Loeffler Alumni Series: Rachel Chen, piano

The Loeffler Alumni Series is sponsored by Robert and Jane Loeffler.

 

Sunday, February 12, 2023

Program

Années de pèlerinage Book II, S. 161 | Franz Liszt
  Sonetto 123 del Petrarca

Sonata in A Major, D. 664 | Franz Schubert
  I. Allegro moderato
  II. Andante
  III. Allegro

Ballade No. 2 | Frederic Chopin

Petite Suite | Claude Debussy
  I. En bateau
  II. Cortège
  III. Menuet
  IV. Ballet

Rachel Chen, primo
Dominic Muzzi, secondo
 

About Rachel Chen

Born in New York to a Taiwanese diplomat, Rachel Yu Chen is the first professional musician of her family. She started her piano studies at Levine Music, where she was a recipient of one of three Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarships (made possible by NPR’s From the Top). After Levine, she attended The Colburn School’s prestigious Pre-College program in Los Angeles. In 2007, she competed in her first international competition representing Taiwan in the 40th International Piano Competition in the Czech Republic. Subsequently, Rachel performed at Carnegie Hall in New York for the 200th International Chopin Celebration Concert held by the American Fine Arts Festival in 2010. Rachel has won first prize in numerous competitions throughout her career, including both Levine’s Marlin-Engel Solo Competition and our Ruth P. Cogen Concerto Competition.

After graduating from high school, Rachel attended the University of Michigan where she earned both her undergraduate and graduate degrees in performance and pedagogy, studying piano performance with Logan Skelton, John Ellis, and Aya Higuchi Hagelthorn. Currently, Rachel is finishing her Doctorate of Music in Piano Performance with a minor in Music Education and a Certificate in Preparing Educators of Students with Autism (PESA) from Indiana University in Bloomington, IN. She studies with Roberto Plano.

Rachel previously taught through the Indiana University Young Pianists Pre-College Program, where she taught private students and led the Young Beginners Group Class offered to students ages 4-6. She previously taught college group piano at the University of Michigan and was a faculty member of the Piano Pedagogy Laboratory Program at the University of Michigan, where she ran a full studio and developed her interest in teaching students with special needs. She also worked as a piano instructor for the Aspen Music Festival P.A.L.S. program.

This year, Rachel returned to Levine as a member of our piano faculty.

Join us on March 29th at 7 PM for:
Young Concert Artist Series: Lun Li, violin