Mei-Ann Chen
Encyclopedia
Mei-Ann Chen is a Taiwanese American conductor
currently serving as music director of the Chicago Sinfonietta
and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra
. She has been described as "one of the most dynamic young conductors in America". Encouraged by her parents, Chen began playing violin and piano at a young age and later taught herself how to play the trumpet. By observing her conductor, she began to teach herself how to conduct and even collected batons
. Chen attended the Walnut Hill School
, a preparatory school affiliated with the New England Conservatory in Boston
, Massachusetts
, starting at age sixteen. She continued her undergraduate and advanced degree work at the Conservatory and became the first student to graduate from the institution with a double master's degree
in conducting and violin performance. Chen later obtained a Doctor of Musical Arts
degree in conducting from the University of Michigan
.
Chen became the Portland Youth Philharmonic
's fourth conductor in 2002. During her five-year tenure, the orchestra debuted at Carnegie Hall
, earned an ASCAP award in 2004 for innovative programming, and began collaborating with the Oregon Symphony
and Chamber Music Northwest
. She also served as assistant conductor of the Oregon Symphony from 2003 to 2005 and as cover conductor for the Los Angeles Philharmonic
. In 2005 Chen became the first woman to win the Malko Competition
, which recognizes young conductors. That same year she won the Taki Concordia Fellowship. Chen left the Philharmonic in 2007 to become assistant conductor of the Atlanta Symphony. Chen served as assistant conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
for its 2009–2010 season. She was appointed music director of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra; her three-year tenure began in September 2010. Chen also began serving as music director for the Chicago Sinfonietta during its 2010–2011 season.
Throughout her career, Chen has appeared with the following symphonies throughout the United States and Canada: Alabama
, Chautauqua
, Chicago
, Colorado
, Columbus, Edmonton
, Eugene
, Florida, Fort Worth
, Grand Teton Festival Orchestra, Honolulu
, Kalamazoo
, National
(Washington, D.C.), Pacific
, Phoenix
, Princeton
, Rochester
, Seattle
, Toledo
, and Toronto
. Appearances outside North America include all the principal Danish orchestras, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
, Graz Symphony, Norwegian Radio Orchestra
, Taiwan National Symphony, Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra
, and the Trondheim Symphony. Chen has also participated in the National Conducting Institute in Washington, D.C. and the American Academy of Conducting in Aspen. During the 2011–2012 season, Chen will debut with the Jacksonville
, Naples, Nashville, Pasadena, and Sarasota symphony orchestras, as well as the National Symphony of Mexico and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra
.
, Mei-Ann Chen wanted to be a conductor since she was ten years old. She began playing violin and piano starting at a young age with the support of her parents, and later taught herself to play the trumpet. However, Chen's parents also discouraged her from pursuing conducting as they felt it would be a difficult career path for a woman. She was "fascinated" with the concept of making elaborate noise, especially without the use of an instrument. Chen would observe her conductor very closely and began to learn how to conduct on her own. She collected batons
, believing that "different pieces needed different kinds of batons". Chen left Kaohsiung
to study music in Taipei
. There, she lived with her aunt and served as assistant conductor of her school's chorus.
In 1989 Chen attended a concert in Taipei by the American Youth Orchestra, a touring ensemble of Boston
's New England Conservatory. Following the performance, Chen's accompanist escorted her backstage, introduced her to the conductor and asked if she could play for him. Chen's opportunity came the next morning when she played for conductor Benjamin Zander
in a closed basement hotel bar and was offered a scholarship immediately. She performed with the American Youth Orchestra before being invited to attend the Walnut Hill School
, a preparatory school linked to the New England Conservatory, two months later at age sixteen. She left her parents, who thought she would study to become a concert violinist, and for more than three years lived with a couple in Boston she referred to as her "American parents" (Mark Churchill and Marylou Speaker Churchill, the latter of which was once a member of the Portland Junior Symphony
). Chen continued her undergraduate and graduate work at the Conservatory. Speaker taught Chen, who also received violin instruction from James Buswell and Eric Rosenblith
as well as conducting supervision from Frank Battisti
and Richard Hoenich. Chen became the first person to graduate from the New England Conservatory with a double master's degree
in conducting and violin performance and received two honors from the institution: the Chadwick Medal for outstanding undergraduate work and the Schuller Medal for "extraordinary contribution to musical life in the community".
