Chih-Yuan Chen, a clarinet and saxophone performer, moves fluidly between classical and jazz. He studied in the Department of Music at the National Taiwan University of Arts and is currently a master’s student at the Graduate Institute of Music, National Taiwan Normal University, under Professor 宋威德. He began learning the clarinet in high school, studying with 張國威, 林佩筠, 陳建銘, and 林祖鑫.
During military service he served as principal in a regional military band. While in school he won prizes in multiple national music competitions, performing on stages including the National Concert Hall and National Recital Hall.
He is a member of the Buddy Clarinet Ensemble, a board member of the Ruifang Arts & Culture Association, and the leader of the Friday Quintet. With the group he has performed at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, National Palace Museum, Taipei City Hall, and Nangang Exhibition Center. In 2023 he was invited to Osaka, Japan for the Sakai Blues Festival, and gave “music travel” talks at Feng Chia University, National Changhua University of Education, National Defense University, and NTUA, sharing improvisation and stage experience in jazz. The same year, he was featured in a Volkswagen interview.
In April 2024 he created and produced the cross-genre program “Musical Dialogues of the Jazz (Dance) Ensemble”, bringing together jazz musicians and dancers. The production received support from the New Taipei City Cultural Affairs Department and premiered at the New Taipei Arts Center to strong acclaim.
In July 2024 he won the soloist audition at the Evergreen Symphony Music Camp, collaborating with conductor 莊文貞 and the camp’s orchestra at the Taipei National University of the Arts Concert Hall, performing Artie Shaw’s Clarinet Concerto with nuanced interpretation and jazz inflection that captivated the audience.
- Volkswagen feature — Jazz Musician & Owner
- Feng Chia University — “Music Backpacker: Traveling with Instruments”
- National Changhua University of Education “Music Travel”, National Defense University, National Taiwan University of Arts, and more
