ABOUT — KE-CHIA CHEN

Bio

Ke-Chia Chen's compositions have been performed by leading orchestras, chamber ensembles, and soloists throughout the world. She has fused her inspirations from Western and Asian classical traditions into a unique personal voice that speaks directly to listeners of either heritage.

Her music has been programmed by presenters and organizations including Carnegie Hall, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, Florida’s Naples Philharmonic, the Taiwan Philharmonic, Copland House Ensemble, the Harlem Chamber Players, Philadelphia’s WHYY radio, and the Delaware Symphony Orchestra's Miles of Manuscript music series.

Among those commissioning works from Chen are the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Washington Performing Arts, the Taiwan Philharmonic, the Taipei Wind Orchestra, the Delaware County Youth Orchestra, Taiwan International Festival of Arts, Curtis Institute of Music, Network for New Music, New Asia Chamber Music Society, and Taipei Percussion.

Collaborating with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra on several projects, Chen orchestrated the music for their 2015 Papal Mass and 69th UN General Assembly session performances. Other notable collaborators include Teddy Abrams, music director of the Louisville Orchestra; Joshua Gersen, former assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic and music director of the New York Youth Symphony; Lio Kuokman, resident conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, and Radu Paponiu, associate conductor of the Naples Philharmonic.

The Philadelphia Inquirer described a recent performance of Chen’s viola concerto, The Desires, as "lyrical expressions of longing launched into a fearless sense of confession… Even where Chen includes a delicate folk-like melody, anguish was never far off." Chen's Broken Crystal, a winner of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra's prestigious Marilyn K. Glick Young Composer Award, was hailed by the Indianapolis Star as a work "orchestrated with lavish self-confidence and resourcefulness" which "made a coherent whole out of its pattern of abrupt contrasts, crowned by a broad, stunningly accented 'maestoso' episode." Chen’s The Silent Flame was awarded first prize in the 2016 International Horn Society Composition Contest.

Chen has been engaged as Artist-in-Residence with the Copland House Residency Award, Ucross Foundation, Ensemble 212, Concerts on the Slope, Colorado College Summer Music Festival, Music at Angel Fire Chamber Music Festival, and has held composer fellowships at the Aspen, Pacific, and Bowdoin Music Festivals.

Ke-Chia Chen is on the Musical Studies faculty at the Curtis Institute of Music. She holds degrees from Curtis and Manhattan School of Music, and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.