BYMI CHAE LJ AME SROCHA, S E PT E MBE R14, 2016
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THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE
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SUNDAY • SEPTEMBER 18, 2016
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“How do you define cutting-edge? To me, it’s being pioneers, starting a new era of music. Working with those composers developed in me a personal interest in new music.” Chi-Yuan Chen principal violist, San Diego Symphony
K.C. ALFRED U-T
Chi-Yuan Chen was hired as a section player for the San Diego Symphony in 2006 and was named principal violist last year.
Chi-Yuan Chen SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY’S PRINCIPAL VIOLIST HAS A PASSION FOR CONTEMPORARY MUSIC AND ADVANCING THE ART FORM BY BETH WOOD
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lassically trained in his native Taiwan, Chi-Yuan Chen is fully qualified for his position as principal violist in the San Diego Symphony. But he began to branch out as a young musician working with cutting-edge composers. It started in the early 2000s, when he studied at the prestigious New England Conservatory (NEC) and played at Tanglewood Music Center, the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s summer academy. “I performed a lot of new music there,” said Chen, who later earned his doctorate from State University of New York at Stony Brook. “I worked with Elliott Carter and other great composers. How do you define cutting-edge? To me, it’s being pioneers, starting a new era of music. Working with those composers developed in me a personal interest in new music. “It’s important to preserve the classical roots, while developing to a different level. I was privileged to study at NEC, which had great composers and very good teachers. At the time I was there, students discussed music in lively ways. Nowadays, it’s much more competitive. I love chamber music because of the communication between musicians, and I get that in orchestra as well.”
Chen, who turns 40 in November, communicates a lot. In addition to being principal violist with the symphony, he plays in Camera Lucida, a chamber music collaboration between symphony musicians and the University of California San Diego Music Department. The group is presenting two concerts this fall (Nov. 7 and Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m. at Conrad Prebys Concert Hall). He regularly performs with San Diego’s Art of Élan, which presents a mix of traditional and newly commissioned works throughout the county. In partnership with Art of Élan, Chen and the symphony’s principal cellist, Yao Zhao, were heavily involved with this summer’s inaugural Bravo International Music Academy (BIMA), a two-week music education intensive for outstanding strings and piano students from around the world. Chen met Zhao in 2006, when he joined the symphony. In 2009, the pair co-founded The Great Wall String Quartet, the resident ensemble of Beijing’s Great Wall International Summer Academy. The quartet is rounded out by two violinists, Wei Lu and Qi Zhou, who live and work in Germany. Despite the logistics, the foursome has toured Asia extensively. The group released an album titled “The Great Wall” in 2012,
has commissioned two pieces, and performs a blend of works by the masters and current composers. Given the number of projects they do together, it’s no surprise Chen and Zhao are close friends. They share a passion for both traditional and new music. “Being such a knowledgeable artist, Chi-Yuan is very familiar with contemporary music as a language,” Zhao said. “Playing (contemporary) pieces is similar to putting a huge puzzle together. One needs patience, imagination and vision. And Chi-Yuan has all of those.” The energetic pair co-founded BIMA, an annual educational event that was launched in early August. It was held on the campus of San Diego State University, where Chen is a studio arts instructor. He lives in North County with his wife, Hsin-Yee Wang, and son, Hayden Chen, a third-grader. As a teacher at SDSU and BIMA, Chen is fulfilling his desire to help students learn their craft. “I’ve always believed that it’s important to pass on what we learn from the masters to the younger generation,” he said. “I believe that is how classical music will survive in their hands.” In working with Chen in many settings, Zhao has observed his colleague’s interaction with his pupils. “I have had the opportunity to
“Adams, Atoms and Planets” Conducted by Peter Oundjian, featuring the Women of the San Diego Master Chorale When: 8 p.m. Dec. 3; 2 p.m., Dec. 4 Where: Copley Symphony Hall at Jacobs Music Center, 750 B St., downtown Tickets: $20 to $96 Phone: (619) 235-0804 Online: sandiegosymphony.org be in many of his Chi-Yuan’s classes,” Zhao said. “I am always amazed at how he works with students differently, depending on their personality and style of playing.” Chen’s role with the San Diego Symphony includes mentoring. Jahja Ling, the San Diego Symphony’s music director, hired Chen as a section player in 2006 and chose him as principal violist last year. “Chi-Yuan shows leadership and respect for the other musicians,” Ling said. “He works well with his section and with the other string sections. You have to earn the respect, and he has. He is demanding, but — at the same time — very kind.
“Before he became principal violist, I heard him with the Art of Élan. He was really outstanding in that concert. I thought, ‘Wow, we have a section player who can play like that!’ He was terrific.” Chen is looking forward to the symphony’s new season, which begins Oct. 14. In particular, he is enthusiastic about the Dec. 3 and 4 program celebrating the 70th birthday of acclaimed minimalist composer John Adams. But Chen brings skill and energy to all the music he plays. He expressed gratitude for Ling’s guidance and excitement about the leadership of the symphony’s CEO, Martha Gilmer. He will continue playing chamber music with Art of Élan and The Great Wall String Quartet. “Finding roots and preserving them is a key to wonderful art,” Chen said. “It’s important that composers who create new music know the tradition and produce something on that foundation. I believe that if you have a good foundation, it will carry you much farther. “Creating art is different from making people amazed or amused. I take it very seriously. The tradition is important, but so are creative ideas. Musicians are like inventors. We need to know the theories behind things to produce something special that never happened before.” Wood is a freelance writer.