Isabel Chen

Isabel Chen is currently pursuing her Master of Music in Violin Performance with a Concentration in Teaching Artistry and Music Education at the New England Conservatory with Ayano Ninomiya. She received her bachelor degree from the Eastman School of Music, with Performer’s Certificate and Highest Distinction. She grew up studying violin, piano, and chamber music at the Music Institute of Chicago; later on, she joined its Academy program, dedicating herself to violin and competitive string quartets. Her former teachers include Robin Scott, Oleh Krysa, Cyrus Forough, Almita Vamos, Mathias Tacke, and Jasmine Lin. Isabel has soloed with the Fenimore Chamber Orchestra, Elmhurst and Oistrakh Symphony Orchestras following wins in regional and national concerto competitions. Other performance engagements include being invited to Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall for the 2023 InterHarmony Festival Concert Series, broadcasted on WFMT’s Introductions, and having fellowship appearances at the ENCORE String Quartet Academy, Colorado College Music Festival, and Madeline Island Chamber Music. She is a two-time recipient of the Celentano String Quartet Award, finalist of the Coltman Chamber Music Competition, honorable mention of the St. Paul String Quartet Competition, and Silver Medalist of the Frances Walton Competition. She has performed in masterclasses for notable musicians including the Takács and Belcea Quartets; Boris Kuschnir, Guy Braunstein, Donald Weilerstein, Itamar Zorman, and Noah Bendix-Balgley. She has always loved early music, and has been involved in groups for both violin and voice: baroque violin in the Collegium Musicum at Eastman; singing in the Schola Cantorum of Rochester (NY), and Night Song in Cambridge (MA). She recently collaborated with the Winchendon Music Festival players and Worcester Chorus on period instruments for the Christmas Oratorio. When she is not practicing, she loves watching short films, improvising dishes, and taking countless pictures of food and various travels.

When we learn something new, it can spark a lot of different reactions and emotions: refreshing, exciting, or daunting. Newness come in many forms, including technical challenges, unfamiliar music, foreign sound worlds -- I think it's most important to keep a mindset of exploration and positive engagement with whatever music we learn, no matter how hard it can look on the page! On the other hand, when we have spent an extended period on a piece, it's common and natural to settle into comfort zones of playing - and that "newness" mentioned earlier actually becomes so essential in maintaining a refreshed attitude towards practicing and performing. I would like to instill in each student a spirit of constant curiosity of the music they learn and their own playing, and to keep trying new things to reach closer to their musical intentions and goals!