Pianist Weiyin Chen to Conclude SubCulture Series with Solo Recital, 6/13

The remarkable young Taiwanese-American pianist Weiyin Chen concludes her three-part concert series at SubCulture with a solo recital of piano sonatas by Bartók and Schubert and a world premiere by distinguished American composer Marc Neikrug.

Ms. Chen's previous concerts offered performances of Mozart and Mendelssohn concertos with the Camerata RCO, members of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in their United States debut last September; and an all-Brahms program with the eminent Miró Quartet in January.

This last installment takes place on Saturday evening, June 13th, 7:30pm at SubCulture, downstairs at Bleecker and Lafayette Streets.

PROGRAM:

Bartók - Piano Sonata

Marc Neikrug - Sun Moon Lake (world premiere)

Schubert - Sonata in G Major, Op. 78, D. 894

Tickets at $20 can be purchased online at www.subculturenewyork.com or by calling 212 533-5470.

In a time of promising young virtuosos from all over the world the Taiwanese-American pianist Weiyin Chen stands out not just for her dazzling technique, but above all for the sheer musicality and maturity of her playing, qualities rare in an artist of her young years. Her gift for getting to the musical "heart" of the scores she plays has drawn the attention and praise of such master musicians as the renowned conductor-pianist Leon Fleisher and pianists Richard Goode and Claude Frank, all of whom she studied with extensively, among a legion of other notable figures. Ms. Chen is a "thinking pianist" who has a rare ability to look beyond the notes on the page to divine a score's musical essence.

Ms. Chen's upcoming recording with the Camerata RCO features concerti by Mozart and Mendelssohn and will be released on Gutman Records in June 2015.

Further highlights of Ms. Chen's 2014/15 season included a Dutch tour with the Camerata RCO (featuring a concert and live radio broadcast at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw's Spiegelzaal); a recital at the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Series in Chicago; and appearances in New York City and Taiwan with the Chelsea Music Festival. In March, Ms. Chen traveled to India, where she gave a masterclass and recital under the auspices of the Mehli Mehta Foundation. The ticket sale of the concert was donated to the charity medical works in Aurangabad, conducted by Dr. Hung-Chi Chen, Weiyin's father.

Ms. Chen's recent CD, Diary in G, which includes Schubert's Sonata No. 18 in G Major and the Piano Sonata No. 2 in G Minor by Robert Schumann on the Azica label, is a testament to her superb talents as an interpreter.

Highlights of Ms. Chen's engagements for 2012-2013 included performances of the Brahms First Piano Concerto with the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Leon Fleisher, who traveled to Asia expressly for these concerts, as well as a gala concert with the Taiwan Philharmonic NSO and a North American recital tour. Ms. Chen's 2013-14 season first took her to Taipei, Taiwan to perform with the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra at the National Concert Hall. In December 2013 Ms. Chen debuted with the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra in a Royal Celebration Concert celebrating the 86th Birthday of His Majesty the King of Thailand, where she performed Grieg's Piano Concerto. Ms. Chen was also heard as soloist with the Kalamazoo Philharmonia in March 2014.

Ms. Chen has performed as soloist with most of the major orchestras in Asia, including the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra-with whom she made her debut under Maestro Edo de Waart-and the China National Symphony Orchestra.

She has appeared at the Shanghai International Music Festival and many others. Recital engagements have taken her to France, the Netherlands, Panama, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Utah.

An accomplished chamber musician, Ms. Chen has participated in such festivals as La Jolla Summerfest, Verbier Festival & Academy, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the Sarasota Music Festival, and the Banff Center, collaborating with such instrumentalists as violinists Cho-Liang Lin, Ilya Gringolts, Chee-Yun Kim, David Chan, Alina Pogostkina, violists Paul Neubauer and Cynthia Phelps, and cellist Gary Hoffman.

Ms. Chen's musical education has included studies with Leon Fleisher at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, and private study with Richard Goode and Claude Frank. She has also worked with Oxana Yablonskaya, Joseph Kalichstein and Herbert Stessin at the Juilliard School.

Visit Weiyin Chen's website at www.weiyinchen.com.