PIANIST MELVIN CHEN WILL PERFORM A SOLO RECITAL AT BARD COLLEGE ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22 Concert features works by Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann, and Joan Tower
ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.-Pianist Melvin Chen, Christian A. Johnson Fellow and visiting assistant professor of music and chemistry at Bard, will perform a solo piano recital on Friday, February 22. Presented by The Bard Center, the concert is free and open to the public and begins at 8:00 p.m. in Olin Hall on the Bard College campus.
The program will feature Beethoven's Eleven Bagatelles, Op. 119; Joan Tower's "Vast Antique Cubes/Throbbing Still"; Brahms's Klavierstücke, Op. 119; and Schumann's Fantasie in C Major, Op. 17.
Allen Kozinn, writing in the New York Times, notes that Melvin Chen is "a pianist whose playing is powerful and driven." Chen has been recognized as an important young artist, having received acclaim for performances throughout the United States and abroad. He completed a doctorate in chemistry from Harvard University, and also holds a double master?s degree in piano and violin from the Juilliard School, where he studied with Seymour Lipkin and Glenn Dicterow, respectively. At Juilliard, he was the recipient of the U.S. Department of Education's Jacob Javits Fellowship, as well as the William Petschek Piano Scholarship and the Ruth D. Rosenman Memorial Scholarship. He received a bachelor's degree in chemistry and physics from Yale University, where, upon graduation, he was awarded the New Prize by the fellows of the Jonathan Edwards College. During his tenure at Yale, he studied with Boris Berman, Paul Kantor, and Ida Kavafian.
An avid chamber musician, Chen has collaborated with such artists as Ida Kavafian, Steven Tenenbom, David Shifrin, Robert White, Pamela Frank, Peter Wiley, and members of the St. Lawrence, Mendelssohn, Orion, Borromeo, and Arditti quartets. In 1998, he was selected to be a member of Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center: Chamber Music Society Two, where he appeared with members of the Chamber Music Society in performance and educational programs for two seasons. Chen has been heard both in solo recital and chamber music appearances at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, Weill Recital Hall, the Frick Collection, the Kennedy Center, and Boston?s Jordan Hall, as well as other venues in the United States, Canada, and Asia. A performer in myriad music festivals, he has appeared at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival; Norfolk Chamber Music Festival; Chamber Music Northwest; Bard Music Festival; and Music from Angel Fire, among others. He is a performer on Wynton Marsalis?s series on music education, "Marsalis on Music," and can also be heard on recordings on the Discover, Nices, and KBS labels with violinist Juliette Kang. In addition to teaching at Bard College, he serves on the piano faculty of the Yale School of Music.
Upcoming concerts presented by The Bard Center include a performance by the Colorado Quartet on Sunday, March 10, at 3:00 p.m., featuring Mozart's String Quartet in D Major, K. 499 ("Hoffmeister"); Bartók's String Quartet No. 6; and the Schubert Cello Quintet, with guest cellist Robert Martin. On Friday, March 22, at 8:00 p.m., cellist André Emelianoff and pianist Blanca Uribe will perform an all-Brahms program, including both sonatas for cello and piano. On Wednesday, April 10, at 7:00 p.m. in Bard Hall, ArtSong Nouveau will cut across musical genres, performing works from Leonard Bernstein to Fats Waller to the Grateful Dead. On Wednesday, April 17, at 8:00 p.m., Da Capo Chamber Players will "Celebrate Bard" in a program featuring works by Bard Music Program faculty members. And on Wednesday, April 24, new works by Richard Teitelbaum will be performed. Unless otherwise noted, all concerts will be held in Olin Hall.
For further information, call The Bard Center at 845-758-7425.
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