©Simon Pauly

陳美安 Mei-Ann Chen

活躍於歐美的臺籍指揮家陳美安 (Mei-Ann Chen) 因其充滿活力和揮灑自如的指揮風格備受讚譽，豐富的情感和渾然天成的音樂性，加上精緻靈活的指揮手法為管弦樂團注入了新生命力，也為與會的觀眾帶來音樂的共鳴、震撼及感動。自 2011 年起擔任其任內榮獲麥克阿瑟獎的芝加哥小交響樂團的音樂總監，她的合約已延長至 2028-2029 樂季。陳指揮自2021 年秋季起擔任奧地利施蒂利亞格拉茲管弦樂團的首席指揮，之前兩個樂季她曾擔任該樂團首任首席客席指揮，這使她成為第一位在奧地利職業樂團獲聘首席指揮的亞洲女性指揮家。自2019 年以來，她成為休士頓ROCO 的首位藝術合作夥伴，並於2022 年秋季成為華盛頓州西北交響樂團的藝術合作夥伴。她被高度評價為台上台下引人注目的溝通者和創新領導者；作為廣受歡迎的客席指揮，她曾與美洲、歐洲和台灣傑出交響樂團合作演出，並繼續擴大與世界各地交響樂團合作的關係–迄今已超過與150個樂團的演奏經歷，包括與灣聲樂團2024新年音樂會首次合作。

最近及即將到來的演出包括在拉維尼亞音樂節與世界著名芝加哥交響樂團的首演，與法國國家管弦樂團（巴黎）的首演，重返奧地利格拉芬內格音樂節與維也納音樂家管弦樂團演出、在格拉茲的施蒂利亞夏季音樂節指揮戲劇版的貝多芬《英雄》（在奧地利著名的廣播集團ORF “Klangwolke Werk” 節目中電視轉播及電台廣播），與挪威斯塔萬格交響樂團，瑞典烏普薩拉室內樂團，美國斯波萊托音樂節和台灣灣聲樂團首次合作。其他亮點包括令人印象深刻的明尼蘇達交響樂團首演–臨時為大師馬林·阿爾索普上陣代打，指揮備受歡迎除夕音樂會，第七次重返舊金山交響樂團農曆新年慶祝音樂會，德國達姆施塔特國家交響樂團首演，法國國家管弦樂團圖盧茲首演，西班牙巴斯克國家交響樂團首演，列支敦士登交響樂團和芬蘭赫爾辛基愛樂樂團首演。在北美，與美國作曲家管弦樂團在紐約卡內基音樂廳亮相，羅徹斯特和水牛城愛樂樂團首演，並重返圖森交響樂團、聖達菲專業音樂樂團和加拿大卡加利愛樂樂團。繼 2021 年擔任評審後，她再次受邀擔任 2024 年世界著名的 MALKO 青年指揮家大賽的評審–陳指揮至今仍持有自1965年此賽史上唯一獲得首獎的女指揮頭銜。

由於2020年受春季新冠肺炎 (COVID-19) 影響，備受期待與紐約愛樂的首演暫時延期，期待疫情暫緩之後未來精彩的演出。身爲芝加哥小交響樂團音樂總監，陳指揮與Cedille Records錄製了兩張專輯：「W計畫 (Project W)–多元種族文化背景的女性作曲家作品」(2019年3月) 及「歡欣和舞蹈 」(Delights and Dances) (2013年6月) 。Innova Records在2018年發行了ROCO室內管弦樂團的首張專輯 「ROCO：願景飛翔 」(Visions Take Flight)，收錄了陳指揮演出的5首當代作品，這三張專輯倍受好評。、陳指揮於2011授馬林·艾爾索普 (Marin Alsop) 及Naxos Records邀請與伯恩茅斯交響樂團錄製美國知名作曲家Michael Daugherty的Time Machine (for Three Conductors)。

陳指揮的榮譽包括獲得音樂美國雜誌 (Musical America，為表演藝術行業的聖經) 評選為2015年度三十位音樂界最具影響力人物之一； 獲選2012年美國管弦樂團聯盟的海倫湯普森獎音樂總監獎；2007年成為由馬林·艾爾索普創立的Taki Concordia獎學金得主；2005年，在世界著名的Malko國際指揮大賽，從幾百位菁英的參賽指揮中脫穎而出，榮獲冠軍 。

