Karen McFarlane Artists announces the addition of Chelsea Chen to its roster of concert organists. Her playing has been described as “stunning” and possessing “lovely lyrical grandeur” (Los Angeles Times), and she has played throughout the United States and Asia. Originally from San Diego, Chen went on to study with John Weaver and Paul Jacobs at the Juilliard School, receiving both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the accelerated program. At Juilliard, she also received the John Erskine Prize for scholastic and artistic distinction. She then earned an Artist Diploma from Yale University under the tutelage of Thomas Murray, and was awarded several prizes at Yale, including the Robert Baker, Hugh Porter, and Charles Ives prizes.
In 2009, Chen received the Lili Boulanger Award, given annually by the Boulanger Foundation to a young musician exhibiting unusual talent and promise for the future. She has also received first prizes in several competitions, including the 2005 Augustana/Reuter National Undergraduate Organ Competition, the 2003 Region IX AGO RCYO competition, and the 2005 Musical Merit Foundation competition. In 2006 she was an Aspen Music Festival full scholarship recipient for piano.
In the past year, she has performed at Singapore’s Esplanade, Hong Kong’s Cultural Centre, Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center, and Los Angeles’s Disney Hall. Other appearances include the 2006 AGO Region IX conclave and the 2006 and 2004 national conventions of the guild, as well as performances with the Juilliard Percussion Orchestra in Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall and the Musica Sacra Chamber Orchestra in Colorado.
Also an accomplished composer, Chen is broadening the classical organ repertoire with her own Asian-inspired compositions. She premiered her own Taiwanese Suite (2003) and Taiwan Tableaux (2007) at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in San Diego. Her CD/DVD, entitled Live at Heinz Chapel, was recorded at the 2005 convention of the American Institute of Organ Builders. Her playing has also been aired on CNN.com, Pipedreams from American Public Media, Hawaii Public Radio, and Taiwan’s Good News Radio. Chelsea Chen currently serves as Artist-in-Residence at Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in Manhattan. For booking information, contact Karen McFarlane Artists at www.concertorganists.com.
November 20, 2009
Karen McFarlane Artists Inc.
