Felix Chen or Chen Chiu-sen
(; 9 July 1942 – 9 April 2018) was a
Taiwanese
Taiwanese may refer to:
* Taiwanese language, another name for Taiwanese Hokkien
* Something from or related to Taiwan ( Formosa)
* Taiwanese aborigines, the indigenous people of Taiwan
* Han Taiwanese, the Han people of Taiwan
* Taiwanese people, ...
conductor and
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
ist. He was resident conductor and
music director
A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the d ...
of the
Taipei Symphony Orchestra
The Taipei Symphony Orchestra (, as known as TSO (not to be confused with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra), founded in 1969, is one of the leading orchestras based in Taipei, Taiwan.
In these seasons, TSO works also with European Music directors a ...
from 1986 until his dismissal in 2003.
He taught both
Chien Wen-pin, musical director of the Taiwan
National Symphony Orchestra
The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1930, its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. It also performs for the annual National Mem ...
from 2001 to 2007; and the same orchestra's current maestro,
Lü Shao-chia
Lü Shao-chia (; born 1960) is a Taiwanese conductor. He has been music director of the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan since 2010.
Biography
Born in Hsinchu, Taiwan, Lü studied piano at an early age. Initiated by Taiwanese conductor C ...
.
Early life
Chen was born in
Taihoku Prefecture
Taihoku Prefecture (台北州; ''Taihoku-shū'') was an administrative division of Taiwan created in 1920, during Japanese rule. The prefecture consisted of modern-day Keelung, New Taipei City, Taipei and Yilan County. Its government office, ...
,
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
on 9 July 1942.
He began his musical career studying the violin,
and won first prize in Taiwan's provincial violin competition in 1959.
Later, he studied at the
Munich Conservatory
The University of Music and Performing Arts Munich (german: Hochschule für Musik und Theater München), also known as the Munich Conservatory, is a performing arts conservatory in Munich, Germany. The main building it currently occupies is t ...
in Germany.
He returned to Taiwan in 1969 and played violin in several orchestras.
Career
Early career
In 1971, Chen moved to Austria to study conducting, returning again to Taiwan in 1973 to work for the
Taiwan Provincial Symphony Orchestra. He later moved to the
Taipei Symphony Orchestra
The Taipei Symphony Orchestra (, as known as TSO (not to be confused with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra), founded in 1969, is one of the leading orchestras based in Taipei, Taiwan.
In these seasons, TSO works also with European Music directors a ...
(TSO), which he led for 17 years. He began staging operas with them. In this era, the TSO had not yet begun to stage operas; consequently, Chen's were almost the only Western operas known at that time in Taiwan.
He was praised for his work at the podium conducting both orchestral and operatic works.
Every year Chen and the TSO produced one or two operas (among them ''
Aida'', ''
Otello
''Otello'' () is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play ''Othello''. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on 5 February 1887.
Th ...
'' and ''
Turandot'') which became major musical events in Taiwan.
In a 2003 article in the ''
Taipei Times
The ''Taipei Times'' is the only printed daily English-language newspaper in Taiwan, and the third established there. Online competitors include the state-owned ''Focus Taiwan'' and ''Taiwan News''; ''The China Post'' was formerly a competit ...
'' newspaper, Chen was described as "a veritable Taiwanese 'living national treasure'", due to his "long line of magnificent concerts and opera productions."
Later career
After his retirement, Chen taught at the
National Taiwan Normal University,
Taipei National University of the Arts, and
Tainan National University of the Arts
Tainan National University of the Arts (TNNUA; ) is an arts university in Guantian District, Tainan, Taiwan. The campus is in the countryside; beside the campus there is a reservoir. Many international guest professors visit.
The architect for ...
.
He was invited to give guest performances with the
National Symphony Orchestra
The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1930, its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. It also performs for the annual National Mem ...
of Taiwan (NSO) and the
National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra in his later years.
The conductors
Lü Shao-chia
Lü Shao-chia (; born 1960) is a Taiwanese conductor. He has been music director of the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan since 2010.
Biography
Born in Hsinchu, Taiwan, Lü studied piano at an early age. Initiated by Taiwanese conductor C ...
and
Chien Wen-pin were both students of Chen.
In March 2014, Chen came out of retirement and for the first time publicly praised
Shen Yun Performing Arts for their "staging techniques" while reflecting that the institution deserved its reputation.
Firing
In September 2003, Chen was accused of corruption and involvement in a
forgery
Forgery is a white-collar crime that generally refers to the false making or material alteration of a legal instrument with the specific intent to defraud anyone (other than themself). Tampering with a certain legal instrument may be forbidd ...
scandal.
As a result, the Department of Culture Affairs of the
Taipei City Government
The Taipei City Government (TCG) is the municipal government of Taipei.
History
The Taihoku City Government was founded on 10 October 1920 in Taihoku Prefecture during Japanese colonial rule. The original city hall was located at the site of ...
decided to relieve him of his post.
Chen eventually chose to retire, and some people believed he was forced to do so. In 2010, the ''Taipei Times'' asserted that "according to many in Taipei's classical music scene, not a shred of evidence involving Chen in any wrongdoing was ever discovered."
Chen meanwhile returned to university teaching, making occasional appearances as a guest conductor.
Death
Chen died on 9 April 2018 in Taipei at the age of 75.
Partial discography
* ''Ritual Incantations''
* ''Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in B Minor, Op. 104: I. Allegro''
* ''Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in B Minor, Op. 104: II. Adagio ma non troppo''
* ''Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in B Minor, Op. 104: III. Finale: Allegro moderato''
* ''Ritual Incantations: I. Majestic: Driving and Persistent — Cantabile''
* ''Ritual Incantations: II. Mysterious and Expansive — Longing — Yearning''
* ''Ritual Incantations: III. Spirited — Passionate — Bold and Lyrical''
References
External links
Biography of Felix Chen at MusicianTW.gov
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chen, Felix
1942 births
2018 deaths
Taiwanese conductors (music)
People from Miaoli County
Hakka musicians
Taiwanese people of Hakka descent
Academic staff of the National Taiwan Normal University
Academic staff of Tainan National University of the Arts
Academic staff of Taipei National University of the Arts