CHI-YUAN CHEN, VIOLISTTaiwanese violist Chi-Yuan Chen holds the Karen and Warren Kessler Chair as Principal Viola of San Diego Symphony Orchestra. A top-prize winner of both the 2000 Fischoff Chamber Music Competitionand the 2004 International Paris Viola Competition Ville d’Avray, Mr. Chen has established himself as oneof the leading violists of his generation.

An advocate in contemporary music, Mr. Chen has worked with legendary composers such as Elliott Carter, John Corigliano, Toshio Hosokawa and George Perle. In chamber music settings, he has performed with artists in the highest caliber such as Yefim Bronfman, Colin Carr, Yo-Yo Ma, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, members of the American, Arditti, Brentano, Cleveland, Emerson, Guarneri, Mendelssohn and Miami string quartets. Mr. Chen’s recent concert and festival engagements include Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Macau, Indonesia, Japan, Korea and North America.

A violist of the Great Wall String Quartet, Mr. Chen gives concerts and master-classes frequently throughout Asian countries. In 2012 the quartet released their debut album, titled The Great Wall. The same album was awarded "Best Performance of Classical Music" by the 24th Golden Melody Award in Taiwan in 2013. In 2015, the quartet’s second album “Tango” has received the Best String Quartet Album of the 11th HiFi Album Award in China.

Chi-Yuan Chen holds a Doctoral degree from State University of New York at Stony Brook; he also holds both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree from the New England Conservatory in Boston, where he received the highest distinction in performance on both degrees. Mr. Chen is currently on the studio artist faculty of San Diego State University.