Frederic Chen - 2012 Award Winner 

Pianist Frederic Chen has cultivated a versatile career as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. Praised for his expressive musicianship, brilliant virtuosity, and sophisticated interpretations, he has thrilled audiences in North America, Europe, and Asia with his wide-ranging repertoire, from Bach to Ligeti.

He has appeared at major concert stages such as the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Merkin Concert Hall at the Kaufman Center, Palau de la Musica of Valencia, Spain, and the National Concert Hall, Taiwan. He has performed in numerous renowned music festivals, including the International Holland Music Sessions, MusicAlp Festival, Sergei Babayan International Piano Academy, Bowdoin International Music Festival, and Texas Christian University/Cliburn Piano Institute (Piano Texas International Academy & Festival).  Recent solo recital engagements include performances at the Ruel Joyce Recital Series at Johnson County Community College, and the Atelier Concert Series at the American Church in Paris, France. Mr. Chen made his concerto debut with the National Taiwan Normal University Orchestra under the baton of Apo Hsu at Taipei's Novel Hall for Performing Arts in Taiwan.

Mr. Chen is the recipient of numerous awards. Most recently, he won the 2012 Artist Presentation Society Auditions in St. Louis and will perform a solo recital at the Ethical Society in St. Louis in the 2012-2013 Season. His other awards include First Prize at the American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition and the Taiwan National Piano Competition, the Russian Soul Award from the American Protégé Russian Music Piano Festival, and the Kansas City Musical Club Scholarship. He was a laureate of the Taipei International Chopin Piano Competition, the Dorothy MacKenzie Artist Recognition Scholarship Awards Competition of the Mannes International Keyboard Institute, and the Connecticut Young Artist Piano Competition.

A native of Taiwan, Frederic Chen is a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Yale School Music, and Imola International Piano Academy.  He has studied with Peter Frankl, John McIntyre, Boris Petrushansky and Ann Schein, and has performed in masterclasses conducted by numerous renowned performers and pedagogues, such as Sergei Babayan, John O'Conor, Lazar Berman, Cyprien Katsaris, and Edith Picht-Axenfeld.