CICA Summer Music Festival
And School
Home of world class music performance and education
Thomas Chun-yu Chen
Music director, Orchestra conductor, Violin Faculty
Maestro Thomas Chun-yu Chen is an internationally renowned conductor, violinist, composer, and stringed instrument maker and designer. A native of Taiwan, Mr. Chen has served as a member of the presidential string quartet, resident composer, and orchestra conductor for the ministry of Defense Symphony Orchestra in Taiwan. Maestro Chen directs festival concerts every year including the Eureka Springs CICA summer music festival in Eureka Springs Arkansas, the Dallas CICA international summer music festival in Dallas, Texas, and the CICA Taipei international summer music festival in Taipei Taiwan. He collaborates with many world-renowed performers, universities, educators from many organizations. Chen has served as the music director and conductor of Core-Art International Chamber Orchestra, CICA Music Festival Symphony Orchestra, CICA Taiwan philharmonic orchestra, and Dallas international Symphony Orchestra.
As orchestra conductor, violinist, chamber music performer, and composer, Chen performed and collaborated with many top symphonic performers in the world, including Sara Sant' Ambrogio, Andrey Ponochevny, Alexander Gilman, Chee-yun Kim, Tao Fan, Lech Antonio Uszynski, Gregory Maytan, Erika Nickrenz, Susie Park, Dominika Zamara, Aisha syed Castro, Arthur Hart, Alla Aranovskaya the St. Petersburg String Quartet, the Eroica Trio and many more. Maestro Chen has recently concluded a successful 2013 season of Dallas CICA Summer Music Festival consisting of 7 symphonic concerts, 12 extraordinary artists' concert series', 18 chamber music concerts and numerous other solo recitals performed by both students and professionals. The 2014 International Music Festival, led by Maestro Thomas Chun-yu Chen, will bring together even more world-renowned performers and teachers to create an even more sensational program in both Dallas, Texas and Taipei, Taiwan.
Chen has a great passion for educating young children by providing and creating successful and inspirational. He is a violin pedagogue who has conducted research projects and various teaching methods. His research and teaching aspects include the Suzuki method which provides for young children's talent education. Chen is a permanent member of SAA (Suzuki association of America), and he served as the institute director of CICA Eureka Springs Suzuki institute in Eureka Springs Arkansas. Chen continues to give master classes and concerts through different countries in Asia and America. He has funded music school programs in different areas of the world, and he is currently serving as artistic director of "Beijing international music and arts conservatory" in Beijing China. Chen has a BFA degree in performance from Fu-Jen Catholic University, MM degrees in performance and Suzuki Violin Pedagogy degree from Southern Illinois University, and a MA degree in Music Education from Lindenwood University. He did postgraduate doctorate study for the DM program at Florida State University and the DMA program at the University of Memphis.
In addition to being a performer and educator, Chen is also a decorated violin-maker and stringed instrument designer, Chen has received First Prize in String Quartet making and Tone Prizes in Violin and Viola makings from the VMAAI International Violin-making Competition. Maestro Chen, who has led research on violin making methodology for decades, is known for his development of a unique "crystallized" violin varnishing methodology that achieves extraordinary clarity, and tone. Maestro Chen served as a competition judge for the "Eureka Springs Violin Makers Conference" held in Eureka Springs, Arkansas and the "Dallas International Antonio Stradivari Violin Makers Conference" held in Dallas, Texas which featured over 200 string instrument exhibitions. For 2014 CICA Taiwan Antonio Stradivari violin programs, Maestro Chen will be conducting a series of Stradivarius instruments performance and will also direct the presentations and lectures of Stradivarius violins and other rare Italian violins researches. Chen's organization has collaborated with Taiwan Chi-mei museum which is the world renowned museum has over 300 Stradivarius instruments in it's exhibition.