Chen remained in Boston for nine years until she attended the University of Michigan
, where she studied with Kenneth Kiesler and Martin Katz
, to obtain a Doctor of Musical Arts
degree in conducting. There she served as music director of the campus orchestras and conductor for the Arbor Opera Theater. Chen has admitted that she obtained the doctorate degree was because she was not receiving any job offers and that she questioned whether she was being rejected because she was "young, a woman, Asian, or combination of all three."
's "Halloween Spooktacular" concert. That same year she was the youngest finalist in the Maazel-Vilar Conductor's Competition in Tokyo. Leonard Slatkin
invited Chen in 2002 to conduct the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center in the National Conducting Institute. Chen received a fellowship to study at the Aspen Music Festival and School
with David Zinman
. The following year the American Symphony Orchestra League (now known as the League of American Orchestras
) invited Chen to be showcased at the National Conductor Preview.
's (PYP) fourth conductor in 2002 after being selected by a committee of "musically inclined" parents, a member of the orchestra, and representatives of the Oregon Symphony
and Portland Opera
. She conducted both the Philharmonic ensemble as well as the Conservatory Orchestra. One board member of the organization recalled that during her audition Chen very quickly captured the rapport of the orchestra and displayed "wonderful communication skills and genuineness".
During her five-year tenure with the organization, PYP debuted at Carnegie Hall
, received its third ASCAP award in 2004 for innovating programming, and began collaborating with the Oregon Symphony (Chen was the ensemble's assistant conductor from 2003 to 2005) and Chamber Music Northwest
. In April 2005 Chen became the first woman to win the Malko Competition
, the "world's most prestigious prize" for young conductors. She also won the Taki Concordia Fellowship in 2007, an award established by Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
music director Marin Alsop
to support "promising" female conductors. Chen was presented the Sunburst Award from Young Audiences for her contribution to music education and was named "Educator of the Week" by KKCW
.
While conductor of the Philharmonic, Chen set up a box in her office so that students could leave notes for her about themselves. One musician of the orchestra felt that Chen was "kind of formal" during rehearsal but felt "like a big sister" once practice ended. Chen has been described as a "firecracker: small, bright and full of ka-boom", and her enthusiasm at times caused her to lose her breath. One board member of the organization praised Chen's attitude and felt that her lack of ego was a "rare quality in top symphony performers".
Chen turned down a position with the Oregon Symphony to continue work at PYP, later recalling:
In 2007 she accompanied the orchestra on an international tour to Asia, where her parents saw her conduct for the first time. The Philharmonic offered a total of six performances between June 29 and July 17 in Kaohsiung, Tainan
and Taipei, Taiwan as well as in Seoul
and Ulsan
, South Korea
. Though Chen initially thought she would remain with the Philharmonic for ten years, she left in 2007 to become assistant conductor of the Atlanta Symphony. She said of her departure: "The musicians at PYP have become my kids. When I look back, these five years will always be the most memorable time of my musical career." Guest conductors during the 2007–2008 season included Ken Selden, director of orchestral studies at Portland State University
, former Seattle Symphony
conductor Alastair Willis, along with former PYP conductors Huw Edwards
and Chen herself.
's cover conductor during her tenure with PYP. Following her departure, she became assistant conductor of the Atlanta Symphony for two seasons (2007–2009). In April 2009 Chen withdrew her candidacy for music director of the Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra. Her next role was assistant conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
for the 2009–2010 season, though she never led a subscription program and mostly conducted programs for children. Both positions were sponsored by the League of American Orchestras. Following successful auditions held in December 2006, she was formerly appointed music director of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra
in February 2010, becoming the organization's fourth. Chen's three-year tenure began in September 2010.
In October 2010 Chen returned to the New England Conservatory to guest conduct the Philharmonia. Chen dedicated the concert to the late Marylou Speaker Churchill, and thanked Benjamin Zander and dean emeritus
Mark Churchill for "making her career possible". Chen began serving as music director for the Chicago Sinfonietta
during its 2010–2011 season. Her belief that "multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion are increasingly global matters" is partly why she accepted a position with the Chicago Sinfonietta, one of the nation's most diverse orchestras with a "strong focus on black and Latino musicians, composers and audience members". Her four-year contact with the Sinfonietta began on July 1, 2011. Chen plans to record a commercial album with the Sinfonietta in June 2012 and hopes to launch an international competition for new musicians and composers. She will return to Atlanta in October 2011 to guest conduct the symphony.
