Ms. Yu-Chiou Tchen is an accomplished pianist, music educator, and cultural administrator. She graduated from the Conservatoire Nationale Superieur de Musique de Paris, earning the Prix de Piano and Prix de Musique de Chambre.
She has served as Minister of the Council for Cultural Affairs; National Policy Advisor to the Office of the President of the R.O.C.; Ambassador-at-large; Secretary General of the National Cultural Association; Chairperson of the National Chiang Kai-Shek Cultural Center and on the board of the National Culture and Arts Foundation. She has held the positions of Chair of the Department of Music, Dean of the Graduate School of Music and Dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU).
She is currently Chairwoman of Egret Culture and Education Foundation and President of Alliance Francaise de Taiwan, as well as serves on the boards of Taiwan Public Television Service Foundation, Xue Xue Institute and Eslite Spectrum. Her rich performance experience includes recitals in France, Belgium, Italy and the US and collaborations with numerous world renowned orchestras. She has been recognized with many prestigious awards including from the government of France and has authored and edited a plethora of publications.
Taiwanese pianist Wei-Lung Li was a recipient for two consecutive years as Liberace Scholar from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Li has distinguished himself in his native country by winning many piano competitions since he was young. He has performed internationally as a recitalist, concerto soloist and chamber musician and has made appearances at prestigious concert halls throughout Taiwan, Singapore, China and Indonesia. His performances have frequently been featured on National Public TV in Taiwan and Music de Camera in the US.
Dr. Li was awarded full scholarship to study under Alexander Goldenweiser and Alexander Braginsky at the University of Minnesota where he earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance in 1998. Prior to that, he studied under Boris Slutsky; received his Master’s degree from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Additional chamber music teachers included Violinist, Victor Danchenko and Sally O’Reilly; Cellists Thomas Kraine and Tanya Remenikova.
Much sought for his commitment in teaching, master classes and as an adjudicator, Dr. Li was nominated for Excellence Teaching Award by the Tainan National University of the Arts. Many of his students has frequently been awarded first prize in numerous competitions, including the Taiwan’s Yamaha Piano Competition, Hsin Tian Kong Piano Competition, The International Music Competition of Vienna, National Student Competition of Music in Taiwan, the 16th Young Musicians International Competition “Città di Barletta” in Italy, 2012 The Asia Piano Competition in Malaysia. His students have been accepted to music schools and conservatories worldwide including the Julliard School, Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, University of Michigan, Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg, Ecole normale de musique de Paris and Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Paris.
Dr. Li served as chair of the Music Department of the Tainan National University of the Arts and has been on the piano faculty for eighteen years as a full-time Associate Professor at the Tainan National University of the Arts. He and his pianist wife Chun-Ju Yen perform as piano duo regularly in Taiwan.
Andrei Yeh is one of the most reputable Taiwanese pianists of this generation. Trained in the renowned Russian piano discipline of Heinrich Gustavovich Neuhaus (1888~1964), he was pupil to the great professor Lev Nikolayevich Naumov (1925~2005) at Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory. Building on the background of his extensive Russian training, Yeh brings to life a wide repertoire of not only numerous Russian masterpieces, but also Baroque to contemporary, German, Austrian, and French works through his interpretation and technical finesse. Yeh has won much acclaim and praise for his performances. Professor Naumov had spoken of Yeh with praise, “Yeh is a very talented pianist and musician who possesses marvelous technique, is musically gifted and multi-dimensional. The audience gives him a warm reception, and enjoys performances of this original and distinctive musical personality.”
Yeh began his piano education at the age of 7, and he moved on to receive training in Moscow from 1992 to 1999. His residency in Moscow was a pivotal point to the artist, the Russian influences enriched his performance profoundly. During his seven years of residency, Yeh was invited to perform concertos and recitals in many of Russia’s main cities. He achieved the Doctorate of Performing Arts from Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory with Highest Honors.
