Long Version 

Taiwanese American conductor Mei-Ann Chen is renowned as one of the most versatile, compelling, and dynamic international conductors today. Music Director of the MacArthur Award-winning Chicago Sinfonietta since 2011, her contract has been unanimously extended through the end of the 2028-2029 season. Chief Conductor of Austria’s Recreation - Grosses Orchester Graz at Styriarte (the first female Asian conductor to hold this position with an Austrian orchestra), she is also the Artistic Advisor of Springfield Symphony Orchestra (MA), the first-ever Artistic Partner of Houston’s ROCO, and Artistic Partner with Northwest Sinfonietta (WA). An acclaimed communicator praised for her energy and enthusiasm, Ms. Chen is a sought-after guest conductor and has appeared with distinguished orchestras throughout the Americas, Europe, The United Kingdom, Scandinavia, and her native Taiwan (over 160 to date), and continues to expand her relationships with orchestras worldwide.

Following summer engagements that included significant debuts with the Festival Vaduz Classic in Liechtenstein, sold-out programs with South Africa’s Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Brevard Music Center, Ms. Chen’s 2025-2026 season includes debuts with Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (South Korea debut), Austria’s ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien, France’s Orchestre Nacional des Pays de la Loire, Madrid Orchestra and Choir (Madrid, Spain debut), Brazil’s Orquestra Sinfônica Municipal, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and Macon-Mercer Symphony Orchestra. She also returns to Chicago Symphony Orchestra, San Franciso Symphony, Sinfonieorchester Liechtenstein, Sweden’s Uppsala Chamber Orchestra, the Netherland’s Residentie Orkest Den Haag, and Taiwan’s National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra for multiple programs during its 80th Anniversary Season.

Recent engagements include a five-city tour of the Netherlands in her debut with Philharmonie Zuidnederland, returns to San Franciso Symphony and the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, debuts with Denmark's Odense Symphony, The Orchestre National de France (Paris debut), Norway’s Stavanger Symphony, and Taiwan’s One Song Orchestras (televised New Year’s concert), and national debuts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (at 2023 Ravinia Festival). Ms. Chen served as a Jury Member for both the 2021 & 2024 MALKO Competition hosted by the Danish National Symphony, and led ROCO’s EarShot showcase with the American Composers Orchestra during the 2024 League Of American Orchestra’s National Conference in Houston, Texas.

Past significant engagements include a return to Vienna’s Tonkunstler Orchestra at the Grafenegg Festival and conducting Austrian televised ORF "Klangwolke Werk" projects and radio broadcast with the STYRIARTE Youth Orchestra. Other international debuts include Germany’s Staatsorchester Darmstadt and Orchestra National du Capitole de Toulouse (France debut), Spain’s Basque National Orchestra, Finland’s Helsinki Philharmonic in Finland, Norwegian Radio, Sweden’s Norrlandsoperan, and Netherlands Philharmonic at the Concertgebouw. In the US, Chen debuted with American Composers orchestra at Carnegie Hall, and returned to Cincinnati and multiple times with the San Francisco Symphony.

Extensive international guest credits include symphony orchestras of England’s BBC in London, Brazil’s São Paulo (OSESP), Denmark’s National, Aalborg, Aarhus, Odense and Copenhagen Philharmonic, Finland’s Tampere Philharmonic, Germany’s Badische Staatskapelle Karlsruhe, Musikalische Academie des Nationaltheater-Orchestesters Mannheim, and NDR Radiophilharmonie Hanover, Mexico’s National, Norway’s Oslo Philharmonic and Trondheim, Sweden’s Malmö, Gothenburg, Norrköping, Gävle, and Helsingborg, Switzerland’s Basel and Lucerne, Taiwan Philharmonic and Kaohsiung City at WeiWuYing (the world’s largest performing arts center since 2018 in Ms. Chen's hometown), Scotland’s BBC Scottish, and Turkey’s Bilkent in Ankara. Other North American guesting credits include major symphonies of Atlanta, Baltimore, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Oregon, San Diego, Seattle, Toronto, and Vancouver, to name a few.