. Chen finds satisfaction in "loud" and "elaborate" noises, especially those generated without musical instruments. Her favorite composer is Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
; other favorites include Ludwig van Beethoven
, Leonard Bernstein
, and Aaron Copland
. Her favorite composition is Beethoven's Symphony No. 5
, which she will be conducting during Chicago Sinfonietta's 2011–2012 season. She likes Romantic music
the most "because the music in this era was an expression of your life". In addition to working with minority or unconventional artists, Chen prefers to incorporate classic compositions as well as new works into her repertoire. She enjoys reading detective stories, fiction
or non-fiction, and has shared that she would want to be a detective
or a professor if she were not a conductor. She moved to Mud Island, Memphis
in order to be close to nature, inspiration and the Cannon Center.
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
currently serving as music director of the Chicago Sinfonietta
Chicago Sinfonietta
The Chicago Sinfonietta is an American orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. The stated mission of the orchestra is to "serve as a national model for inclusiveness and innovation in classical music" and to "help America become a true cultural democracy, in which everyone can share fully in its...
and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra
Memphis Symphony Orchestra
-History:The Memphis Symphony Orchestra was established in its present form in 1960 as an outgrowth of the Memphis Sinfonietta, a chamber group formed eight years earlier under the direction of cellist Vincent DeFrank, with support from the Memphis Orchestral Society and the Memphis Arts...
. She has been described as "one of the most dynamic young conductors in America". Encouraged by her parents, Chen began playing violin and piano at a young age and later taught herself how to play the trumpet. By observing her conductor, she began to teach herself how to conduct and even collected batons
Baton (conducting)
A baton is a stick that is used by conductors primarily to exaggerate and enhance the manual and bodily movements associated with directing an ensemble of musicians. They are generally made of a light wood, fiberglass or carbon fiber which is tapered to a grip shaped like a pear, drop, cylinder...
. Chen attended the Walnut Hill School
Walnut Hill School
Walnut Hill School for the Arts is a private boarding school for the arts located in Natick, Massachusetts.-Boarding School:Walnut Hill was founded in 1893 as a college preparatory school for women and a feeder school to Wellesley College. It became coeducational and arts-focused in the late 1970s...
, a preparatory school affiliated with the New England Conservatory in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, starting at age sixteen. She continued her undergraduate and advanced degree work at the Conservatory and became the first student to graduate from the institution with a double master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in conducting and violin performance. Chen later obtained a Doctor of Musical Arts
Doctor of Musical Arts
The Doctor of Musical Arts degree is a doctoral academic degree in music. The D.M.A. combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization with graduate-level academic study in subjects such as music history, music theory, or music pedagogy. The D.M.A...
degree in conducting from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
.
Chen became the Portland Youth Philharmonic
Portland Youth Philharmonic
The Portland Youth Philharmonic is the oldest youth orchestra in the United States, established in 1924 as the Portland Junior Symphony . Now based in Portland, Oregon, the orchestra's origin dates back to 1910 when music teacher Mary V. Dodge began playing music for local children in Burns...
's fourth conductor in 2002. During her five-year tenure, the orchestra debuted at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
, earned an ASCAP award in 2004 for innovative programming, and began collaborating with the Oregon Symphony
Oregon Symphony
The Oregon Symphony is an American orchestra based in Portland, Oregon. Founded as the Portland Symphony Society in 1896, it is the sixth oldest orchestra in the United States, and oldest in the Western United States...
and Chamber Music Northwest
Chamber Music Northwest
Chamber Music Northwest is an American non-profit organization in Portland, Oregon that is dedicated to the performance and promotion of chamber music. The organization's main presentation is an annual five-week summer festival that occurs during the months of June and July...
. She also served as assistant conductor of the Oregon Symphony from 2003 to 2005 and as cover conductor for the Los Angeles Philharmonic
Los Angeles Philharmonic
The Los Angeles Philharmonic is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California, United States. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from July through September...
. In 2005 Chen became the first woman to win the Malko Competition
Malko Competition
-Recipients:...
, which recognizes young conductors. That same year she won the Taki Concordia Fellowship. Chen left the Philharmonic in 2007 to become assistant conductor of the Atlanta Symphony. Chen served as assistant conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is a professional American symphony orchestra based in Baltimore, Maryland.In September 2007, Maestra Marin Alsop led her inaugural concerts as the Orchestra’s twelfth music director, making her the first woman to head a major American orchestra.The BSO Board...
for its 2009–2010 season. She was appointed music director of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra; her three-year tenure began in September 2010. Chen also began serving as music director for the Chicago Sinfonietta during its 2010–2011 season.
