March 22, 2007 Taiwan Theological Seminary Concert (on Yang-Ming Mountain)
(Translated from the Chinese)
"Helping us commemorate Taiwan Theological Seminary’s 135th anniversary on March 22, 2007 was 23 year-old Chelsea Chen, performing on our 112 year-old “grandmother” of pipe organs. Chelsea’s youth—contrasted by the age of our instrument—appropriately conveyed the spirit of our “old-but-forever-young” school. Her brilliant technique, natural musicality, and elegant body language made for an expressive performance, allowing the audience to experience the joy of her music. Chelsea’s “Taiwanese Suite” based on Taiwanese folksongs was filled with a myriad of colors. The audience on hearing these familiar songs could not help but sway to the music. Her two encores included a hymn-based piece which included snippets of “Happy Birthday” followed by a transcription of the electronic game “Super Mario Brothers” which caused the audience to shout and cheer over and over. The pipe organ—surprise!—can really party."
~ Xiu-Wen Chen / Director of Taiwan Theological Seminary’s Music Department
Pipedreams Radio Broadcast #0704 (Jan. 22, 2007)
"Well here is a young talent in top form. I first heard Chelsea Chen when she played a few years ago during an organ class at the Juilliard School. She was a student of John Weaver and Paul Jacobs at Juilliard. Chelsea played with confidence, style, and imagination at a level that many older performers would surely envy. She went on to win the Augustana Arts/Reuter competition in Denver in 2005, and superbly presented a fully memorized program to an American Guild of Organist's Winter Conclave in LasVegas in January 2006, and appeared again for the AGO in Chicago [at the National Convention] this summer. All of 21 years old, at the time Chelsea was also invited to play at the Heinz chapel of the University of Pittsburgh, during an American Institute of Organbuilders Conference. On that occasion she shared music which she herself had composed--honoring her father and his Chinese ancestry--a Taiwanese Suite based on folk melodies.
Both Bach and Reger surely would have approved of the formidable talent of our soloist Chelsea Chen. The [organ's] future is in the hands as players such as Chelsea Chen who not only perform exceptionally well but also compose for the organ and encourage other friends of their generation to write for it too."
~ Michael Barone / Pipedreams Host
Click here for the broadcast.
2006 AGO National Convention Recital (Chicago)
"A brilliant recital by Chelsea Chen, a twenty-two year old student of Paul Jacobs who has just earned her Master’s degree at the JuilliardSchool. Her distinctive flair and bravado, mastery of repertoire, andcommand of the instrument dazzled the audience and showed theorgan to great effect."
~ Kathleen Adams / C.B. Fisk Organ Company
"We were treated to a polished performance on Monday afternoon at St. Chrystostom's Episcopal Church. Ms. Chen played with remarkable maturity for her 22 yaers. Her youthful energy and enthusiasm were contagious. Her memorized performance was fresh and inspiring. The Messiaen Transports de joie was spontaneous and free, yet accurate and musical. Chen's interpretation of the Bach Prelude and Fugue in A Minor, BWV 543, effectivelyused some swell box shadings and manual changes. The Prelude had great energy and drive. The phrasing and articulation were consistent and convincing. The Fugue was well paced and built to an exciting finish. The Brahms chorale was a welcome change of texture...Her performance of the Brahms Prelude and Fugue in G Minor had strength and brilliance.With passion and fire, its structure and form were clearly stated. The commisioned work was Teddy Niedermaier's Sonata (2005). The piece contains playful and rhapsodic passages, as well as dissonant harmonies and lyrical polyphony. One was reminded of Persichetti's music. The Franck Choral in E Major was a strong conclusion to the afternoon program...the richness of the ensemble paid homage to the great organs of France, and this reading certainly captured the beauty and excitement of this treasured work."
~ Madolyn Fallis / The American Organist October 2006 Issue
June 4, 2006 Lehigh Valley AGO Chapter Recital
"The recital ended with a thunderous and exciting rendition of Duruflé’s Toccata from Suite, Op. 5. I believe that I spied the figures in the stained glass windows dancing along with Chelsea’s music. Ms. Chen is to be congratulated for an excellent recital. She presented herself in a professional, well-informed and humble manner."
~ Bob Riday / Lehigh Valley Chapter AGO
Click here for the complete review.
2006 AGO Region IX Winter Conclave Recital
"Chelsea Chen presented an electrifying concert, all from memory, on the Beckerath(Las Vegas Conclave 2006). Her performance of Bach’sFantasy and Fugue in G Minor, BWV 542, was the best I’ve yet heard. Her performance of Reger's Chorale-Fantasy on "Hallelujah! Gott zu loben, bleibe meine Seelenfreud" took my breath away."
~ Carol Dean / Utah Valley Chapter AGO
2005 American Institute of Organbuilders Convention Recital (Pittsburgh)
"At [organbuilders] conventions I generally listen intently to the instrument, appreciate the efforts of the organist, and pay relatively little attention to the performances. But I was powerless to ignore the playing of Chelsea Chen. It's easy to qualify, to say "she's great...for one so young!" Playing like that is captivating, regardless of age. It wasn't just that I enjoyed her selections or agreed with her choice of stops. She does not play the organ. She makes the organ her instrument for making music. Her every move is musical. Every piston she pushes, every manual change, every tiny nudge of the shades is a fluid part of her music. I watched her left hand playing the almost inaudible accompaniment in the Bach "Badinerie." Every note perfectly attacked and released. Not fussy, just perfect. If Chelsea Chen is a harbinger of the generation on the horizon, there's going to be a lot of organbuilding to do."
~ Journal of American Organbuilding, Vol. 20, Nos. 1 & 2
"Twenty-one year old Chelsea Chen performed a full length memorized organ concert on Monday, October 3, 2005 at the Heinz Memorial Chapel for the annual convention of the American Institute of Organbuilders. Most of the builders did not know Chelsea until she cut loose with a dazzling performance that elicited a standing ovation, a rarity for organ builder audiences. Two numbers were standouts, Reger's Chorale Fantasy on "Hallelujah! Gott zu Loben" and the three part "Taiwanese Suite" composed by Chen. Much of her program could be termed technically difficult but Chen demonstrated a keyboard facility in which the term astounding would be an understatement."
~ AGO Region VI October 2005 Newsletter
2004 AGO National Convention (Los Angeles)
"Chelsea Chen, Region IX's rising star, began with Bach's Toccata, Adagio, and Fugue. Her playing was extraordinary! Wonderful tempos, flowing lines, and beautiful ornamentation. Her articulation in the Fugue was especially noteworthy. She ended her performance with Durufle's Prelude et Fugue sur le nom d'Alain. The Prelude was wonderfully played with smooth lines,a perfectly steady tempo, and appropriate French nuances. The Fugue was very self-assured and smooth as silk. All of the registration changes were flawlessly executed. In all, an extraordinary performance by a very talented young organist."
~ Steven Egler and Casey Cantwell contributing / The American Organist October 2004 Issue
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