近年來客席演出包括指揮英國倫敦BBC與BBC蘇格蘭交響樂團，巴西聖保羅國家（OSESP），丹麥國家廣播、奧爾堡、奧胡斯、歐登塞與哥本哈根愛樂，芬蘭坦佩雷愛樂，德國漢諾威北德廣播愛樂 ，墨西哥國家，挪威廣播和特隆赫姆，荷蘭愛樂 (大會堂音樂廳) 與海牙愛樂，瑞典哥德堡、耶夫勒、赫爾辛堡、馬爾默與諾爾雪平交響樂團，瑞士琉森與巴塞爾交響樂團，土耳其首都安卡拉的比爾肯特 (Bilkent) 交響樂團。北美職業樂團其它客席經歷包括亞特蘭大、巴爾的摩、辛辛那提、底特律、休斯頓、印第安納波利斯、美國國家、俄勒岡、太平洋、聖地亞哥、西雅圖、多倫多和溫哥華等等交響樂團，僅舉幾例。帶領國立臺灣交響樂團於2018年歷史性的美國巡演 (國臺交成為首次在洛杉磯迪士尼音樂廳演出的臺灣樂團)、與高雄市交響樂團在台灣衛武營國家藝術中心的演出 (自2018年以來，衛武營成為世界最大的表演藝術中心)，加上與美國亞特蘭大交響樂團和知名鋼琴家朗朗非常難得的線上直播演出。

2016年以來，她除了揚名國際以外，還想回饋她最想念的家鄉臺灣，將國際性的音樂養分培養於臺灣新生代音樂人才，因此接下了2024年國家青年交響樂團 (NYSO) 於寒假期間帶領巡演音樂會、指導師大指揮大師斑、以及2016-2021擔任國立臺灣交響樂團 (NTSO) 夏季音樂節藝術總監和指揮的職位。其它教育性貢獻包括2024年首次受馬林·艾爾索普邀請擔任馬里蘭州立大學管弦樂夏季音樂節指揮班指導、擴展芝加哥小交響樂團的Freeman Conducting Fellowship (從2014年至今已提拔十幾位年青指揮在歐洲及美洲職業樂團與國際比賽中展露頭角)、受邀於邁阿密著名職業訓練樂團New World Symphony、卡內基國家青年交響樂團(NYO2)、新英格蘭音樂學院、印第安納大學、茱莉亞學院、曼哈頓音樂學院、南加大音樂學院、皮博迪音樂學院、休斯頓大學的德州音樂節、波士顿大學及它在著名Tanglewood夏季音樂節的BUTI、挪威Ung Filharmoni、奧地利施蒂利亞國際青年交響樂團及格拉茲SoundFlix青年交響樂團擔任指揮、指導、以及於芝加哥西北大學擔任評審角色。

陳指揮也是曼菲斯交響樂團的桂冠指揮，自2010年至2016年擔任其音樂總監。出生於高雄的陳美安曾就讀鹽埕國小第三屆音樂班，五福國中合唱班，在高雄女中一年之後，於1989年被Benjamin Zander賞識並挖掘至美國波士頓胡桃山高中及新英格蘭音樂學院進修，主修小提琴，成績優異榮獲數次金牌獎，成為新英格蘭音樂學院史上第一位同時獲得小提琴和指揮雙碩士學位的學生。之後在著名的密西根大學繼續深造，榮獲指揮博士學位。在擔任全職職業指揮之前，曾擔任美國歷史最悠久的波特蘭青少年愛樂 (創立於1924年) 音樂總監，於2003 年在卡內基音樂廳首演，並於2007 年帶領該團首次到臺灣及韓國巡迴演奏。

Bold, passionate, and innovative, Taiwanese American conductor Mei-Ann Chen is renowned as one of the most versatile and dynamic conductors on the podium today, praised for the energy and enthusiasm with which she infuses orchestras and performances. Her rich emotional expression and innate musicality, combined with her refined and dynamic conducting style, breathe new life into orchestras as they inspire and interact with the audiences. Music Director of the MacArthur Award-winning Chicago Sinfonietta since 2011, her contract has been unanimously extended through the end of the 2028-2029 season. Chen has been Chief Conductor of Austria’s Recreation - Grosses Orchester Graz at Styriarte since fall 2021, following two seasons as the orchestra’s first-ever Principal Guest Conductor, making her the first female Asian conductor to hold this position with an Austrian orchestra. She has served as the first-ever Artistic Partner of Houston’s ROCO since 2019, and since 2022, as an Artistic Partner with Northwest Sinfonietta (WA). Highly regarded as a compelling communicator and a creative leader both on and off the podium, and a sought-after guest conductor, she has appeared with distinguished orchestras throughout the Americas, Europe, and Taiwan, and continues to expand her relationships with orchestras worldwide (over 150 orchestras to date), including her debut with the One Song Orchestra at their 2024 New Year’s Concert.

Her recent and upcoming engagements include her debut with the world-renowned Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the Ravinia Festival as well as the Orchestre National de France (Paris), a return to Vienna’s Tonkunstler Orchestra at the Grafenegg Festival, conducting Beethoven’s “Eroica” in a theatrical project in Graz at the STYRIARTE Summer Festival (which was broadcast on both TV & Radio on Austrian’s well-known ORF “Klangwolke Werk” program), as well as collaborations with the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra (Norway), Uppsala Chamber Orchestra (Sweden), the Spoleto Festival USA, and her debut with Taiwan’s One Song Orchestra.

