Alex Chien 2012

Friday, March 23, 2012, 7 PM:  Piano Solo Performance by Alex Chien, Winner of the Virginia Waring International Piano Competition. Alex Chien was born in 1998. He started taking piano lessons with Ms. Kai Chi Zhu when he was four years old. At the age of 5, he made a TV appearance when he performed in the “Maestro Darrell’s Music Workshop” TV Program. Alex is the winner of many piano competitions. He recently won the first prize in the 2010 Young Artist Competition of Diablo Symphony Orchestra. His other recent awards include the first Prize in the Young Artists Competitions of California Youth Symphony, the grand prize in the 2009 Mondavi Young Artist Competition, the first place award in the 2009 Marilyn Mindell Piano Competition, the first place award in the Sylvia M. Ghiglieri Piano Competition and the inaugural winner of the Temple Hill Symphony Orchestra’s Outstanding Young Pianist award. In 2008, he won the first place award and the “Most Promising Young Talent” special award in the 9th International Russian Piano Competition’s Young Musician category, the first place award in 2008 MTAC Piano Concerto Competition (Division I), the Menuhin-Dowling Young Musicians Award, the James Denver Gary Piano Award in Pacific Music Society Annual Competition, and the Nafisa Taghioff Prize in the Fremont Symphony’s Young Artist Competition. Alex has been the prize winner of many awards in the US Open Music Competitions each year since 2003. He won the first place award in the complete Piano Concerto category in 2009. He won several first place awards in the piano concerto categories and the solo showcase category in previous years, and he was selected as the Gold of Golden Medalists in the Gold Medalist Showcase Recitals each year it was held. In addition, Alex has been the first place award winner of the piano competitions sponsored by the Music Teachers’ Association of California In 2004 and 2005, the first place awards and the best Chinese Music performance awards in the Chinese Music Teachers’ Association of North California Youth Music Competition in 2004 and 2007, the first place award in the “Kids Play the Darndest Things!” piano competition and the first place award in the “Technic is Fun” piano competition in 2006.  Alex has kept a busy performance schedule. Most recently, he performed with the California Youth Symphony Orchestra (CYS) at the Flint Center of Cupertino, California and at the San Mateo Performing Arts Center in San Mateo, California. Alex was the youngest soloist to open a music season for the CYS, and the two concerts have been among the most successful events in their history. Earlier in October, Alex gave a solo piano recital at California State University Stanislaus in a sold-out concert. He was also the youngest pianist that performed in the university’s regular concert series. In the summer of 2009, he also gave a solo recital at Newcastle University in England. Alex has played at the Carnegie Hall as a winner of the American Fine Arts Festival. He also performed with the Fremont Symphony Orchestra and the Temple Hill Symphony orchestra. Alex’s other 2009 performances include a performances at the Peninsula Symphony’s Family Concert, at “A Celebration of Young Artists Concert” of the Fremont Symphony Guild, at the Kohl Mansion, Burlingame, California, and at the Twilight Concert at Fairytale Town, Sacramento, California. In 2008, he performed in the Junior Bach Festival and in the Steinway Society Young Artists Concert. He also performed at the Piano Fantasia Concert honoring Robert and Margaret Mondavi at Pacific Union College. His other performance events in 2008 include the Listening Hours at San Jose State University, Pacific Music Society Christmas Gala, Beshoff Mercedes-Benz Concert and a benefit concert at the San Francisco Tower.   Alex attended the 2009 Chetham International Summer Piano School in Manchester, England where he worked with many internationally renowned masters such as Leslie Howard, Vladimir Tropp. Alex has also performed in master classes by Lang Lang, Jon Nakamatsu, Antonio Pompa-Baldi, Ruth Slenczynska, and Pascal Nemirovski.   Alex is currently a 6th grade student at Saint Andrew School in Saratoga. He lives in San Jose, California with his parents and brother, Robert.  In addition to music, he loves writing and computers.