Chih-Yuan Chen

Chih-Yuan Chen, a clarinetist and saxophonist, moves fluently between classical and jazz. He studied under Professor Tsu-Hsin Lin at the Department of Music, National Taiwan University of Arts, and in 2025 was admitted to the Graduate Institute of Music at National Taiwan Normal University, majoring in clarinet. Beginning in high school, he trained with Kuo-Wei Chang, Pei-Yun Lin, and Chien-Ming Chen, building a solid classical foundation while developing a free, versatile voice through jazz and cross-genre creation.

During military service, Chen served as principal clarinet of a regional military band. As a student, he won prizes in national music competitions and performed at major venues including the National Concert Hall and National Recital Hall.

He is a member of the Buddy Clarinet Ensemble and leader of the Friday Quintet, with which he has performed at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, the National Palace Museum, Taipei City Hall, and Nangang Exhibition Center. In 2023, he was invited to the Sakai Blues Festival in Osaka, Japan, and gave music-travel lectures at Feng Chia University, National Changhua University of Education, and National Defense University, sharing his experience in improvisation and jazz performance. That same year, he was featured in a Volkswagen interview — the jazz musician car owner story.

In April 2024, Chen created and produced Musical Dialogues of the Jazz (Dance) Ensemble, a cross-genre program uniting jazz musicians and dancers. Supported by the New Taipei City Cultural Affairs Department, it premiered at the New Taipei Arts Center to strong acclaim.

In July 2024, he won the soloist audition at the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra Music Camp and performed Artie Shaw's Clarinet Concerto with conductor Prof. Wen-Chen Chuang and the camp orchestra at the Taipei National University of the Arts Concert Hall. His refined interpretation, distinctive style, and jazz-infused tone drew an enthusiastic response.

In 2025, Chen won Third Prize (Open Division) at the Taichung Music Festival Saxophone Competition, hosted by the Taichung City Cultural Affairs Bureau. The same year, he was selected to join the Taipei All-Star Festival Jazz Orchestra and performed at the Taipei Jazz Festival on the outdoor plaza of the Taipei Music Center.

• Feng Chia University — "Music Backpacker: Traveling with Instruments"
• National Changhua University of Education "Music Travel", National Defense University, and more
• Evergreen Symphony Music Camp, Ruifang Arts & Culture Association, Zhishan Cultural & Ecological Garden
• Volkswagen feature — Jazz Musician Car Owner