Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) welcomes the brilliant Taiwanese young pianist Tzu-Yi Chen to its Distinguished Concerts Artist Series at Weill Recital Hall. Born in Taiwan where she was named one of the country’s rising stars by MUZIK magazine, Tzu-Yi Chen’s honors include the prestigious Premier Prix from the Paris Conservatory. Recent performances in Germany garnered acclaim from the Baden Baden Daily News for her “range of pianistic perfection, from the most sensitive touch to the most powerful rich sound” as well as the Goslarsche Zeitung which praised both her “incredible warmth” and “great power.”

The concert on Saturday, October 11 at 8:00pm features music by Mozart, Brahms, and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, along with a work by Taiwanese composer Winnie Lan-Yin Yang.

Opening the program will be Mozart’s Nine Variations on a Minuet by J. P. Duport, K. 573, a virtuosic work which earned Chen First Prize from the Pro-Mozart Society of Atlanta this spring. The pianist sees similarities between two other major works on the program, Brahms’ Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op. 24 and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition: “Both pieces are very symphonic and rich in color. Each composer infuses his very personal language of lyricism and harmony with elements from his own culture.”

Chen will also perform Suite Astrologique by New York-based Taiwanese composer Winnie Lan-Yin Yang, a group of 12 character pieces inspired by the signs of the zodiac. “What particularly impressed me,” says Chen, “was Winnie’s use of lyrical lines to capture the abstract character of each sign, combined with mysterious harmonies and rhythm.”

Tzu-Yi Chen showed uncanny musical understanding from the age of three, when she insisted on sitting with her older brother during his piano lessons. Her early training in Taiwan with Tchen Yu-Xiou was followed by studies the Paris Conservatory, the University of Music in Karlsruhe, Germany, and a doctoral diploma from Columbus State University where she studied with Van Cliburn gold medalist Alexander Kobrin. Chen embraced the Deep South of the US, performing actively in Georgia and Alabama. She has recently moved to the Washington, DC area.

Founded by Iris Derke (General Director) and Jonathan Griffith (Artistic Director and Principal Conductor), Distinguished Concerts International is driven by passion and unwavering commitment to create unforgettable audience and performer experiences.