While watching a live stream of the 2013 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition with his family, Christopher Fisher said he was immediately drawn to one performer in particular: Sean Chen.
“I was blown away by his playing and immediately wanted to work to bring him to Ohio University,” said Fisher, associate professor of piano and chair of keyboard studies.
After nearly two years of work, Fisher, in partnership with Arts for Ohio and the OU Performing Arts and Concert Series, was finally able to get the California-native pianist to come to OU.
In 2013, Chen won both the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, becoming the first American to reach the finals since 1997, and the American Pianists Association’s DeHaan Classical Fellowship, which Fisher said is one of the most lucrative and significant prizes for American pianists.
“Sean is really among the rising stars in the classical world,” Fisher said. “It’s a tremendous opportunity for OU and southeast Ohio to experience an artist of this caliber.”
An artist who is only 25 years old. Though he might seem young to most, Chen said he finds that sentiment ironic.
“In the musical world, you hear a lot about child prodigies,” said Chen, who just received his artist diploma from Yale University in May. “I guess it’s just more difficult to have a career once you’ve gotten past that age and shock factor and then you have to prove yourself musically.”
Before his evening performance in Glidden Recital Hall, Chen will take part in a Q-and-A and hold a masterclass for the piano performance majors.
Liguang Zhou, a second-year graduate student studying piano performance, said he is very excited to have someone from his “dream university” of Yale teach him and give a fresh perspective on his work.
Zhou said he even has questions prepped for Chen and plans to ask him how he manages to deal with the day-to-day exhaustion while still being so emotive about his music.
His energetic performance style is what makes him so interesting to watch, Fisher said.
“A great artist has tremendous technique but most importantly, they’re communicators,” he said. “They share the transformative power of this great music. Sean really blends the two of them. … He’s got it all.”
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