Throughout her career, Chen has appeared with the following symphonies throughout the United States and Canada: Alabama
Alabama Symphony Orchestra
- 1921-1955: Beginnings :The Alabama Symphony Orchestra can trace its beginnings to 1921, when on Friday, April 29, fifty-two volunteer musicians joined to perform at the Birmingham Music Festival at the Old Jefferson Theater...
, Chautauqua
Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra
The Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra, the resident summer orchestra of the Chautauqua Institution in western New York State. Founded in 1929, the ensemble plays concerts on most Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday nights throughout the Institution's nine-week season. The CSO...
, Chicago
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1891, the Symphony makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival...
, Colorado
Colorado Symphony Orchestra
Colorado’s only full-time professional orchestra, the Colorado Symphony embraces a tradition of musical excellence by presenting a diverse array of symphonic performances throughout the year...
, Columbus, Edmonton
Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
As the professional orchestra of Alberta's creative capital city, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra presents over 85 concerts a year of symphonic music in all genres, from classical to country...
, Eugene
Eugene Symphony
The Eugene Symphony is an American orchestra based in Eugene, Oregon. Its home venue is the Silva Concert Hall at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts.Approximately 27,000 people attend Eugene Symphony's classical and pops concert performances each year....
, Florida, Fort Worth
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Fort Worth, Texas. The orchestra performs at the Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall in downtown Fort Worth...
, Grand Teton Festival Orchestra, Honolulu
Honolulu Symphony
The Honolulu Symphony, also known as the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra, was founded in 1900. The Honolulu Symphony is the oldest symphony orchestra in the USA west of the Rocky Mountains. Originally housed in a clubhouse on the slopes of Punchbowl, the Honolulu Symphony now plays from the Neal S...
, Kalamazoo
Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra
The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1921 and is now the third largest professional orchestra in Michigan. During the 2005–2006 concert season, the orchestra played for more than 100,000 people in more than 30 concerts...
, National
National Symphony Orchestra
The National Symphony Orchestra , founded in 1931, is an American symphony orchestra that performs at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.-History:...
(Washington, D.C.), Pacific
Pacific Symphony
The Pacific Symphony is a symphony orchestra located in Orange County, California. The orchestra performs at the Renée and Henry Segerstom Concert Hall, part of the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, California...
, Phoenix
Phoenix Symphony
The Phoenix Symphony is a major United States symphony orchestra based in Phoenix, Arizona.Founded in 1947 when Phoenix had a population of less than 100,000, the orchestra began as an occasional group of musicians performing a handful of concerts each year...
, Princeton
Princeton Symphony Orchestra
The Princeton Symphony Orchestra is a professional U.S. orchestra based in Princeton, New Jersey. Rossen Milanov has been music director since 2009, leading the orchestra in critically acclaimed performances...
, Rochester
Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra is an American orchestra based in the city of Rochester, Monroe County, New York. Its primary concert venue is the Eastman Theatre at the Eastman School of Music....
, Seattle
Seattle Symphony
The Seattle Symphony is an American orchestra based in Seattle, Washington. Since 1998, the orchestra is resident at Benaroya Hall. The orchestra's season runs from September through July, and serves as the pit orchestra for most productions of the Seattle Opera in addition to its own concerts...
, Toledo
Toledo Symphony Orchestra
Toledo Symphony Orchestra is a symphony orchestra in Toledo, Ohio. It's the biggest "musical resource for the region". They perform in Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana...
, and Toronto
Toronto Symphony Orchestra
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra is a Canadian orchestra based in Toronto, Ontario.-History:The TSO was founded in 1922 as the New Symphony Orchestra, and gave its first concert at Massey Hall in April 1923. The orchestra changed its name to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in 1927. The TSO...
. Appearances outside North America include all the principal Danish orchestras, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra is a broadcasting symphony orchestra based in Glasgow, Scotland. One of five full-time orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation , it is the oldest full-time professional orchestra in Scotland...
, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra is an English orchestra. Originally based in Bournemouth, the BSO moved its offices to the adjacent town of Poole in 1979....
, Graz Symphony, Norwegian Radio Orchestra
Norwegian Radio Orchestra
The Norwegian Radio Orchestra is a Norwegian orchestra affiliated with the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation . Its principal base is the Store Studio at the NRK headquarters in Oslo....
