Presented by Distinguished Artists Concert and Lecture Series
Sunday, October 16, Peace United Church 900 High St. Santa Cruz 4 p.m.
Gwhyneth Chen is a Taiwanese-American pianist who in 1993 won the biggest cash prize of $100,000 in the history of piano competitions. Ms. Chen, then 23, was the youngest contestant at the Ivo Pogorelich International Piano Competition. Subsequent to the award, Mr. Pogorelich himself said of her talent, “She is too good to be true.” Immediately recognized as one of the foremost pianists of her generation, the victory was broadcast internationally on CNN television. In recent years she has played joint concerts with Ivo Pogorelich in Switzerland and in Taiwan.
Born in Taiwan, Ms Chen emigrated to the United States with her family in 1980, where she continued her musical studies with Eduardo Delgado, Robert Turner, and Aube Tzerko. She received her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Juilliard School.
At the age of 12, she was the first prizewinner of the 50-state National Piano Competition, sponsored by the Music Teacher’s National Association. Three years later she won the National Competition again, setting a record by winning in both Junior High and the Senior High Competitions.
At the age of nineteen, she was a laureate in the 1990 Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition. In 1992, she was once again a laureate, this time in the Prokofiev International Piano Competition. She was the grand prizewinner of the International Web Concert Audition Competition in 1999.
Ms. Chen represented her country with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Lu Shao-chia, as “the Pride of Taiwan” in the opening concert in the National Grand Theatre (“Steel Egg”) in Beijing, China, to celebrate the 2008 Olympics.
Ms. Chen’s CD on the Chimei label, “Gwhyneth Chen: Chopin Favorites,” celebrating Chopin’s 200th anniversary, won “Best Performance” in the Golden Melody Awards in 2011.
Ms. Chen currently resides in both Los Angeles and Taipei.
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Program: Bach-Busoni: Chorale Preludes • Bach: French Suite No. 5 in G Major • Stravinsky’s Petroushka • Chopin: Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise • Scriabin: Sonata No. 2
Tickets: From $20 – $35