STELLA CHEN
Praised for her “silken grace” and “brilliant command” (The Strad), American violinist Stella Chen first gained international attention as the winner of the 2019 Queen Elizabeth International Violin Competition. Her debut album Stella x Schubert (Platoon/Apple Music, 2023) received critical acclaim and earned her Gramophone’s Young Artist of the Year award.
Chen has appeared across North America, Europe, and Asia in concerto, recital, and chamber music performances. She recently made debuts with the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and has performed in leading venues including the Vienna Musikverein, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, and Berlin Philharmonie. She is a frequent guest of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.
Highlights of the 2025/26 season include concerto debuts with the Vancouver, Cincinnati, and Antwerp Symphony orchestras, as well as an American tour with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, featuring a return to Carnegie Hall. She also appears at La Jolla Music Society, Chamber Music San Francisco, and leads a residency at the San Francisco Conservatory.
A devoted chamber musician, Chen has participated in festivals such as the Kronberg Academy, Moritzburg, Ravinia, Seattle Chamber Music Society, Perlman Music Program, Music@Menlo, Bridgehampton, Rockport, and Sarasota, where she returned as faculty in 2025. Chen is the inaugural recipient of Harvard University’s Robert Levin Award. Her mentors include Donald Weilerstein, Itzhak Perlman, Miriam Fried, Li Lin, Catherine Cho, and Robert Levin. She earned her doctorate from the Juilliard School, where she recently joined the College Division String Faculty. She also serves as Visiting Assistant Professor at Shenandoah Conservatory and teaches at the Nume Festival and Academy in Cortona, Italy.
Chen performs on the “General Kyd” 1720 Stradivarius, generously on loan from Dr. Ryuji Ueno and Rare Violins In Consortium.
These concerts mark Ms. Chen’s first appearance with the Des Moines Symphony.
Stella Chen leads the Des Moines Symphony for Reflection – Smetana & Beethoven, featuring a memorable program of Mozart's Symphony No. 38 in D Major, K. 504, "Prague", Smetana’s Vltava (The Moldau) from Má Vlast, and Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D Major, with violinist Stella Chen.
Join us Saturday, March 14 at 7:30 PM & Sunday, March 15 at 2:30 PM at the Des Moines Civic Center!
