Homecoming

Tony Yan Tong Chen

2021 CLASSICAL ARTIST OF THE YEAR (finalist)

Homecoming is a set of recollections of people, places, times and experiences. It is a response to the anxieties and concerns that were created by the global pandemic, but it also reflects some of the creative and artistic possibilities that can arise during times of instability and solitude.

Growing up in a bilingual household and a multicultural environment fostered a desire to explore and expand my musical and cultural life beyond New Zealand. Living and studying abroad as an international student completing a music degree in the US and participating in summer programs in North America and Europe provided opportunities for experiences that deepened my understanding of the world.

After returning to New Zealand unexpectedly due to the Covid pandemic, I was left with only memories, photographs, annotated scores and social media connections. As I readjusted to the landscape of my childhood, I realised that the essence of travel lies in the accumulation of experiences and newfound perspectives that broaden one's outlook regardless of where one chooses to call home.

Tony Yan Tong Chen, May 2021

Produced by Kenneth Young
Recorded by Steve Garden with assistance from John Kim
Piano tuning by Glenn Easley
Cover photography by Delvan Lin
Designed by UnkleFranc
Printed by Studio Q

Released: 21 July 2021
Catalogue: RAT-D112

Born in Auckland, New Zealand, 21-year-old Tony Yan Tong Chen began studying piano with his mother at the age of five. After early regional competition success and distinguished examination results from ABRSM and Trinity College music examinations, he pursued an undergraduate degree in Classical Piano Performance at the Eastman School of Music (University of Rochester, New York) under Prof. Alan Chow as a recipient of a Martha Stone Seholarship.

His academic accomplishments include CIE Top Achiever Award for the highest mark in New Zealand for AS and A Level Music, NZQA Scholarships in Music and English Literature, and the 2019 fall Dean’s list at Eastman. He is a graduate of Macleans College and the University of Auckland Young Scholars Program. His comprehensive skill set also includes formal training and performance experience on the violin, trumpet, French horn and harpsichord.

Since winning the 2019 Wallace National Piano Competition, Tony has forged a reputation as an exciting and versatile emerging pianist performing in prominent venues in Switzerland, Spain and Canada where he studied in Blonay, Valencia and Orford respectively. He was privileged to receive masterclass instruction from distinguished artists including Jerome Lowenthal, Alexander Kobrin, Douglas Humpherys, Boris Slutsky, Pavel Nercessian, Edith Fischer, Juan Lago, Pierre Reach, Pascal Nemirovski, John Perry, Anton Nel, Jean Saulnier, Henry Wong Doe, Stephen De Pledge and others.

Tony has also benefitted from the support of Prof. JC Richards, Dame Malvina Major Foundation, and Waikanae Society Music. He appears as concerto soloist with the Bach Musica Orchestra, the Nelson Symphony, and as a Young Artist of the Wakatipu and Akaroa Music Festivals.