Zhen Chen

Pianist
Composer

New Release

MAY 24

New Recording Release

Mozart Piano Concertos No.15 & 21

New York-based Chinese pianist Zhen Chen and the Chamber Orchestra Mannheim (Kurpfälzisches Kammerorchester) have dared a new interpretation of Mozart’s Piano Concertos No. 15 in B flat major, KV 450 and No. 21 in C major, KV 467. The concertos were recorded under the direction of Thomas Rösner in Germany’s Mannheim, a UNESCO City of Music. As such, these two piano concertos are intimately connected to the musical and historical relevance of this city, which Mozart himself felt likewise drawn to.

Pre-Listen

Biography

Hailed for his “Apollonian virtuosity and sensitive tone” (Dr. Ingobert Waltenberger, Online Merker, Germany) multi-award-winning pianist-composer Zhen Chen has performed as a soloist and chamber music artist at prominent music venues in USA, Europe and China, such as the Carnegie Hall, the David Geffen Hall of the Lincoln Center, the Preston Bradley Hall of the Chicago Cultural Center, China National Centre for Performing Arts and the Shanghai Symphony Hall. His live performances and recordings have been broadcasted by Chicago WFMT 98.7, Princeton WPRB 103.3, WCNY Classic FM, and China Central Television, among others.

Zhen Chen has worked with prominent violinists Maxim Vengerov, Cho-Liang Lin, Elmira Darvarova and outstanding instrumentalists of the New York Philharmonic and the Orchestra of Metropolitan Opera in concert and recording engagements. He is an official collaborative pianist of the Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition (SISIVC) and the International Music Competition Harbin (IMCH).

Zhen Chen wears another hat as a performer-composer who bridges Eastern and Western sensibility and musicality. His cross-culture and cross-genre composition works were crystallized in the albums ERGO: New Music for Piano and Chinese Folk Instruments (Navona/Naxos, 2017) and On & Between: New Music for Pipa and Western Ensembles (Navona/Naxos, 2018). The latter won the Gold Medal of Global Music Awards for Best Show top honor, Best Album, and Best Instrumentalists. As an avid recording artist, Zhen has been a voting member of the Grammys (The Recording Academy) since 2017.

Zhen Chen received a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and a master’s degree in piano performance under Arkady Aronov at Manhattan School of Music in New York City, where he also earned a master’s degree in collaborative piano and chamber music with Heasook Rhee. He joined the piano and the chamber music faculty of Manhattan School of Music Precollege in 2022 and was inducted into the Steinway & Sons Teacher Hall of Fame in 2023.

Bio