Piano
Lauded for her “particularly lovely” playing and “boundless creativity”, pianist Candace Chien is an versatile performer and teacher in the New York City area. Recent concert season appearances includes chamber music performances at Kimmel Center Perelman Hall and Academy of Music, Trinity Wall Street St. Paul’s Chapel, New Hampshire Music Festival, as well as a solo concerto appearance with Chelsea Symphony performing Saint-Saens Piano Concerto No. 2. Candace maintains relationships with On Site Opera, Fresh Squeezed Opera and Opera On Tap as repetiteur, and has appeared as part of On Site Opera’s collaboration in Caramoor’s 2022 summer season alongside Stephanie Blythe and Laquita Mitchell. She was also chosen as Music for Autism’s Spotlight Artist of 2022, advocating for neurodiverse classical music experiences with “extraordinary artistry and humanity”. Candace also splits her time between New York and California as one of the pianists for San Diego Symphony.
She has held piano faculty positions at International Music Academy in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, Burgos International Music Festival, Usdan Center of Creative and Performing Arts and Point Counterpoint Chamber Music Festival, as well as music teaching positions in the public schools of Westfield, New Jersey and Queens, New York. She appears as a master clinician for Anemone Music Studio, and Main Line Music Teachers Association.
Candace is a graduate of The Juilliard School, studying with Jonathan Feldman and Margo Garrett, and continues on at Juilliard as one of their staff pianists. She received her Master’s degree in piano performance at the Manhattan School of Music with the guidance of Jeffery Cohen and obtained her undergraduate degree in piano performance and music education at Temple University under Professor Harvey Wedeen. In her spare time between teaching and performing, one can also find Candace in the kitchen. Her personal connection to music and food can be seen on Food Network tv show, Cooks Versus Cons, Season 4 in the episode “Fry, Fry Again!”.