New Head of Conducting at MSM

Taiwanese American conductor Mei-Ann Chen is to succeed George Manahan as director of orchestral activities and chair of conducting at the Manhattan School of Music. Manahan announced his retirement in December, having been with the school for 55 years, the last 16 of them in the post. Chen, 53, is the current music director and head of the conducting fellowship program at the Chicago Sinfonietta and guest conducts internationally. She has extensive experience mentoring young conductors and takes over at MSM on July 1.

“Mei-Ann has led the MSM Symphony Orchestra on multiple occasions – as recently as last October – so she has already proven herself a strong fit with the School and its tradition of providing both a forum for artistic excellence and a nurturing, supportive learning environment,” said MSM Executive Vice President and Provost Joyce Griggs.

President James Gandre called her “a consummate and passionate artist and educator.”

Chen’s podium guest credits are extensive including the major orchestras of San Francisco, Chicago, Minnesota, and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, as well as the BBC Symphony, Copenhagen Philharmonic, Danish National Symphony, Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic, Orchestre National de France, Sweden’s Gothenburg and Malmo symphonies, the Netherland’s Residentie Orkest Den Haag and Netherlands’ Philharmonic at the Concertgebouw, and scores more. In addition to a number of artistic advisor/partner positions Stateside, she is chief conductor of Austria’s Recreation – Grosses Orchester Graz at Styriarte.

Chen holds a violin performance undergraduate degree from New England Conservatory and is the first student in the Conservatory’s history to be awarded double master’s degrees simultaneously in violin and conducting. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in conducting from the University of Michigan.