Yeh was invited to perform Bartok Piano Concerto No. 2, Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1, Schumann Piano Concerto in A minor, Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 1, Prokofiev Piano Concertos (except No. 4 ), Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2, 3, and Paganini Variation, Ravel Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, and Scriabin Prometheus, "The Poem of Fire". His collaborations with orchestra have included appearances with the Russian State Symphony Orchestra, Krasnoyarsk State Symphony Orchestra, Tomsk City Symphony Orchestra, Kemerovo Symphony Orchestra, Ufa Symphony Orchestra (based within the Republic of Bashkirstan), Taiwan National Symphony Orchestra, Taipei Symphony Orchestra, Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra. Evergreen Symphony Orchestra, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Moments Musicaux, The Taipei Chinese Orchestra, Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra, Ju Percussion Group… etc. He has performed with conductors: Tien-Chi Lin, Tao Lin, Wen-Pin Chien, Li-Pin Cheng, En Shao, Paul Ching Po Chiang, Gernot Schmalfus, Roger Epple, David Wroe, Antoni Wit…..etc.
In recitals, Yeh has traveled throughout Russian cities, the European continent, and the United States. He has given performances in concert halls such as the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory Grand Hall, Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow, Krasnoyarsk Philharmonic Hall, Taiwan National Concert Hall. He also took part in renowned music festivals such as Schleswig-Holstein Festival, and Salzburg Summer Festival.
Yeh has collaborated in concerts with famous Russian-American violinist Nina Beilina, Russian violinist Tatiana Grindenko, violinist Meng-Pin Wu, trombonist Kuang-Ching Sung , bass vocalist Julian Lo, violinist Pei-Hsuan Wu, cellist Victor Chpiller in piano trios, NSO Chamber Concerts, and other performances.
Released CD recordings of Yeh : In 1999, pieces Yeh recorded and released in Moscow, including Ravel’s Gaspard de la nuit, Prokofiev’s Piano Sonata No.8, and Stravinsky’s “ 3 Movements de Petrouchka ”. In 2013 soloist album (by Archimusic Productions) featuring his interpretation of Beethoven: Diabelli op. 120, for which Yeh was awarded the 25th Golden Melody Awards for Traditional Arts and Music for "Best Classical Interpretation".His newest album "Chopin 27 Études" was released on 2017,October 27 by Universal music Taiwan LTD. Yeh is the first pianist in Taiwan to record an album of the complete 27 Chopin Études.
Yeh now holds a Full Time position as an Professor in the Department of Music at Chinese Culture University, and Adjunct Professor at the Taipei National University of the Arts、National Taiwan Normal University and National Taiwan University of Arts.
Chiao-han Liao, a native of Taiwan, is an active performer of solo and chamber music throughout the United States, Taiwan, Japan, and Finland. Ms. Liao is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and the Juilliard School, where she received the Bachalor’s degree and the Master’s degree, respectively. During these six years, Ms. Liao studied with Seymour Lipkin in Piano and Lionel Party in harpsichord. At the Juilliard School, she was the official pianist of Karen Tuttle. Ms. Liao received her second Master’s degree from Yale School of Music in May of 2000, and Artist Diploma the following year, where she studied with Boris Berman.
She began the piano at age of six. Since then, she has won numerous competitions and awards, including the first prize in the Taiwan National Piano Competition, finalist in the Third Memorial Frederic Chopin Competition, and the Chi-Mei Foundation Scholarship in Taiwan. At Yale School of Music, she received Lucy G. Moses Fellowship, Charles S. Miller Prize and Yale School of Music Alumni Prize. Ms. Liao has been chosen to receive the Presser Music Award for 2000-2001 from the Presser Foundation. She participated in XIV International Frederic Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 2000, and Internationaler Musikwettbewerb der ARD Munchen in 2002.
As an active chamber musician, Ms. Liao has participated in the Kneisel Hall, the First International Moscow State Conservatory Summer School, the Music Academy of the West, the Norfolk Summer Festival, Aino Ackte Institute in Finland, and Encuentro de Musica Y Academia de Santander in Spain. In the summer of 2005, She was invited to be the piano faculty of Young Artist Program of Yellow Barn Music School and Festival. At the same time she received Theodore Banning Memorial Scholarship to participate Yellow Barn Music School and Festival. She also collaborated with distinguish artists, such as Boris Berman, Natasha Brofsky, Roberto Diaz, Jean-Max Dussert, Chris Finckel, Pamela Frank, Peter Frankl, Clive Greensmith, Mark Hill, Maria Lambros, Violaine Melancon, Roman Totenberg, Pavel Vernikov, Radovan Vlatkovic, Donald Weilerstein and Rodney Winther. In Taiwan she also gives frequent chamber music concerts with Musica Daphne and Homeland Chamber Ensemble.