, Taiwan National Symphony, Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra
Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra
The Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra is a Finnish orchestra based in Tampere. Founded in 1930, and maintained by the municipality of Tampere since 1947, the orchestra is currently based in the Tampere Hall...
, and the Trondheim Symphony. Chen has also participated in the National Conducting Institute in Washington, D.C. and the American Academy of Conducting in Aspen. During the 2011–2012 season, Chen will debut with the Jacksonville
Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra
The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Jacksonville, Florida. Widely recognized for its high artistic quality, the JSO ranks among the nation’s top 30 to 40 orchestras in terms of number of performances and population served...
, Naples, Nashville, Pasadena, and Sarasota symphony orchestras, as well as the National Symphony of Mexico and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra
Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra
The Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based primarily in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The NedPhO was formed in 1985 from the merger of three orchestras, the Amsterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, the Utrecht Symphony Orchestra Utrecht and the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra...
.
Early life and education
Native to TaiwanTaiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, Mei-Ann Chen wanted to be a conductor since she was ten years old. She began playing violin and piano starting at a young age with the support of her parents, and later taught herself to play the trumpet. However, Chen's parents also discouraged her from pursuing conducting as they felt it would be a difficult career path for a woman. She was "fascinated" with the concept of making elaborate noise, especially without the use of an instrument. Chen would observe her conductor very closely and began to learn how to conduct on her own. She collected batons
Baton (conducting)
A baton is a stick that is used by conductors primarily to exaggerate and enhance the manual and bodily movements associated with directing an ensemble of musicians. They are generally made of a light wood, fiberglass or carbon fiber which is tapered to a grip shaped like a pear, drop, cylinder...
, believing that "different pieces needed different kinds of batons". Chen left Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung is a city located in southwestern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait on the west. Kaohsiung, officially named Kaohsiung City, is divided into thirty-eight districts. The city is one of five special municipalities of the Republic of China...
to study music in Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
. There, she lived with her aunt and served as assistant conductor of her school's chorus.
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
's New England Conservatory. Following the performance, Chen's accompanist escorted her backstage, introduced her to the conductor and asked if she could play for him. Chen's opportunity came the next morning when she played for conductor Benjamin Zander
Benjamin Zander
Benjamin Zander is an American conductor from the United Kingdom.-External links:* *-Interviews:* * * *...
in a closed basement hotel bar and was offered a scholarship immediately. She performed with the American Youth Orchestra before being invited to attend the Walnut Hill School
Walnut Hill School
Walnut Hill School for the Arts is a private boarding school for the arts located in Natick, Massachusetts.-Boarding School:Walnut Hill was founded in 1893 as a college preparatory school for women and a feeder school to Wellesley College. It became coeducational and arts-focused in the late 1970s...
, a preparatory school linked to the New England Conservatory, two months later at age sixteen. She left her parents, who thought she would study to become a concert violinist, and for more than three years lived with a couple in Boston she referred to as her "American parents" (Mark Churchill and Marylou Speaker Churchill, the latter of which was once a member of the Portland Junior Symphony
Portland Youth Philharmonic
The Portland Youth Philharmonic is the oldest youth orchestra in the United States, established in 1924 as the Portland Junior Symphony . Now based in Portland, Oregon, the orchestra's origin dates back to 1910 when music teacher Mary V. Dodge began playing music for local children in Burns...
). Chen continued her undergraduate and graduate work at the Conservatory. Speaker taught Chen, who also received violin instruction from James Buswell and Eric Rosenblith
Eric Rosenblith
Eric Rosenblith, is an Austrian-born American violinist. He is the former concertmaster of the Indianapolis and San Antonio Symphony Orchestras, and has performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout North America, Europe, and Asia...
as well as conducting supervision from Frank Battisti
Frank Battisti
Frank Battisti is the Conductor Emeritus of the New England Conservatory of Music Wind Ensemble.-Career:Battisti founded and conducted the NEC Wind Ensemble for 30 years. The ensemble is recognized as being one of the premiere ensembles of its kind in the United States and throughout the world...
and Richard Hoenich. Chen became the first person to graduate from the New England Conservatory with a double master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in conducting and violin performance and received two honors from the institution: the Chadwick Medal for outstanding undergraduate work and the Schuller Medal for "extraordinary contribution to musical life in the community".
