, Business Services, and members of the extended family were able to be with Dr. Hsu today.
Dr. Hsu began his undergraduate studies at PBU as an international student in 1965. He graduated in May 1969 with B.S. in Bible and Bachelor of Music in piano performance degrees. Prior to that, he had begun his music studies at the Shanghai National Conservatory of Music, and in his teens appeared as a piano soloist with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. He studied piano with Rosina Lhévinne and Martin Canin at The Juilliard School, and received a Ph.D. in historical musicology from University of California, Santa Barbara.
Samuel Hsu was the first professor at PBU to be given the distinction of Distinguished Professor, given the title of Distinguished Professor of Music. He was the Chair of Keyboard Studies and had been a faculty member since 1972. Dr. Hsu was a member at Tenth Presbyterian Church and served as an elder for many years. He also served on the faculty of Csehy Summer School of Music since 1972 and was the chair of Csehy’s piano department. He was a gracious, wise dear servant of the Lord.
Dr. Hsu presented lecture-recitals at University of Pittsburgh and St. Joseph's University, and appeared as a soloist with Princeton Symphony Orchestra. He and violinist Xiao-Fu Zhou performed at the gala concert in honor of Maestro Wolfgang Sawallisch and in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Philadelphia Orchestra. In 2007 Xiao-Fu and Hsu presented a homecoming recital at the Shanghai Conservatory.
While serving as visiting scholar at the Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, Hsu joined dance scholar Marion Kant and saxophonist Marshall Taylor in developing a series of programs of works by composers displaced by the Nazi Third Reich. They presented these programs at the Stefan Wolpe Centennial Concerts in New York and at Schloss Leopoldskron in Salzburg. Composers Lukas Foss, Ursula Mamlok, and Raoul Pleskow have written several works for Marshall Taylor and Samuel Hsu. In celebration of the 200th anniversary of Chopin's birth, Hsu presented all-Chopin piano recitals in Philadelphia, Chicago, and St. Louis in 2010.
Dr. Todd J. Williams, PBU’s President, shared, “Dr. Hsu will be greatly missed. His fingerprints upon his students, colleagues, and the institution are undeniable. He was a quiet but effective sage who served as our spiritual and intellectual conscience in so many ways. His gentle manner, courage of conviction, stellar talent, and keen mind were eclipsed only by his love for God and faith in his Lord, Jesus Christ. When Dr. Hsu was named Distinguished Professor, he concluded his remarks by reminding all of us, and himself, that he was but a sinner saved by grace. This was how he thought, lived, and served. There are no words to describe how much we loved and respected Sam.”
Dr. Hsu’s family, his friends, and colleagues at PBU, Tenth, and Csehy, students and former students grieve this loss. He was a man whose passion for Christ fueled his passion for music, beauty, and scholarship. He leaves a legacy in the gifts of friendship, mentorship, and wisdom he shared with all who knew him throughout his life, and in the talented musicians whose abilities he nurtured and developed. We rest in the thought that this is our Father’s world and though the wrong seems oft’ so strong, God is the Ruler yet.
A service and concert at PBU will be planned for early in the New Year. More information will be posted when it is available.