Other highlights include her impressive debut with the Minnesota Orchestra, stepping in on short notice to replace Maestro Marin Alsop and conduct the highly popular New Year’s Eve concert; her seventh return to the San Francisco Symphony for the Lunar New Year Celebration; debuts with Germany’s Staatsorchester Darmstadt, the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse (France), the Basque National Orchestra (Spain), the Liechtenstein Symphony Orchestra, and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (Finland). In North America, Chen has appeared with the American Composers Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in New York, made debuts with the Rochester Philharmonic and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestras, and returned to the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, the Santa Fe Pro Musica, and the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra in Canada. Following her role as a juror in 2021, she was once again invited to serve on the jury of the world-famous 2024 MALKO Competition for Young Conductors - where she still holds the distinction of being the only woman in the competition’s history (since 1965) to have ever won First Prize.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020, Chen’s highly anticipated debut with the New York Philharmonic was temporarily postponed, with expectations for exciting future performances once the pandemic subsides. As Music Director of the Chicago Sinfonietta, Chen has recorded two albums with Cedille Records: Project W - Works by Diverse Women Composers (March 2019) and Delights and Dances (June 2013). In 2018, Innova Records released the ROCO Chamber Orchestra’s debut album Visions Take Flight, which included five contemporary works conducted by Chen. All three albums have received widespread critical acclaim. In 2011, at the invitation of Marin Alsop and Naxos Records, Chen also recorded American composer Michael Daugherty’s Time Machine (for Three Conductors) with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

Chen’s honors include being named one of 2015 Top 30 Influencers by Musical America (the magazine is regarded as the “bible” of the performing arts industry), the 2012 Helen M. Thompson Award from the League of American Orchestras, the 2007 Taki Concordia Fellowship founded by Marin Alsop, and 2005 First Prize Winner of the Malko Competition (she remains as the only woman in the competition history since 1965 to have won First Prize).

Other international guest credits include symphony orchestras of England’s BBC in London, Scotland’s BBC Scottish, Brazil’s São Paulo (OSESP), Denmark’s National, Aalborg, Aarhus, Odense and Copenhagen Philharmonic, Finland’s Tampere Philharmonic, Germany’s NDR Radiophilharmonie Hanover, Mexico’s National, Norway’s Oslo Philharmonic and Trondheim, Netherlands Philharmonic at the Concertgebouw and Residentie in The Hague, Sweden’s Gothenburg, Gävle, Helsingborg, Malmö, and Norrköping, Switzerland’s Basel and Lucerne, and Turkey’s Bilkent in Ankara. Other North American guesting credits include appearances with major symphonies of Atlanta, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, National, Oregon, Pacific Symphony, San Diego, Seattle, Toronto, and Vancouver, to name a few.

Chen led the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra (NTSO) on its historical US tour in 2018 (NTSO was the first orchestra from Taiwan to perform in the Walt Disney Concert Hall) and performed with the Kaohsiung Symphony Orchestra at the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying) - the world’s largest performing arts center since 2018. In 2018, Chen collaborated with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and superstar pianist Lang Lang in a rare live-streamed concert.

In addition to garnering international recognition, Chen has been actively taking part in cultivating local music talents in her homeland, Taiwan, since 2016. She led the newly created National Youth Symphony Orchestra (NYSO) on its winter-break tour in 2024 and gave several conducting masterclasses at National Taiwan Normal University. Chen was the Artistic Director and conductor of the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra Summer Festival (2016-2021). Other contributions to education include instructing the conducting masterclass at the 2024 University of Maryland National Orchestral Institute + Festival for the first time upon the invitation of Marin Alsop, mentoring young conductors through Chicago Sinfonietta Freeman Conducting Fellowship program since 2014 (helping to launch professional careers for more than a dozen young conductors), as well as conducting and instructing ensembles at important educational institutions, such as the New World Symphony in Miami, Carnegie’s esteemed NYO2 for young musicians, New England Conservatory, Indiana University, The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, University of Southern California, and the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. She also serves at various training programs, including Texas Music Festival, Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI), Ung Filharmoni in Norway, Austria’s STYRIARTE Festival Youth Orchestra, and SoundFlix Youth Orchestra project in Graz, as well as a jury member at Chicago’s Northwestern University.

 Chen is the Conductor Laureate of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, where she was Music Director from 2010 to 2016. Born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Mei-Ann Chen studied in the music class (third edition) at Yan-Cheng Elementary School and was a member of the choir program at Wufu Junior High School. After studying at Kaohsiung Girls’ Senior High School for one year, she was discovered in 1989 by Benjamin Zander, who brought her to the United States to continue her studies at Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Boston and the New England Conservatory, where she majored in violin. Excelling in her studies, she won multiple gold medals and became the first student in the New England Conservatory’s history to earn dual master’s degrees in violin and conducting. Chen went on to pursue further studies at the renowned University of Michigan, where she was awarded a Doctorate in Conducting. Before embarking on her full-time professional conducting career, Chen served as Music Director of the Portland Youth Philharmonic (founded in 1924). In 2003, she led the orchestra in its debut at Carnegie Hall, and in 2007, conducted its first tour to Taiwan and South Korea.

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