Presented by Equity Bank
Multi-talented pianist, composer, arranger, and teacher Sean Chen has played for audiences around the world in solo and chamber recitals, concerto performances, and master classes.
After growing up in the Los Angeles area, Chen studied on the East Coast, first at Juilliard for his bachelor’s and master of music degrees, and then at the Yale School of Music. In 2013, he placed third—worldwide—in the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.
He has also performed at the piano with orchestras across the country, with critics praising his “alluring, colorfully shaded renditions” (New York Times) and “genuinely sensitive” phrasings (LA Times). His CD releases include the 2021 all-Ravel digital album on the Steinway & Sons label.
This fall, Chen begins a full professorship at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory.
Chen lives in the metro area with his wife, Betty, a violinist with the Kansas City Symphony, and their two daughters, Ella and Maeve. When he’s not playing or composing or teaching, Chen enjoys exploring math, science, and programming on his computer.
You are currently a Millsap Artist in Residence at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory. What does this entail?
Currently, as a Millsap Artist in Residence, I am an adjunct faculty—I am responsible for teaching one-on-one piano lessons to piano-performance majors from undergraduate to doctorate levels, as well as coaching chamber music. I also give a faculty recital and masterclass every year. As just announced by the conservatory, I was appointed a full-time professor starting next year, so I am very happy to be continuing my work here at UMKC.
Your wife, Betty Chen, is a violinist with the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra, and you have two daughters. Do you play music together at home? Maybe a Taylor Swift song
We do play music together at home—sometimes if we get a chance, which isn’t often, we’ll read some violin and piano sonatas, or sometimes I can convince her to read some weird pieces off the beaten path. I’m pretty sure we have jammed to Taylor Swift, but these days it would more likely be something from Frozen, Moana, or Tangled.
When you compose music, how does the idea come to you? Then what?
To be fair, I don’t compose music that often, precisely because (good) ideas are hard to come by. The inspiration can come from many places, including subconsciously by the fingers and ears. Oftentimes, I start off with knowing some of the themes or ideas I want to include, and even have a general structure of what I want. I might also have certain passages or dramatic arcs I want to hit. And sometimes I know what I want the feeling to be, but don’t know exactly what notes I want. Then from there, it is a lot of massaging and experimenting to see what works, both under the fingers (if it’s a piano piece) and in the ears. You have to hit on it—the “then what” is the hardest part. I think that is what makes the great composers great—the piece doesn’t ever have sections that seem like the composer got stuck, it just flows and makes sense, as if that’s the only way it could be.
A professional musician’s life can be an itinerant one, but you and your family have been in Kansas City for a while. How has our town nurtured your career?
Yes, we are so lucky to be a part of this wonderful city and community, both socially and musically. Luckily, Betty has had a stable job at the Symphony since we moved here, and I am glad that I will be more permanent at UMKC moving forward. KC is full of wonderful musicians, and I’ve been able to perform a lot of chamber music with faculty at UMKC as well as musicians of the Kansas City Symphony. It’s also nice to have space and time to do what you want to do, that as a musician you might not be able to afford if you’re living somewhere like New York City. As I’ve been teaching and raising kids with my wife, I think I’ve gained a deeper understanding about music and life that, though I don’t practice as much as I used to, has enriched my artistry. And lastly, well, my tummy (and transitively, my music making) has been nurtured by KC’s yummy coffee (shoutout to Oddly Correct and the now-closed Monarch).