After returning to Taiwan from 2002, Chiao-han has played more than 600 concerts including solo, concerto, chamber music, contemporary music and vocal performances. In 2011 she has participated in music production of Movie “Make up” and “Father’s lullby”. Chiao-han Liao has made two solo albums, “Encore” and “Xi Shi Fantasy” complete piano solo works of Fu Tong Wong; three chamber music albums, Beethoven complete works for cello and piano with cellist Grancinie Ouyang, “Encounter” and “Floral Sound”; four alnums of Chinese traditional songs, ‘The one I long for”, “The Sound of Antigua”, “Listen to Taiwan” and “Heritage Music of the Heart”. Ms. Liao also translates the Chinese version of Boris Berman’s book “Notes from the Piano Bench” and Michael Friedmann’s book “Ear Training for Twentieth-Century Music”. Currently, Ms. Liao is the Director of the Han Arts, and a member of the boards of directors of the Chamber Music Society of Taiwan and Spring Song Art Culture Foundation.
Praised by El Tribuno Jujuy Argentina (2010) for her "magical ductility" in piano playing, Dr. Moli Chiang currently holds a full-time professorship at the National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan.
Born in Kaoshiung, Taiwan, Dr. Chiang began playing piano at age five and made her debut with orchestra at age eight. She was the first-prize winners at several major national piano competitions before immigrating with her family to Buenos Aires, Argentina. She received the Bachelor of Music degree from the National Conservatory "Carlos Lopez Buchardo" in Buenos Aires and both Master and Doctor of Music degrees from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University in the United States. Her teachers included Roberto Caamaño, Perla Brúgola, Enrique Graf, Leon Fleisher, Yogheved Kaplinsky and Ellen Mack.
Among the many top prizes she has won are the 17th Frinna Awerbuch International Piano Competition in New York City, American Music Scholarship Competition in Washington, D.C., Baltimore Music Club Annual Competition in Baltimore, Maryland, National Young Artist Piano Competition in Mar del Plata, Argentina, and the Christian Association Piano Competition in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She has also been awarded fellowships from the Organization of American States, the American Association of Women University Education Foundation, and the China Times Cultural Foundation.
As a recitalist and chamber musician she has performed on the stages of Taipei National Concert Hall, Shanghai Jin Mao Concert Hall, Luxembourg Philharmonie, Targus Mures Philharmonic in Rumania, Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, Chappaqua Library in New York, Cervantes Theatre in Buenos Aires, and Roxy Theatre in Mar del Plata, Argentina. In 2010, she returned to perform concerts in Argentina as the guest artist of Mozarteum Argentina. In addition, she has also appeared in the Music Festival of San Carlos de Bariloche (Argentina), the Ravinia Music Festival (USA), the Sant Pere de Rodes Music Festival (Spain), the Canetti Music Festival and the Interharmony International Music Festivals (Italy).
In Buenos Aires, she made recordings for National Radio, Radio Rivadavia, and Municipal Radio of Buenos Aires. The last recording won her a medal in memory of Brigidas Frias de Lopez Buchardo. Her recording of the great Argentinian composer, Alberto Ginastera's works, "Piano Music /Chamber Works" was released in 2010 by Himalaya Records of Taiwan and "Virtuoso Inspirations" with the Chinese American violinist Zuo Jun in 2011 by New Arts Inc., Taiwan.