Chen remained in Boston for nine years until she attended the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, where she studied with Kenneth Kiesler and Martin Katz
Martin Katz
Martin Katz is an American pianist, educator and conductor, primarily known for his work as an accompanist.Over his 30 years as a performer, Mr...
, to obtain a Doctor of Musical Arts
Doctor of Musical Arts
The Doctor of Musical Arts degree is a doctoral academic degree in music. The D.M.A. combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization with graduate-level academic study in subjects such as music history, music theory, or music pedagogy. The D.M.A...
degree in conducting. There she served as music director of the campus orchestras and conductor for the Arbor Opera Theater. Chen has admitted that she obtained the doctorate degree was because she was not receiving any job offers and that she questioned whether she was being rejected because she was "young, a woman, Asian, or combination of all three."
Career
In 2001, while attending the University of Michigan, Chen guest conducted the Toledo Symphony OrchestraToledo Symphony Orchestra
Toledo Symphony Orchestra is a symphony orchestra in Toledo, Ohio. It's the biggest "musical resource for the region". They perform in Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana...
's "Halloween Spooktacular" concert. That same year she was the youngest finalist in the Maazel-Vilar Conductor's Competition in Tokyo. Leonard Slatkin
Leonard Slatkin
Leonard Edward Slatkin is an American conductor and composer.-Early life and education:Slatkin was born in Los Angeles to a musical family that came from areas of the Russian Empire now in Ukraine. His father Felix Slatkin was the violinist, conductor and founder of the Hollywood String Quartet,...
invited Chen in 2002 to conduct the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center in the National Conducting Institute. Chen received a fellowship to study at the Aspen Music Festival and School
Aspen Music Festival and School
The Aspen Music Festival and School, founded in 1949, is an internationally renowned classical music festival that presents music in an intimate, small-town setting...
with David Zinman
David Zinman
David Zinman is an American conductor and violinist.After early violin studies at the Oberlin Conservatory, Zinman studied theory and composition at the University of Minnesota and took up conducting at Tanglewood...
. The following year the American Symphony Orchestra League (now known as the League of American Orchestras
League of American Orchestras
The League of American Orchestras, known until Fall 2007 as the American Symphony Orchestra League , is an association of U.S. and Canadian orchestras. Over 950 orchestras are members, including youth, community, and professional orchestras....
) invited Chen to be showcased at the National Conductor Preview.
Portland Youth Philharmonic
Chen became the Portland Youth PhilharmonicPortland Youth Philharmonic
The Portland Youth Philharmonic is the oldest youth orchestra in the United States, established in 1924 as the Portland Junior Symphony . Now based in Portland, Oregon, the orchestra's origin dates back to 1910 when music teacher Mary V. Dodge began playing music for local children in Burns...
's (PYP) fourth conductor in 2002 after being selected by a committee of "musically inclined" parents, a member of the orchestra, and representatives of the Oregon Symphony
Oregon Symphony
The Oregon Symphony is an American orchestra based in Portland, Oregon. Founded as the Portland Symphony Society in 1896, it is the sixth oldest orchestra in the United States, and oldest in the Western United States...
and Portland Opera
Portland Opera
Portland Opera is an American opera company based at The Hampton Opera Center in Portland, Oregon. Its mainstage performances take place in the Keller Auditorium, while the Portland Opera Studio Theater at the Hampton center is used for performances of chamber operas...
. She conducted both the Philharmonic ensemble as well as the Conservatory Orchestra. One board member of the organization recalled that during her audition Chen very quickly captured the rapport of the orchestra and displayed "wonderful communication skills and genuineness".
During her five-year tenure with the organization, PYP debuted at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
, received its third ASCAP award in 2004 for innovating programming, and began collaborating with the Oregon Symphony (Chen was the ensemble's assistant conductor from 2003 to 2005) and Chamber Music Northwest
Chamber Music Northwest
Chamber Music Northwest is an American non-profit organization in Portland, Oregon that is dedicated to the performance and promotion of chamber music. The organization's main presentation is an annual five-week summer festival that occurs during the months of June and July...
. In April 2005 Chen became the first woman to win the Malko Competition
Malko Competition
-Recipients:...
