Alex CHEN
M.MUS Colaborative piano
Bsc Zoology
MY mission statement
I aspire to create spaces for joy, community, reflection, and growth at the intersections of music, nature, and civic practice.
I seek to create and engage with projects that empower collaborative partners in the process of creation within an equitable space. Ideally, I strive to empower and represent disenfranchised communities in the processes and products of creative projects. Moreover, I aspire to produce work that is emotionally-engaging, human, and elucidates something important, curious, or exciting about life. With my background in zoology, I wish to also explore avenues to integrate this sense of humanness within a larger framework of nature and life at large.
About me
Alex Chen is a collaborative pianist and vocal coach whose personal approach and intellectual curiosity bring fresh perspectives on a diverse body of musical works. In the words of his mentor John Hess, he is “an immensely musical and sensitive player” with “a deeply inquisitive mind.”
His experiences include work as an art song collaborator, opera répétiteur, choral accompanist, and chamber musician. Distinguishing himself as a performer and researcher, Alex held a Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canadian Graduate Scholarship to support his work creating dynamic, engaging programmes of art songs.
Professional highlights include performing in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro and Handel’s Serse in Lucca, Italy; presenting a distinguished recital titled Demons & Dichterliebe to explore themes of the supernatural and love; workshopping and performing The Book of My Shames with Canadian tenor Isaiah Bell & director Sean Guist; and playing Brahms’ Liebeslieder Waltzes with the acclaimed Western Singers under the baton of Lydia Adams.
Believing that a wide variety of experiences enriches both one’s life and music, Alex holds an eclectic collection of other credits. He has played and music directed the musical theatre shows [title of show] and Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens, respectively. Moreover, he has sung in diverse ensembles ranging from the Pacific Opera Victoria chorus, the award-winning University of Guelph Chamber Singers, the Victoria Conservatory of Music’s Opera Studio, Ontario Youth Choir, and the Luminato Festival’s million-dollar production of R. Murray Schafer’s Apocalypsis.
In a past life as a zoologist, Alex handled birds of prey for educational programs and contemplated the physiological factors affecting birdsong. As a remnant, he loves spending time outdoors and spotting local flora and fauna.