Besides being on the faculty of the National Hsinchu University of Education (now National Tsing Hua University) since 1994, Dr. Chiang also held, for many years, a teaching position at the National Chiao-Tung University. In both institutes, she has taught many award-winning piano students. Some of her students continue their graduate studies in both U.S.A. and Europe. As an avid chamber performer and educator, Moli Chiang has served as the coordinator and performer in the music festival "From the Ends of the World" and in the International Music Festival of NHCUE-Hsinchu. In these festivals, she has established training sessions for students to work with international artists and to perform in public with students from other institutions. Through the years, she has continuously given master classes and served as jury members for many piano competitions.
Yi-Chih Lu, one of the most brilliant rising stars among the young generation of Taiwanese pianists, is the winner of Maria Canals, Sendai, Hummel and other ten piano competitions. His CD “My Chopin; My Brahms” has been awarded the Gold Melody Award for the “Best Interpreter of Classical Music". 2016 summer, while LU is touring at the west coast of America, Washington State King County announced the 9th July 2016 as “Yi-Chih Lu Day”, to recognize his achievement in piano performance.
He has been invited to give piano recitals in America, Europe and Asia, at such important venues as Musikverein in Vienna, Berlin Philharmoie, National Concert Hall in Taipei, and has appeared as soloist with important orchestras including Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna, Buxthehude Jugend Orchester, BerlinClassicPlayers, Sendai Philharmonic, Sendai City Symphony Orchestra, Taipei Metropolitan Orchestra, Taiwan Philharmonic (NSO), Taipei Century Symphony Orchestra, Taipei Symphony Orchestra, Sun Symphony Orchestra, Taipei Philharmonic Youth Symphony Orchestra, and Arad Philharmonic, among others.
Born in Taiwan, Mr. Lu started the piano at the age of five and during his formative years he studied with Klaus Hellwig at the University of the Arts Berlin (Konzertexamen). In 2006, he received his Master Degree from the University for Music and Performing Arts Vienna, and the Vienna Cziffra Foundation awarded him the "Cziffra Prize", in recognition of his outstanding performance of G. Cziffra's Compositions.
He is now holding visiting assistant professorships at National Taiwan University of the Arts and as adjunct assistant professor at Chinese Culture University.
A Native of Taiwan, pianist Grace Chung began her studies in the United States after winning Taiwan's National Piano Competition at age 14. She made her debut as a soloist with the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra in Jordon Hall at age 16.
Winner of the Juilliard Piano Concerto Competition, Ms. Chung performed as the soloist with the Juilliard Orchestra in Alice Tully Hall. Her other major awards include the First Prize as well as the Best Performance of Chinese Composition in the Seventh International Chopin Piano Competition in Taiwan, the First Prize of the Yamaha Young artist Competition in 1999, and the chosen winner of the concerto competition at Rutgers University which followed 2 concerto appearances. Ms. Chung participated in the performance of Saint-Saens' Carnival of the Animals with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Old York Road Symphony in Pennsylvania, premiered Taiwanese composer Chia-Yu Hsu's Piano Concerto with the Curtis Orchestra, and was invited as a guest soloist with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra.
Ms. Chung is also active as a chamber musician. She has collaborated with many renowned musicians and performed both as a soloist and chamber musician in Jordan Hall and the Gardner Museum in Boston, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall and Merkin Hall in New York City, among other places in the US, Italy, Canada, Japan, Taiwan, and Malaysia. Ms. Chung was invited to serve as a faculty member at the InterHarmony International Music Festival in Italy in 2013 and 2015.
Ms. Chung graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music (BM), The Juilliard School (MM), and Rutgers University (DMA). Her major teachers include Wha Kyung Byun, Seymour Lipkin, Jerome Lowenthal, and Susan Starr. Ms. Chung is currently full time Professor of Piano at the Tainan National University of the Arts in Taiwan.
Chia-Wei Chung is a renowned pianist and one of the most sought-after piano pedagogues in Taiwan. She earned both Master and Doctoral degrees in piano performance from Indiana University, Bloomington, where she studied with the legendary pianist Michel Block, who was granted the Rubinstein Prize in the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 1970. She also played in master classes of Hung-Kuan Chen, Solomon Mikowsky, John Perry, and Oxana Yablonskaya. Other teachers including Joseph Gingold, Franco Gulli, Luba Edlina-Dubinsky, and Rostislav Dubinsky(Borodin Trio) in chamber music.