, the "world's most prestigious prize" for young conductors. She also won the Taki Concordia Fellowship in 2007, an award established by Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is a professional American symphony orchestra based in Baltimore, Maryland.In September 2007, Maestra Marin Alsop led her inaugural concerts as the Orchestra’s twelfth music director, making her the first woman to head a major American orchestra.The BSO Board...
music director Marin Alsop
Marin Alsop
Marin Alsop is an American conductor and violinist. She is the music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.In 2012, Alsop will replace Yan Pascal Tortelier as principal conductor of the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra....
to support "promising" female conductors. Chen was presented the Sunburst Award from Young Audiences for her contribution to music education and was named "Educator of the Week" by KKCW
KKCW
KKCW is a commercial broadcast radio station licensed to Beaverton, Oregon and serves the greater Portland metropolitan area. The transmitter is located in Portland's west hills. The station's format is adult contemporary music. KKCW airs Christmas music from mid-November through Christmas...
.
While conductor of the Philharmonic, Chen set up a box in her office so that students could leave notes for her about themselves. One musician of the orchestra felt that Chen was "kind of formal" during rehearsal but felt "like a big sister" once practice ended. Chen has been described as a "firecracker: small, bright and full of ka-boom", and her enthusiasm at times caused her to lose her breath. One board member of the organization praised Chen's attitude and felt that her lack of ego was a "rare quality in top symphony performers".
Chen turned down a position with the Oregon Symphony to continue work at PYP, later recalling:
In 2007 she accompanied the orchestra on an international tour to Asia, where her parents saw her conduct for the first time. The Philharmonic offered a total of six performances between June 29 and July 17 in Kaohsiung, Tainan
Tainan
Tainan City is a city in southern Taiwan. It is the fifth largest after New Taipei, Kaohsiung, Taichung, and Taipei. It was formerly a provincial city, and in 2010, the provincial city merged with the adjacent Tainan County to form a single special municipality. Tainan faces the Taiwan Strait in...
and Taipei, Taiwan as well as in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
and Ulsan
Ulsan
Ulsan , officially the Ulsan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's seventh largest metropolis with a population of over 1.1 million. It is located in the south-east of the country, neighboring Busan to the south and facing Gyeongju to the north and the Sea of Japan to the east.Ulsan is the...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. Though Chen initially thought she would remain with the Philharmonic for ten years, she left in 2007 to become assistant conductor of the Atlanta Symphony. She said of her departure: "The musicians at PYP have become my kids. When I look back, these five years will always be the most memorable time of my musical career." Guest conductors during the 2007–2008 season included Ken Selden, director of orchestral studies at Portland State University
Portland State University
Portland State University is a public state urban university located in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1946, it has the largest overall enrollment of any university in the state of Oregon, including undergraduate and graduate students. It is also the only public university in...
, former Seattle Symphony
Seattle Symphony
The Seattle Symphony is an American orchestra based in Seattle, Washington. Since 1998, the orchestra is resident at Benaroya Hall. The orchestra's season runs from September through July, and serves as the pit orchestra for most productions of the Seattle Opera in addition to its own concerts...
conductor Alastair Willis, along with former PYP conductors Huw Edwards
Huw Edwards (conductor)
Huw Edwards is a Welsh conductor and the current music director of Portland, Oregon's Columbia Symphony Orchestra and Olympia, Washington's Olympia Symphony Orchestra. Edwards' conducting career began at age seventeen when he became music director of the Maidstone Opera Company in England...
and Chen herself.
Baltimore, Memphis, Chicago
Chen served as the Los Angeles PhilharmonicLos Angeles Philharmonic
The Los Angeles Philharmonic is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California, United States. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from July through September...
's cover conductor during her tenure with PYP. Following her departure, she became assistant conductor of the Atlanta Symphony for two seasons (2007–2009). In April 2009 Chen withdrew her candidacy for music director of the Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra. Her next role was assistant conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is a professional American symphony orchestra based in Baltimore, Maryland.In September 2007, Maestra Marin Alsop led her inaugural concerts as the Orchestra’s twelfth music director, making her the first woman to head a major American orchestra.The BSO Board...
for the 2009–2010 season, though she never led a subscription program and mostly conducted programs for children. Both positions were sponsored by the League of American Orchestras. Following successful auditions held in December 2006, she was formerly appointed music director of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra
Memphis Symphony Orchestra
-History:The Memphis Symphony Orchestra was established in its present form in 1960 as an outgrowth of the Memphis Sinfonietta, a chamber group formed eight years earlier under the direction of cellist Vincent DeFrank, with support from the Memphis Orchestral Society and the Memphis Arts...
in February 2010, becoming the organization's fourth. Chen's three-year tenure began in September 2010.
