HELLO!
Hello, I'm so glad you're here. I'm Stephanie! My friends call me Steph, my students call me Ms. Chen/ Ms. Stephanie, and my family calls me 'meimei' ("妹妹", or little sister). I am a cellist and teacher in the Central Valley, CA. I was born in Los Angeles but spent my entire childhood in Taipei, Taiwan. I attended the Taipei American School, came to the states for college at the Eastman School of Music and then pursued my Master's degree in cello performance at the New England Conservatory in Boston. My hobbies include cooking, baking, making handmade cards, anything arts and crafts, listening to podcasts, and exercising! Currently I reside in Manteca, CA with my husband, Alan and dog, Musette (or Mooosie)!
Interested in learning the cello?
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PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY
A native of Taipei, Taiwan, Stephanie Chen is a cellist, performer, and educator. She is an active musician in Northern California & Central Valley California. Stephanie began piano and cello lessons with her mother when she was 4 years old and continued her cello studies with Professor Yi-Ching Cheng. At the age of 15, she made her solo debut with the Taipei Century Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Nian-Fu Liao at the National Concert Hall in Taiwan. Stephanie holds a B.M degree in cello performance from the Eastman School of Music (University of Rochester) and an M.M degree from the New England Conservatory.
As an avid chamber and orchestral musician, Stephanie has made appearances with The Stockton Symphony, The Stockton Chorale, Zion Chamber Orchestra, The Modesto Opera, The Modesto Symphony, Palaver Strings, Fermata Chamber Soloists, Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, among others. She has performed in many renowned concert halls, including Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, Boston’s Symphony Hall, Taipei’s National Concert Hall, Jordan Hall, and Kodak Hall and has been featured on TV shows, Great Day Houston & Good Day Sacramento.
In addition, she has performed in masterclasses with Mischa Maisky, Norman Fischer, Brinton Smith, Jeff Zeigler, The Kalichstein-Laredo Robinson Trio, Brentano Quartet, Formosa Quartet, Borromeo Quartet, and The Ying Quartet. She has also attended numerous festivals including the Texas Music Festival, Meadowmount School of Music, The Formosa Chamber Music Festival, and AIMS in Graz. Her principal teachers include Yeesun Kim, David Ying, and Yi-Ching Cheng. Aside from her performance career, Stephanie is a certified Suzuki instructor and teaches both in her studio in Manteca, CA, Mountain House, CA (Mountain House Suzuki Strings), and online.
In previous years, Stephanie has served as the cello specialist at the Boston Latin School. She's held the positions of Assistant Director of Chamber Orchestra, Cello Faculty, and Head of Ensembles at the Community Music Center of Boston. Her Suzuki teacher trainers include David Evenchick and Avi Friedlander. She currently teaches around 30-35 students per year ranging from 4-75 years old! Stephanie currently serves on the board of CalASTA - Stockton and is a proud member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas. She created a YouTube channel to help her students practice better at home and regularly posts play-along videos and tutorials.
For student inquiries, see teaching for more information.