Mei-Ann Chen leads National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra In August 2018 California Tour

Concerts at San Jose’s Center for the Performing Arts

and LA’s Walt Disney Concert Hall

Pay Tribute to Composer Tyzen Hsiao,  the "Taiwanese Rachmaninoff"

Conductor Mei-Ann Chen leads Taiwan’s oldest symphony, the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, in a history-making two-concert tour of California with stops in San Jose and Los Angeles. Maestra Chen, who is widely known in the United States as Music Director of the MacArthur Award-winning Chicago Sinfonietta and a popular guest conductor, is also Artistic Director & Conductor for the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra Summer Festival. The August 9th concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall marks the first time a Taiwanese orchestra will perform on the stage of Disney Concert Hall, and is Maestra Chen’s hall debut as well.

The performances honor the late Taiwanese American composer Tyzen Hsiao (1938-2015) who was considered the “Taiwanese Rachmaninoff”. His work contributed to the Taiwanese literature movement that gave new life and vitality to the island's literary and performing arts in the 1970s and 1980s. At the time of his passing in 2015, the composer was living in Los Angeles.

National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra

Mei-Ann Chen, conductor

August 4, 2018 at 3:30 pm

Center for the Performing Arts, San Jose (255 Almaden Blvd., San Jose, CA 95113)

August 9, 2018 at 7:00pm

Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles (11 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012)

LISTENING TO TAIWAN

2018 National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra Tyzen Hsiao Memorial Concert

Tyzen HSIAO March of Democracy

Tyzen HSIAO The Angel from Formosa

Antonin DVORAK Symphony No. 9 From the New World

Tyzen HSIAO: Piano Concerto in C minor, Op. 53

Selections with Soprano:

     Tyzen HSIAO/arr. Shu-Si CHEN How Lovely is Thy Dwelling

Tyzen HSIAO Choral Selections:

      The Beautiful Land

      “1947 Overture” Final movements - Love and Hope (Lyrics by Min-Yong Lee)

       Taiwan the Green (Lyrics by Ji-Giok Tin)

Soloists:
Karen Chia-Ling Ho, soprano, August 4

Li-Chan Chen, soprano, August 9

Chen Lu, pianist August 4 & 9

Tickets: available now for August 4 at https://tac.ticketleap.com/-ntso/; available second week of July for August 9 at www.musiccenter.org

About Mei-Ann Chen

Praised for her dynamic, passionate conducting style, conductor Mei-Ann Chen is acclaimed for infusing orchestras with energy, enthusiasm and high-level music-making, galvanizing audiences and communities alike. Highly regarded as a compelling communicator and an innovative leader both on and off the podium.

North American guesting credits include appearances with the Symphony Orchestras of Atlanta, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Chicago, Detroit, Fort Worth, Houston, Indianapolis, National, Nashville, Oregon, Pacific, River Oaks Chamber, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, and Vancouver, to name a few. Overseas guesting credits include the symphonies of BBC Scottish, Denmark’s National, Aalborg, Aarhus, and Odense, Sweden’s Gavle, Gothenburg, Helsingborg, Malmo, and Norrkoping, The Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra at the Concertgebouw, Norwegian Radio and Trondheim Symphony, Finland’s Tampere Philharmonic, Austria’s Grosses Orchester Graz, Germany’s Badische Staatskapelle Karlsruhe, Brazil’s Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Mexico, and Taiwan Philharmonic, National Taiwan & Taipei Symphony Orchestras. Her U.S. summer music festival credits include Aspen, Grant Park, Grand Teton, Ravinia, Texas, and Wintergreen. She also conducts the Tonkunstlerorchester at Austria’s Grafenegg Festival. Future engagements include debuts with Denmark’s Copenhagen Philharmonic on a 7-city tour, Germany’s Würth Philharmonic, Netherland’s Residentie Orkest, Norway’s Oslo Philharmonic, Switzerland’s Sinfonieorchester Basel, Turkey’s Bilkent Senfoni Orkestrasi, and return engagements with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for its Gala program with Lang Lang, and multiple programs with Austria’s Recreation Grosses Orchester Graz and Sweden’s Malmö Symphony Orchestra.

Recognized as someone who has redefined the orchestra experience, amongst Ms. Chen’s honors and awards are being named one of the 2015 Top 30 Influencers by Musical America; a 2012 Helen M. Thompson Award from the League of American Orchestras; Winner, the 2007 Taki Concordia Fellowship; and First Prize Winner, the prestigious Malko Competition in 2005. Ms. Chen is the recipient of several ASCAP awards for innovative programming during her tenure as the Music Director of Chicago Sinfonietta & Portland Youth Philharmonic in Oregon (2002 – 2007). Ms. Chen is also Conductor Laureate of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, having served as Music Director from 2010 to 2016.

Born in Taiwan, Mei-Ann Chen came to the United States to study violin in 1989 and became the first student in New England Conservatory’s history to receive master’s degrees simultaneously in both violin and conducting. She later studied with Kenneth Kiesler at the University of Michigan, where she earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in conducting. Ms. Chen participated in the National Conductor Preview, National Conducting Institute, Aspen American Academy of Conducting, and Pierre Monteux School.

Music Director of the MacArthur Award-winning Chicago Sinfonietta since 2011, Ms. Chen’s contract has been extended through the 2020-2021 season. She also serves as Artistic Director & Conductor for the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra Summer Festival, a post she has held since 2016. A sought-after guest conductor, she continues to expand her relationships with orchestras worldwide.

Press Contact:

Laura Grant, Grant Communications

917 359 7319; Laura@grant-communications.com