Theresa Chen has made her career through her love of jazz

By Evelyn Kelley asst. culture editor

After Theresa Chen’s parents bought her a small Casio keyboard when she was 4 years old, her love and curiosity for music began to flourish. Chen can still recall her infatuation with the sound of a classmate playing jazz piano during a class break in middle school

“The harmony was so fancy and so groovy. I did not know until my first year as a freshman that it was so called ‘jazz,’ but I was just fascinated by the sound and since then I was trying to copy the way he did it on the piano,” Chen said.

Now, Chen has made music her career, not just through playing, but also through teaching. Chen is a professor of applied jazz piano, songwriting and the history of jazz at Syracuse University. She also came out with her first album in 2021, “Whispering to God,” which combines “sacred” music with religious themes and jazz, both integral parts of her life. beyond the hill