Phyllis Chen, piano

Phyllis Chen (Oberlin Conservatory B.M, Northwestern University M.M) has been the recipient of numerous national honors, including the International Bartok/Kabalevsky Piano competition, the International Stravinsky Awards, National Coleman Chamber Music Competition, the Hoverson Piano Award, Carol Knott Piano Pedagogy Prize, Marjorie Barnett Foundation Piano Competition, the Northwestern and Indiana University Concerto Competitions.

Phyllis made her Chicago debut at Symphony Center’s Buntrock Hall as part of the 2001 Arts and Humanities “Words and Pictures” Festival. Later that year, Phyllis was invited as a guest pianist on the Dame Myra Hess Piano Series at the Chicago Cultural Center, aired live on WFMT Chicago Public Radio.

Phyllis is a member of ICE, International Contemporary Ensemble, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and performing innovative new works. She has collaborated extensively with ICE tenor, Peter Tantsits, where the duo traveled to Russia and England in 2002 to perform song cycles of Benjamin Britten. As a member of ICE, Phyllis recorded George Crumb’s “Vox Balaenae” for three masked players on Bridge Records for George Crumb’s 70th Birthday Jubilee collection of his complete works. Phyllis is also an active toy pianist, a two and half octave instrument. This past November, Phyllis was invited to perform a selection of toy piano and electronic pieces, including her own composition “Suite for Toy Piano” at the Extensible Toy Piano Festival at Worcester, Massachusetts. Phyllis is currently a Chancellor Fellow and assistant instructor at Indiana University, where she is working towards a doctorate degree in piano performance under the tutelage of Andre Watts.