In October 2010 Chen returned to the New England Conservatory to guest conduct the Philharmonia. Chen dedicated the concert to the late Marylou Speaker Churchill, and thanked Benjamin Zander and dean emeritus
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
Mark Churchill for "making her career possible". Chen began serving as music director for the Chicago Sinfonietta
Chicago Sinfonietta
The Chicago Sinfonietta is an American orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. The stated mission of the orchestra is to "serve as a national model for inclusiveness and innovation in classical music" and to "help America become a true cultural democracy, in which everyone can share fully in its...
during its 2010–2011 season. Her belief that "multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion are increasingly global matters" is partly why she accepted a position with the Chicago Sinfonietta, one of the nation's most diverse orchestras with a "strong focus on black and Latino musicians, composers and audience members". Her four-year contact with the Sinfonietta began on July 1, 2011. Chen plans to record a commercial album with the Sinfonietta in June 2012 and hopes to launch an international competition for new musicians and composers. She will return to Atlanta in October 2011 to guest conduct the symphony.
Interests
As a child Chen was interested in earth scienceEarth science
Earth science is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth. It is arguably a special case in planetary science, the Earth being the only known life-bearing planet. There are both reductionist and holistic approaches to Earth sciences...
. Chen finds satisfaction in "loud" and "elaborate" noises, especially those generated without musical instruments. Her favorite composer is Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
; other favorites include Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
, Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...
, and Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later in his career a conductor of his own and other American music. He was instrumental in forging a distinctly American style of composition, and is often referred to as "the Dean of American Composers"...
. Her favorite composition is Beethoven's Symphony No. 5
Symphony No. 5 (Beethoven)
The Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67, was written by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1804–08. This symphony is one of the most popular and best-known compositions in all of classical music, and one of the most often played symphonies. It comprises four movements: an opening sonata, an andante, and a fast...
, which she will be conducting during Chicago Sinfonietta's 2011–2012 season. She likes Romantic music
Romantic music
Romantic music or music in the Romantic Period is a musicological and artistic term referring to a particular period, theory, compositional practice, and canon in Western music history, from 1810 to 1900....
the most "because the music in this era was an expression of your life". In addition to working with minority or unconventional artists, Chen prefers to incorporate classic compositions as well as new works into her repertoire. She enjoys reading detective stories, fiction
Detective fiction
Detective fiction is a sub-genre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator , either professional or amateur, investigates a crime, often murder.-In ancient literature:...
or non-fiction, and has shared that she would want to be a detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
or a professor if she were not a conductor. She moved to Mud Island, Memphis
Mud Island, Memphis
Mud Island is not actually an island but a small peninsula, surrounded by the Mississippi River to the west and the Wolf River Harbor to the east. In 1960, the Wolf River was diverted so that it went north of Mud Island, and Mud Island opened to the public in 1982...
in order to be close to nature, inspiration and the Cannon Center.
See also
- List of New England Conservatory people
- List of Taiwanese Americans
- List of University of Michigan arts alumni
- Music education for young childrenMusic education for young childrenMusic education for young children is an educational program introducing children in a playful manner to singing, speech, music, motion and organology. It is a subarea of music education.- Forms and activities :...
- Music education in the United StatesMusic education in the United StatesMusic education in the United States can be traced through historical documentation to the colonial era. Among the Native Americans prior to European and African settlement, music education was entirely oral.- History :...
- Music of TaiwanMusic of TaiwanTaiwan is densely-populated and culturally diverse, including a majority of Bensheng ren , a powerful faction waishengren who arrived with Chiang Kai-shek in the middle of the 20th century and the minority of aboriginal peoples.With the arrival of the KMT led Republic of China government in 1949,...
External links
- "Mei-Ann Chen named music director of the Chicago Sinfonietta" by Lawrence A. Johnson, Chicago Classical Review (2010)
- "Meet Memphian no. 222, Mei-Ann Chen" (2011)
- "My Thoughts: Symphony, conservatory share same objective" by David Loebel, former music director for the Memphis Symphony OrchestraMemphis Symphony Orchestra-History:The Memphis Symphony Orchestra was established in its present form in 1960 as an outgrowth of the Memphis Sinfonietta, a chamber group formed eight years earlier under the direction of cellist Vincent DeFrank, with support from the Memphis Orchestral Society and the Memphis Arts...
(2010)