Dr. Chung has concertized extensively, performing in the United States, Taiwan and China, actively appearing as a soloist, collaborative pianist, and chamber musician. She was a recipient of the “Rising Star” in Taiwan National Concert Hall. Apart from the regular annual solo recitals in Taiwan National Recital Hall, she has been giving recital tours throughout the island. She also collaborated with instrumentalists and singers playing duet concerts, and also performing new music by Taiwanese composers. In recent years, Dr. Chung was invited to give concerts in China, such as recital in Kulangyu Concert Hall in 2013, and solo appearance in Shanghai Conservatory of Music in 2012. In 2018 Dr Chung was invited to International Taipei Maestro Piano Festival for Master classes, and in 2017 Dr Chung served as the honorary guest lecturer in the first Music Fest Perugia in Taipei. She also teaches at the East/West International Piano Festival, where she gives recitals and master classes. Dr. Chung has performed with Taipei Symphony Orchestra, Taipei Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, National Taiwan Normal University Orchestra, National Kaohsiung Normal University Orchestra, Orchestra of National Taiwan University of Arts, and Sun Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra.
Dr. Chung is now Professor at National Taiwan Normal University.
One of the most sought-after pianists in Taiwan, Artemis H. R. Yen has attained to a unique place among the performers of her generation. Yen enjoys an highly active and versatile performing career with her solo and chamber performances winning critical acclaims from professionals and music-lovers alike, even her program notes has long become concert-goers’ collector item, Artemis Yen readily brings ideas and compassion to her native soil, Taiwan.
Granted the Post-Graduate Diploma (“Aspirantura”) in Piano Performance (an equivalent to a doctorate in music performing, or an Assistant Professor Certificate) from the famed Moscow State Conservatory, Russia in December 1997, Artemis Yen is the first Taiwanese citizen to be awarded such a degree from the famous conservatory. Yen studied with two of the most prominent professors, the late legendary flamboyant Prof. Evgeny V. Malinin, and the world-renown educator, Prof. Lev N. Naumov, successors to one of the finest Russian piano traditions - the faculty of the late Heinrich. G. Neuhaus. Yen also worked with the outstanding pianists, Natalia Troull, C. Keene, Abbey Simon, Oxana Yablonskaya, Diane Andersen, John Perry, Robert Roux, Andrei Diev, and the beloved late T. Nikolayeva.
Born in Taiwan, Yen was nurtured in the Special Program for The Musically Gifted under the auspices of the government from elementary through high school, winning prizes in various local and national piano, composing, cello and writing competitions. Prof. Alexander Sung – a winner of International Johann-Sebastian-Bach Competition - was her mentor of 11 years. Yen graduated Summa Cum Laude from the National Institute of the Arts (Now Taipei National University of the Arts), Taiwan in 1993.
Yen frequently performs in Russia and other countries; her concerts have so far brought her to St. Petersburg, Moscow, Ryazan, Russia; Kiev, Ukraine, Vladikavkaz, N. Ossetian Republic, Russian Federation; Prague, Czech Republic; Paris, France; New York, Gainsville, U.S.A; Yen enjoysed the privilege of working with world-renown musicians such as violinists Lev Klychkov, Keng-yuan Tseng, violist Nobuko Imai, and star cellist Narek Hakhnazaryan.
Ms. Yen is as much active a popular music writer and esteemed scholar, she shares her musicianship, knowledge and passion as one of the most popular speakers for major orchestras in Taiwan – her pre-concert lecturers and films enjoy an unprecedent popularity. Yen is also an author of two books and a reviewer-contributor to Performing Arts Review and MUZIK – the most popular Chinese-language magazine on classical music.
Yen founded, directed, and performed solo and chamber concerts at the Rachmaninoff Festival 2013 in Taiwan celebrating the composer’s 140 jubilee. Yen’s latest recording with accompanying book of Mozart and Prokofiev sonatas has been released in 2013; her first vinyl record “Seasons”, recorded live in Taipei National Concert Hall and released in April, 2016.
Yen joined the faculty of Department of Music, Shih-Chien University, Taiwan in August 2004.
