©Simon Pauly

陳美安 Mei-Ann Chen

陳美安自2021年9月起擔任奧地利格拉茲管弦樂團首席指揮，並於近期與樂團續約至2029年，她是奧地利首位擔任此職的亞裔女性指揮家。她於2019年起擔任休士頓橡樹河室內樂團駐團藝術家，並自2022年起擔任西北小交響樂團藝術夥伴；2024年亦獲聘為麻州斯普林菲爾德交響樂團首位藝術顧問。2011年，陳美安出任芝加哥小交響樂團音樂總監，任內帶領該團成為全球首個榮獲「麥克阿瑟天才獎」的樂團。她同時為曼菲斯交響樂團桂冠指揮，並曾於2010至2016年擔任其音樂總監。

現任臺師大音樂學系講座教授的陳美安，為活躍於國際舞臺的臺籍指揮家，近年於歐、美樂壇持續獲得高度肯定。2026年4月，曼哈頓音樂學院宣布邀請其出任管弦樂總監暨指揮系主任，並將於2026年7月正式就任。未來，她將負責學院管弦樂團計畫之策略與藝術發展，指導指揮學生，並定期參與年度演出。此項任命不僅彰顯陳美安卓越的藝術成就與教學聲望，也展現其於國際音樂教育體系中日益擴大的影響力。

陳美安曾獲多項重要殊榮，包括於2026年獲得美國「伊利諾州藝術與人文卓越成就獎」；於2025年獲新英格蘭音樂學院頒發「瑪莉盧·斯皮克·邱吉爾獎」；獲《音樂美國》（Musical America）評選為2015年「年度三十位音樂界最具影響力人物」之一；並於2005年榮獲由丹麥國家交響樂團主辦之Malko國際指揮大賽首獎（至今仍為該賽事自1965年創立以來唯一獲此殊榮的女性指揮），並於2021年及2024年兩度受邀擔任該賽事評審。2026年，她亦將首次擔任匈牙利「蕭提國際指揮大賽」及由挪威特隆赫姆交響樂團與歌劇院舉辦之「阿斯特里德公主國際音樂比賽」評審，且皆為唯一亞裔評審。

作為備受推崇的客座指揮，陳美安曾與全球超過160個國際樂團與音樂節合作，足跡遍及美國、奧地利、法國、德國、英國、西班牙、荷蘭、丹麥、芬蘭、挪威、瑞典、瑞士、列支敦士登、波蘭、加拿大、巴西、墨西哥、非洲、韓國及臺灣等地之頂尖樂團。她以清晰且層次分明的音樂語言、精準的結構掌控與高度舞臺感染力見長，善於在作品的線條、音色與戲劇張力之間取得平衡，帶領樂團凝聚聲響，拓展詮釋視野。

Mei-Ann Chen is a Taiwanese American conductor widely praised for her dynamic artistry and ability to inspire orchestras with energy, precision, and expressive depth. Since 2011, Ms. Chen has served as Music Director of the Chicago Sinfonietta, the first orchestra to receive the MacArthur Award as a Creative and Effective Institution. Having been Chief Conductor of Austria’s recreation – Grosses Orchester Graz at Styriarte since 2021, her contract was recently extended until 2029. She is the first Asian woman to hold such a position with an Austrian orchestra. In April 2026, she was appointed by the internationally renowned Manhattan School of Music as Director of Orchestral Activities and Chair of Conducting, beginning in the 2026–27 academic year. Other recent appointments include Artistic Advisor of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra (since 2024), Artistic Partner of Houston’s ROCO (since 2019), and Artistic Partner of the Northwest Sinfonietta (since 2022).

A highly sought-after guest conductor, Ms. Chen has collaborated with more than 160 orchestras worldwide, appearing across the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Her engagements include leading ensembles such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Orchestre National de France, and numerous major orchestras and festivals throughout Europe and beyond.

Her honors include being awarded the State of Illinois’s Outstanding Achievement in Arts and Humanities (2026), the 2025 Marylou Speaker Churchill Award from the New England Conservatory, being named one of Musical America’s Top 30 Influencers (2015), receiving the Helen M. Thompson Award from the League of American Orchestras (2012), and the Taki Concordia Fellowship (2007). In 2005, she won First Prize at the Malko International Conducting Competition, remaining the only woman to have achieved this distinction since the competition’s founding in 1965. She has since served on its jury in 2021 and 2024. In 2026, she will also serve as a jury member for the Solti International Conducting Competition and the Princess Astrid International Music Competition. A dedicated music educator, Ms. Chen is deeply committed to mentoring young musicians through leading institutions and programs, including Carnegie Hall’s NYO2, the New England Conservatory, Juilliard School, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University, USC Thornton School of Music, as well as Taiwan’s National Symphony Youth Orchestra and NTSO Youth Orchestra Camp. Her first music directorship was with America’s oldest youth orchestra, the Portland Youth Philharmonic in Oregon.

2025/26