Biography
By age eight, not only was pianist Kevin Chen able to solve the puzzle of the Rubik’s Cube in 44 seconds flat, he had been named to CBC Music’s list of Top 30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians under 30. At age 7, he made his orchestral debut with the Abbotsford Youth Orchestra, and performed with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic, Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Island Symphony, the Astana Opera Symphony Orchestra and the Minnesota Orchestra. Kevin counts Colleen Athparia and Marilyn Engle among his teachers, and has participated in numerous master classes with acclaimed pianists including Emanuel Ax, Alessio Bax, Katherine Chi, John Perry, Minsoo Sohn, and Roman Rabinovich.
Kevin is an avid composer, having created over 100 works including four full symphonies for orchestra and one piano concerto. Many of Kevin’s compositions have been commissioned and performed in concert. Following the 2013 flood in High River, Kevin composed the work River Rhapsody to celebrate the strength and resilience of our community.
When not playing music, Kevin enjoys computer programming, solving Rubik’s cubes, cycling and playing video games.
2021
Kevin becomes the youngest-ever winner of the Franz Liszt International Piano Competition.
2020
Kevin takes first place in the Mozart International Piano Competition in Switzerland.
Kevin wins the Hilton Head International Piano Competition.
2019
Kevin wins first place in the e-Piano Junior Competition, and two additional prizes for best performance of a Schubert and a Russian work.
Kevin is recognized as a laureate in the Astana Piano Passion Competition in Kazakhstan.
2016
Kevin is featured in an issue of Maclean’s Magazine dedicated to the achievements of 100 Remarkable Canadians.
2015
Kevin achieves third place in the 17-and -under category at the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal Competition.
2013
Kevin is named to CBC Music’s list of Top 30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians under 30.
At age eight, he becomes the youngest Canadian to be awarded First Class Honours with Distinction in the ARCT Performer’s Royal Conservatory of Music exam.
2012
Kevin first performs for us as a Young Musician Extraordinaire, returning by popular demand in 2014 and 2018.
He is awarded first place in the Canadian Music Competition, and makes his orchestral debut with the Abbotsford Youth Orchestra.