MASTERCLASS SERIES WITH PROFESSOR MELVIN CHEN
We are thrilled to have the world renowned artist and piano professor at Yale University, Dr. Melvin Chen, teach a master series at Irvine Conservatory of Music on December 21st and 22nd, 2024.
Student pianists with all ages are invited to apply for the masterclass. The 2024 Irvine International Competition Winners (both live and online) will have the priority to participate in the masterclass. (There is no application fee to apply). 8-10 students will be selected to perform at the masterclass series. A link to a recent video (no time limit and free choice of repertoire) needs to be provided in the application. This is a wonderful opportunity for the piano students.
The masterclasses schedule will be:
Session 1: Saturday December 21, 9:30-12:00PM
Session 2: Saturday December 21, 3:00-5:30PM
Session 3: Sunday December 22, 9:30-12:00PM
Session 4: Sunday December 22, 3:00-5:30PM
*There will be Q&A after each session for parents and students.
Masterclass Fee:
$350 for two days (performing in one session and auditing ALL other session) for accepted performer. Each accepted performer will receive two extra complimentary auditor tickets(NO application fee, the masterclass fee is due when you are selected to perform at the masterclass).
Auditing the classes will be open to the public. Auditors can pre-register prior to the masterclass dates and costs are $45.00 for one adults + one student ($60 at the door) per session. Two-day pass with all four sessions is $150.
For pre-register single ticket (prior the masterclass dates): $30/adult, $20/student (at the door, $40 for adults and $30 for students on the day).
Teachers who have students participated at 2024 Irvine International Music Competition will receive one complimentary auditor ticket for all the sessions. Please email us (competition@irvinecm.com) with your name and let us know which session you would like to attend.
The deadline to apply for the class is November 15, 2024. Accepted students will be notified by November 25, 2024.
If accepted, the masterclass fee is due by December 2, 2024
About Professor Melvin Chen
A native of Tennessee, Dr. Melvin Chen has received acclaim for solo and chamber performances throughout the United States, Canada, and Asia. Chen’s performances have been featured on radio and television stations around the world, including KBS television and radio in Korea, NHK television in Japan, and NPR in the United States.
As a Professor in the Practice of Piano, Chen teaches a studio of graduate and undergraduate piano students. In addition, he serves as Director of the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival/Yale Summer School of Music, where he also performs. Previously, Chen was Associate Director and on the piano faculty at the Bard College Conservatory of Music and served as Artistic Director of the chamber music program at the Hotchkiss School Summer Portals.
Chen earned a doctorate in chemistry from Harvard University and holds a double master’s degree from The Juilliard School in piano and violin. He received his bachelor of science degree in chemistry and physics from Yale University, where he studied with Boris Berman, Paul Kantor, and Ida Kavafian.
Chen’s notable solo recordings include Beethoven’s “Diabelli” Variations (Bridge Records), which the American Record Guide described as “a classic,” piano music by Joan Tower (Naxos Records), and sonatas and other pianos works by Shostakovich (Bridge Records), among others.