As Music Director of Chicago Sinfonietta, Ms. Chen has made two recordings for Cedille Records: "Delights and Dances" (June 2013) and “Project W - Works by Diverse Women Composers” (released March 2019 by GRAMMY® nominated producer, Jim Ginsburg), featuring world premiere recordings for works by Florence Price, Clarice Assad, Jessie Montgomery, and Reena Esmail. In 2018, Innova Records released ROCO's debut album “ROCO: Visions Take Flight” (produced by GRAMMY® Award producer, Blanton Alspaugh) featuring five commissioned contemporary works by Karim Al-Zand, Reena Esmail, Derek Bermel, Anthony DiLorenzo, and Marcus Karl Maroney. Invited by Marin Alsop, Ms. Chen recorded Miachel Daugherty's Time Machine for Three Conductors with UK's Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra on Naxos Records label in 2011. This 2025-26 season, with Chicago Sinfonietta, she releases Black Being with flutists/composers Flutronix for Cedille.

A passionate advocate for music education, since 2014, Chen has dedicated significant time in mentoring young conductors through Chicago Sinfonietta’s Freeman Conducting Fellowship program (helping to launch professional careers for more than a dozen young conductors), has been a mentor for the Taki Alsop Fellowship since 2022, and conducts ensembles at important educational institutions, such as Carnegie's esteemed NYO2 for young musicians (age 14-17), New England Conservatory (her alma mater), Indianapolis University, The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, University of Southern California. She also serves at various training programs, including the New World Symphony in Miami, Texas Music Festival, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Ung Filharmoni in Norway, and was appointed a Visiting Scholar at the National Taiwan Normal University after leading Youth Orchestra Camp as Artistic Director of National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra Summer Festival (2016-2021). Ms. Chen also served as Music Director of the renowned Portland Youth Philharmonic in Oregon (2002-2007).

In March 2025, Mei-Ann Chen received the Marylou Speaker Churchill Award from her alma mater, New England Conservatory of Music, named for her violin teacher. Past honors include being named one of 2015 Top 30 Influencers by Musical America, the 2012 Helen M. Thompson Award from the League of American Orchestras, the 2007 Taki Concordia Fellowship founded by Marin Alsop, and 2005 First Prize Winner of the Malko Competition (she remains as the only woman in the competition history since 1965 to have won First Prize). Ms. Chen is Conductor Laureate of the Memphis Symphony after serving as Music Director (2010-2016). Born in Taiwan, Ms. Chen came to the United States to study violin in 1989 at Walnut Hill High School for the Arts, received a violin performance undergraduate degree from New England Conservatory before becoming the first student in New England Conservatory’s history to be awarded double master’s degrees simultaneously in both violin and conducting, and earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in conducting from University of Michigan.

No part of this bio may be rewritten. For a word-length version that meets specific needs, please contact publicist Laura Grant (contact page). All previous versions are now obsolete; please discard and use only this version. Summer 2025.

Short Version
Bold, passionate and innovative, Taiwanese American conductor Mei-Ann Chen is renowned as one of the most versatile and dynamic conductors on the podium today, praised for the energy and enthusiasm with which she infuses orchestras and performances. Music Director of the MacArthur Award-winning Chicago Sinfonietta since 2011, her contract has been unanimously extended through the end of the 2028-2029 season. Named Artistic Advisor of Springfield Symphony Orchestra (MA) in March 2024, Chen has been Chief Conductor of Austria’s Recreation - Grosses Orchester Graz at Styriarte since fall 2021, following two seasons as the orchestra’s first-ever Principal Guest Conductor, making her the first female Asian conductor to hold this position with an Austrian orchestra. She has served as the first-ever Artistic Partner of Houston’s ROCO since 2019, and since 2022, as an Artistic Partner with Northwest Sinfonietta (WA). In the recording field, she has made recordings for Cedille Records, Innova Records, and Naxos. A passionate advocate for music education, Ms. Chen dedicates significant time in mentoring young conductors through various programs, including the Chicago Sinfonietta Freeman Conducting Fellowship program and the Taki Alsop Fellowship, and conducts ensembles at important educational institutions, both nationally and abroad. Highly regarded as a compelling communicator and a creative leader both on and off the podium, and a sought-after guest conductor, she has appeared with distinguished orchestras throughout the Americas, Europe, Taiwan, The United Kingdom, and Scandinavia, and continues to expand her relationships with orchestras worldwide (over 150 orchestras to date).

If a different length biography is needed, please contact publicist Laura Grant (see contact page).