Celine Chen, 18, was instinctively drawn to the piano and began playing at the age of 4. As a student of Nobuyo Nishizaka, Celine has won countless accolades in numerous piano competitions, including the International Grande Music Competition, the LANSUM International Music Competition, the Seattle International Piano Competition, the Glory International Music Competition, the International Enkor Piano Competition, the James Ramos International Piano Competition, the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition, the Grand Virtuoso International Competition, the International Piano Competition Paderewski in Memoriam, the Russian Rhapsody International Youth Competition, the Chopin Avenue Piano Competition, the Spotlight International Competition, the Celia Mendez Young Pianist’s Beethoven Competition, the Claudette Sorel International Piano Competition, the London International Music Competition, and the Odin International Music Competition. Most notably, Celine was a finalist at the MTNA National Competitions, a scholarship recipient from the Friends of William Grant Still Arts Center, a merit awardee from the Music Center’s Spotlight, an alternate from the Kaufman Music Center International Youth Piano Competition, and more recently, the Grand Prize winner of the Young Musicians Inspiring Change International Competition as well as the New York International Classical Music Competition, a Herbert Zipper Scholar, a 2022 winner of the YoungArts National Competition, and a From The Top finalist.

Celine was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall in the winter of 2017 after receiving the top prize in the International Music Talent American Protege Competition. The WPTA Finland International Music Competition, similarly, invited her to an intensive piano lesson with Steinway Artist Elena Nesterenko. She has continuously worked with other world-renowned pianists, as well, most notably Lucinda Carver, Robert Thies, Christopher O’Riley, Alan Chow, Paul Roberts, and Elisabeth Pridonoff.

Also a flautist, Celine studies under Karen Lundgren at the Colburn School of Music. This year, she was the Principal Flutist of the Colburn Youth Orchestra and the first flute of the Colburn Honors Woodwind Quintet. In the past, she was the Principal Flute in the Hart District Honor Band and participated in the All-Southern California School Band and the California All-State Band. Celine has played in multiple orchestras: the Los Angeles Youth Orchestra, the California State University of Northridge Philharmonic, the Santa Clarita Valley Youth Orchestra, and the Colburn Sinfonietta. Celine has also performed as a soloist with many orchestras, including the Santa Clarita Philharmonic, as the winner of the 2017 Santa Clarita Concerto Competition, and the Collective Orchestra of Orange County, after receiving the 1st prize of the JCM CAPMT Concerto Competition. Other awards include top prizes in the Medici International Competition, the California Junior Bach Festival Complete Works, the Music Teacher Association of California Scholarship Competition, and the American Protégé International Romantic Competition, which allowed her to make her Carnegie Hall debut at the age of 13. Celine was invited to perform in a masterclass with Jean Ferrandis, a world-renowned French flutist, as well as Meera Gudipati. She also had the opportunity to perform in many recitals at Colburn, including the prestigious McAllister Honors Recital, along with other talented, young artists. More recently, Celine received an Honorable Mention at the Pasadena Showcase House Instrumental Competition.

An avid chamber musician, Celine was chosen to tour various cities in Europe as a JCM debut artist, participating in masterclasses with Petr Jiříkovský and Avedis Kouyoumdjian. Her piano trio placed silver in the PCM Chamber Music Competition and were semi-finalists at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. She also had the chance to participate in Composers Direct!, performing compositions by Esther Ollivier. She was also part of MTAC Friends of Today’s Music, recording commissioned work Beads of Sunlight by Augusta Read Thomas for a world premiere.