Texas Border Business
RIO GRANDE VALLEY – OCT. 26, 2017 – The Patron of the Arts Series at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley this season welcomes American pianist Sean Chen to the Valley.
Chen will perform at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 8, in the TSC Arts Center in Brownsville, and at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, in the Performing Arts Complex on the UTRGV Edinburg Campus.
“Mr.Chen is 28 years old and was the third-prize winner at the 2013 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. He is described as a charismatic, rising star with an exceptional ability to connect with an audience,” said Dr. Dahlia Guerra, assistant vice president for the UTRGV Office of Public Art. “We are thrilled that he will perform two concerts as part of his visit to the Rio Grande Valley.”
Chen has earned accolades for “alluring, colorfully shaded renditions” (New York Times) and “genuinely sensitive” (LA Times) playing. He recently was named a 2015 Fellow by the prestigious Leonore Annenberg Fellowship Fund for the Performing Arts.
A multifaceted musician, Chen also transcribes, composes and improvises. He has performed numerous solo recitals in major international venues, including Jordan Hall in Boston, Subculture in New York City, the American Art Museum at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., the National Concert Hall in Taipei, Het Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and the Salle Cortot in Paris.
Chen is a Steinway artist and has made return appearances with several prominent orchestras, including the San Diego Symphony, Santa Fe Symphony, Indianapolis Chamber, Carmel Symphony and Sunriver Festival Orchestra. He has been featured in both live and recorded performances on WQXR (New York), WFMT (Chicago), WGBH (Boston), WFYI (Indianapolis), NPR’s “From the Top” and American Public Media’s “Performance Today.”
His CD releases include “La Valse,” a solo recording on the Steinway label, hailed for “penetrating artistic intellect” (Audiophile Audition); a live recording from the Van Cliburn competition, praised for his “ravishing tone and cogently contoured lines” (Gramophone); and an album solo piano works by Michael Williams on the Parma label.
Chen earned his bachelor and master’s degrees in music from Juilliard, garnering several awards, most notably the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans. He received his Artist Diploma in 2014 at the Yale School of Music as a George W. Miles Fellow.
Tickets are $15 for general admission, $10 for seniors 65 and older, and $5 for students with a valid ID.
Tickets are available at patron.utrgv.edu
