Pianists Ian Hobson and Muen Wei scheduled to perform on October 3

Saint Meinrad Archabbey Cultural Events, St. Meinrad, IN, will present a celebrity artist piano concert performed by Ian Hobson and Muen Wei on October 3, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. Central time in St. Bede Theater.

The concert, titled “The Virtuosi,” will include Schubert’s Fantasie in F minor, Liszt’s Rhapsodie Espagnole, Rachmaninoff’s Piano Sonata No. 2, and Schubert’s Piano Sonata in A Major.

Winner of The Leeds International Piano Competition, Ian Hobson is a pianist, conductor, and music director of Sinfonia da Camera. A native of Wolverhampton, England, Hobson has performed as a soloist with orchestras including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. He has also conducted ensembles including the English Chamber Orchestra and Sinfonia Varsovia.

Hobson is Swanlund Emeritus Professor of Music at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He began his international career in 1981 after winning first prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition. He has recorded more than 60 albums and has recorded works by composers including Chopin, Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms, and Moritz Moszkowski. He has also served on juries for several international piano competitions, including the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, the Leeds International Piano Competition, and the Arthur Rubinstein Competition.

Muen Wei is a Steinway Artist who has performed internationally as a soloist and chamber musician. She has performed as a guest soloist under the baton of Ian Hobson, Donald Schleicher, and Xiaoying Zheng and has collaborated with musicians including Lynn Harrell, Henry Gronnier, Henry Hutchinson, Peter Lloyd, Ko Iwasaki, and Joel Smirnoff. Her festival appearances include the Gilmore Keyboard Festival and the Montecito International Music Festival. In 2017, she gave a solo recital at the Dean Acheson Auditorium of the United States Department of State.

Wei joined the faculty of Lee University in 2021 and is an assistant professor of piano and director of the Presidential Concert Series. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the China Conservatory, a Master of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her newest album, released in 2025 on Toccata Classics, features the solo piano music of Jean Louis Nicodé and received a 2026 International Classical Music Awards nomination in the Premier Recordings category.

The program is free, open to the public, and no registration is required. Parking is available in the Guest House and student parking lots. For more information, contact Krista Hall during business hours at 812-357-6501. For updates on the day of the performance, call 812-357-6611.