Archie Chen (pianist)
Archie Chen | |
|---|---|
| Native name | 陳宇治 |
| Origin | Spokane, Washington, U.S. |
| Genres | Classical |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Instruments | Piano |
| Labels | Sony Classical |
| Associated acts | Rhona Gouldson-Chen |
| Website | archiechen |
Archie Chen (Chinese: 陳宇治) is a Taiwanese-American concert pianist, music educator, and arts administrator. He is the co-founder and artistic director of the Dublin International Piano Festival & Summer Academy, and co-executive director of Holy Names Music Center in Spokane, Washington. Chen has performed at venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, the Vatican Auditorium in Rome, Benaroya Hall in Seattle, and the National Concert Hall in Dublin.
In 2012, Chen performed the Godowsky–Chopin Etudes for the BBC television film Loving Miss Hatto, written by Victoria Wood and directed by Aisling Walsh. He is also featured as a performing artist on the Sony Classical release of the soundtrack to the 2016 Whit Stillman film Love & Friendship.
Education
Chen received his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he studied with Menahem Pressler, founding member of the Beaux Arts Trio, and with Edmund Battersby (1949–2016).[1] He also received instruction from Spanish pianist Alicia de Larrocha.
After attending a masterclass with Irish pianist John O'Conor, Chen moved to Dublin, Ireland, where he earned a Recital Artist Diploma and a Doctor of Music in Piano Performance from the Royal Irish Academy of Music, with doctoral research focused on the works of Frédéric Chopin.[2]
Career
Performance
Chen has performed internationally as a solo recitalist, orchestral soloist, and chamber musician across North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.[3] His chamber music collaborations have included performances with cellists Zuill Bailey and William Butt, and trumpeters Allen Vizzutti and John Wallace.
Chen has appeared multiple times as soloist with the Spokane Symphony Orchestra.[4] His performances have been broadcast on radio and television in the United States and Europe.
The Irish Times has described Chen's playing as possessing "daring velocity" and a "fiery temperament."[5] International Piano magazine has also featured a review of his work.
BBC film: Loving Miss Hatto (2012)
In 2012, Chen was engaged by the BBC to perform the Godowsky–Chopin Etudes for the television drama film Loving Miss Hatto, written by Victoria Wood and directed by Aisling Walsh. The film dramatises the recording fraud surrounding the pianist Joyce Hatto, whose husband William Barrington-Coupe released commercial recordings by other pianists under her name. Chen learned the technically demanding etudes within a two-week period for the production.[6][7]
Recordings
Chen is featured as a performing artist on the Sony Classical release of the soundtrack to Love & Friendship (2016), the Whit Stillman film adaptation of Jane Austen's novella Lady Susan. The soundtrack was released digitally on 6 May 2016 and on CD on 13 May 2016.[8]
Dublin International Piano Festival
In 2012, Chen and Irish pianist Rhona Gouldson-Chen co-founded the Dublin International Piano Festival & Summer Academy in Dublin, Ireland. Chen serves as the festival's founder and artistic director. The annual event showcases international piano performance and provides workshops and masterclasses for advanced piano students.[9] The John Field International Piano Competition, presented through the festival, has attracted international attention; its 2017 winner, a 14-year-old competitor, was covered by both The Irish Times[10] and the Irish Independent.[11]
Chen also served as co-director of the Piano Academy of Ireland alongside Gouldson-Chen.
Holy Names Music Center
In July 2023, Chen and Gouldson-Chen were appointed co-executive directors of Holy Names Music Center, a community music school in Spokane, Washington that offers music instruction to students of all ages and abilities. Their appointment was reported in The Spokesman-Review.[12]
Piano adjudication
Chen has served as an adjudicator at international piano competitions.[13]
Personal life
Chen is married to Irish concert pianist Rhona Gouldson-Chen. The couple are based in Spokane, Washington.[14]
Selected discography
- Loving Miss Hatto – BBC Television Soundtrack (2012) – performer (Godowsky–Chopin Etudes)
- Love & Friendship – Sony Classical (2016) – featured artist
References
- ↑ "Alumnus Archie Chen behind the hands of new Joyce Hatto movie on BBC". Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. 10 January 2013. Retrieved 2024. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ "Dr. Archie Chen – Piano Academy of Ireland". Piano Academy of Ireland. Retrieved 2024. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ "Biography – Archie Chen". archiechen.com. Retrieved 2024. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ "Pianist Archie Chen, recovered from COVID-19, looks forward to symphony's 'Masterworks 6'". The Spokesman-Review. 3 March 2022.
- ↑ "14-year-old Irish piano prodigy wins international competition". The Irish Times. 2017.
- ↑ "Alumnus Archie Chen behind the hands of new Joyce Hatto movie on BBC". Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. 10 January 2013. Retrieved 2024. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ "The pianist behind the hands of Joyce Hatto". The Cross-Eyed Pianist. 18 December 2012. Retrieved 2024. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ "Sony Classical Releases Love & Friendship Soundtrack" (Press release). PR Newswire. 2016.
- ↑ "Dublin International Piano Festival & Summer Academy". pianofestival.ie. Retrieved 2024. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ "14-year-old Irish piano prodigy wins international competition". The Irish Times. 2017.
- ↑ "14-year-old Irish piano prodigy hailed as a 'gift from God' after winning international competition". Irish Independent. 2017.
- ↑ "Holy Names Music Center gets new executive directors". The Spokesman-Review. 8 September 2023.
- ↑ "Adjudications – Archie Chen". archiechen.com. Retrieved 2024. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ "Pianists Archie Chen and Rhona Gouldson work to revamp Musicfest Northwest". The Spokesman-Review. 9 May 2019.
External links
- Official website
- Profile at Holy Names Music Center
- Archie Chen at the Internet Movie Database
- Profile at Piano Academy of Ireland
Category:Living people
Category:American classical pianists
Category:Male classical pianists
Category:Taiwanese-American musicians
Category:Indiana University Jacobs School of Music alumni
Category:Royal Irish Academy of Music alumni
Category:American arts administrators
Category:Music educators from Washington (state)
Category:Musicians from Spokane, Washington
Category:People from Spokane, Washington
Category:Students of Menahem Pressler
Category:Students of Alicia de Larrocha
This article "Archie Chen (pianist)" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Archie Chen (pianist). Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
