Stephen Chen

Hailing from the greater Richmond area of Virginia, U.S.A., pianist Stephen S. Chen is a dedicated and accomplished young musician currently pursuing his artistic development under the tutelage of Dr. Yinfei Wang. Stephen started his piano journey with Ms. Ruta Smedina-Starke at the age of five. Since then, his burgeoning career is marked by a remarkable string of successes in competitions spanning international, state, and district levels.

Stephen's exceptional talent has been recognized with top honors including the Grand Prix from the XVI Chopin International Piano Competition in Hartford, CT, and the Music Matters International Music Competition. He has also garnered the Platinum award from the International Young Gifted Musicians Competition, and the Gold and Young Virtuoso Awards from the WPTA Singapore International Piano Competition. Further accolades include First Place prizes in the WPTA Spain International Piano Competition, Irvine International Music Competition, V International Chopin Competition in Vienna, XV Savshinsky International Music Competition, American Protégé International Competition, Stockholm Tenth International Music Competition, Carles & Sofia International Piano Competition, Vienna Virtuoso International Competition, Charleston International Competition, Elite International Music Competition, International Youth Music Competition, and the American Music Talent Competition.

Additionally, he has received prizes from the Piano Neuchâtel Val de Travers Competition, Thomas Hulbert International Piano Competition, San Francisco International Piano Competition, International Young Artist Piano Competition, Enkor International Music Competition, and the Feurich International Competition. Demonstrating consistent excellence within his home state, Stephen was elected First Place in the Virginia Music Teacher Association (VMTA) State Auditions in both 2024 and 2022. He also received First Place recognition in the Richmond Music Teacher Association (RMTA) Central Virginia District Auditions for four consecutive years (2021-2024).

Stephen has achieved significant performance milestones, making his debuts at Carnegie Hall and the Ehrbar Saal Vienna in 2023, followed by appearances at Harvard University and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2024. He was also a featured performer at the Washington International Piano Festival in both 2023 and 2024. Adding to his growing list of achievements, Stephen has been chosen as a junior performer for the prestigious PianoTexas International Festival & Academy 2025. His musical growth has been further enriched through masterclasses with esteemed professors including Ernest Barretta (The Juilliard School), Young Hi Moon (Peabody Institute), Vladimir Kharin (University of Music and Performance Arts, Vienna), and fortepianist Daniel Adam Maltz. Additionally, Stephen is the leading musician of Music and Love Inc. at DMV area (District, Maryland and Virginia area). He feels very honored to collaborate with many talented young musicians to make a positive impact to the community through the transformative power of music. They have already held over 150 music recitals and performances at hospitals, retirement centers and government offices during the past 3 years.

Beyond his dedication to the piano, Stephen enjoys reading, mathematics, painting and charity. His artistic inclinations extend beyond music, evidenced by his First Prize in the Chopin in Art Contest from the Chopin Society of Atlanta. Academically, he has been recognized with a Merit Award from John Locke Global Essay Competition 2024, the President’s Education Award for outstanding academic excellence in 2024 and received the Grand Award (99%) from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth Testing in 2021.