Sean Chen

Named by The Republic as a “thoughtful musician well beyond his years,” pianist Sean Chen shares what The New York Times refers to as his “alluring, colorfully shaded renditions” and LA Times calls his “genuinely sensitive” playing with audiences around the world in solo and chamber recitals, concerto performances, and masterclasses. After winning the 2013 American Pianists Awards, placing third at the 2013 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, and being named a 2015 Annenberg Fellow, Mr. Chen is now a Millsap Artist-in-Residence at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance.
 
Sean Chen has performed with many prominent orchestras, including the Fort Worth, Indianapolis, Kansas City, and San Diego Symphony Orchestras, as well as the Chamber Orchestras of Philadelphia, Indianapolis, and South Bay, and collaborated with such esteemed conductors as Leonard Slatkin, Michael Stern, Gerard Schwarz, Nicholas McGegan, and Miguel Harth-Bedoya. A multifaceted musician, he also transcribes, composes, and improvises.
 
Mr. Chen resides in the suburbs of Kansas City with his wife, Betty, a violinist in the Kansas City Symphony, and their two daughters, Ella and Maeve. When not at the piano, he enjoys tinkering with computers and exploring math, science, and programming. Sean Chen is a Steinway Artist.