About Irene Chen
“…Irene Chen, whose superlative musicianship shone through each phrase (Mozart Serenade No. 11 K. 375 in E flat)… Chen inhabits the world of the consummate professional.” Cue, South Africa
Irene Chen is an internationally acclaimed soloist, chamber musician and orchestral player, and the winner of several competitions, including the International Clarinet Association (ICA) Young Artist Competition (2009) in Porto, Portugal. She was the first Taiwanese clarinettist to win the prize.
Irene’s playing is said to be “warm, sensitive, thoughtful and inspirational”. Recent appearances include the Macau Orchestra, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. In Switzerland she has also performed as a guest musician with the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich.
In 2011 Irene was selected from thousands of applicants worldwide for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra, leading to a performance at the Sydney Opera House under Michael Tilson Thomas. She went on to hold principal clarinet positions with the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra in Durban, South Africa, the Dunshan Symphonic Wind Orchestra in Beijing and the Orchestra Accademia China, also in Beijing.
Studying and working on several continents, Irene has absorbed many different cultures into her playing, making her music vivid, colourful and distinctive. She enjoys a wide range of styles and has a particular love for new music. Several works have been written for her, including “Valse Bleue” and “Circles” by Swiss composer Stephan Hodel.
A passion for music and the wish to share the beauty of the arts have taken Irene all over the world. She has played chamber music with outstanding musicians such as Dimitri Ashkenazy, Yvonne Lang, the Polaris Quartet, Alison Balsom, Joshua Bell, Andrew Marriner, Jan Vogler, Pedro Franco and Yulianna Avdeeva, and has collaborated with the Basel-based Sonos Quartet.
Irene graduated from the Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana in Lugano with a Master in Performance and holds a CAS from the Hochschule für Musik Basel, studying with François Benda at both schools. She received an MA from Indiana University Bloomington (USA) under Howard Klug.
In 2024 Irene founded ensemble chen, which aims to connect different cultures, languages and people through music. She is its founder and artistic director.
Irene is also a dedicated teacher. She has taught chamber music at the China Conservatory in Beijing and the Western Academy of Beijing, gives regular masterclasses in her home country of Taiwan, and runs the Da Capo Music School in Bern.