| Long Bio | dab dad b. 1949 034137
Chien-Tai Chen has been Music Director and Conductor ofthe Chinese American Music Society Olrchestra since 1982, tling the orchestra on a concert tour ofthe Far East in 1985. A former apprentice to Dr. Paul Traver, Music Director of t"1-Ie Maryland Handel Festival, he has also studied at the Pierre Monteux School for Advanced Conductors under Maestro Charles Bruck, former conductor of the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra of France.
Chen began his music career at home, studying the violin and traditional Chinese stringed instrlUments with his father, Yun- Tung Chen, a noted teacher and musician. At the age of 19, he was selected by the Chinese Ministry of Education to perform in the Third Shiraz International Arts Festival in Iran. His concerts there were highly acclaimed; critics called him "the youngest talent" and his program "the most elegant one."
In 1975, he left Taiwan for the United States, where, at Kent State University in Ohio, he complet~~d a Master's degree in Musicology and Ethnomusicology, and another Master's degree in vioHn performance. He earned his doctoral degree in Musical Arts at the University of Maryland. He has taught at the University of Maryland and the International Conservatory of Music in Washington D.C.
Dr. Chen has concertized extensively, performing on violin as well as several Chinese String instr'uments. He has performed at the National Museum of American History (where he performed on a 1675 Amait from the Smithsonian's collection of musical instruments), the Sackler Gallery, the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Kennedy Center, and on tours of Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Chen also brings an unparalleled creativity and depth to his chamber, vocal and symphonic compositions. Many ofthese have been selected by Asian Composers' League for their concerts. Commissioned to compose an opera for the opening season ofthe Taipei National Theatre in 1987, Chen's enormously successful "Journey to the West" launched his career as a full-time composer. He is currently working with a record company to adapt children's music for the symphony orchestra. |
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