Archie Chen Pianist

Described by the Irish Times as a pianist who performs with “… gorgeously full tone and daring velocity… ” and whose playing “… suggests a fiery temperament with the necessary elements of technique to support it,” Taiwanese-American pianist Archie Chen has gained international recognition for his poetic imagination, drama and virtuosic technical prowess. International Piano Magazine hails his recital at the Dublin International Piano Festival as a performance “… that has stayed longer in the memory than anything else.” Others have also described his playing as one that “combines a solo virtuoso’s fluency and excitement with the sophistication and intelligence of an artist who thinks deeply about the music he plays.” while Ralf Gothoni applauded him as “a great talent, both as instrumentalist and musician… a virtuoso… showing a wide spectrum of deep emotions and understanding for the musical structure.”

Dr. Chen’s performances have led him throughout the United States, Asia, the Middle East and Europe in such prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Gewandhaus, Vatican Auditorium, Benaroya Hall, National Concert Hall and concert halls throughout China. Archie’s performances have also been featured on radio and television with broadcasts in the United States and Europe and in movies including BBC Films “Loving Miss Hatto” a movie about “Hattogate” the recording scandal involving British pianist Joyce Hatto which features Dr. Chen’s performances of the fiendishly difficult Godowsky Chopin Etudes. An active chamber musician, he also enjoys performing regularly with English cellist William Butt while collaborating with other notable musicians including trumpeters Alan Vizutti and John Wallace. Equally active as a soloist with orchestra, he has performed with the Spokane Symphony, RTE Concert Orchestra, Washington Symphony, Coeur d’Alene Symphony, Gonzaga Symphony and the Northwest Chamber Orchestra. Upcoming recording projects include a new disc with Carnegie Artists Records.

A native of Spokane, WA, Archie Chen studied extensively with Mary Toy and was taken under the wing of Maestro Gunther Schuller at the age of 16, becoming a regular performer at the Festival at Sandpoint. He obtained his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from The Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University where he continued his studies with Menahem Pressler and Edmund Battersby. Among his many scholarships and awards at Indiana University were the Nina Neal Piano Scholarship and the prestigious Performer’s Certificate, the school’s highest honor. Following his training at Indiana University he earned his Doctorate of Music at the Royal Irish Academy of Music under the direction of John O’ Conor with focused research on Chopin. Other influential teachers include Leonard Hokanson & Alicia De Larrocha.

Dr. Chen now enjoys a busy teaching career and feels honored to share his knowledge with students who are passionate about music. Many of his students have won top prizes in competitions and have been accepted to major universities and conservatories. He has also been invited to give master classes at festivals and institutions across the United States, Europe and Asia as well as being an active adjudicator at both national and international levels. Dr. Chen received First Prize at the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition in 2012 and also holds a Fellowship from the Tyrone Guthrie Centre for artists to practice and excel at their craft. He previously served as Assistant Professor of Piano at the Royal Irish Academy of Music and the DIT Dublin Conservatory of Music and is now Artistic Director of the Dublin International Piano Festival & Summer Academy and Director of Development at the Piano Academy of Ireland.

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Archie Chen Pianist’s tracks

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Adagio in B minor, K. 540 (1788) by Archie Chen Pianist
• Edvard Grieg 'March of the Dwarfs' op. 54, no. 3 by Archie Chen Pianist
• Edvard Grieg Notturno op. 54, no. 4 by Archie Chen Pianist
• Frederic Chopin Nocturne in E major, op. 62, no. 2 by Archie Chen Pianist
• Frederic Chopin Piano Concerto no. 2 in F minor, op. 21 - II. Larghetto by Archie Chen Pianist
• Frederic Chopin Etude op. 10 no. 4 by Archie Chen Pianist
• John Field Fantaisie sur un air russe in A minor 'In the Garden' by Archie Chen Pianist
• Franz Liszt Venezia e Napoli, s. 159 by Archie Chen Pianist
• Frederic Chopin Impromptu no. 3 in G flat major, op. 51 by Archie Chen Pianist
• Charles-Valentin Alkan "Le festin d'Ésope" Etude op. 39, no. 12 by Archie Chen Pianist