Dr. CHEN Yuying
Lecturer
CHEN Yuying, a lecturer at the School of Music, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, holds a Doctorate from the Leipzig University of Music and Theatre, where she served as a collaborative piano faculty member and as the piano coach for the Gewandhaus Orchestra Academy. She is also a member of the Chopin Society of Germany.
CHEN began her piano studies at the age of three. At nine years old, she was accepted into the elementary school, attached to the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, where she studied under Professor Huang Yameng, advancing to the middle school level with distinction. At sixteen years old, she was admitted to the Carl Maria von Weber University of Music in Dresden, Germany, where she studied under Professor Pia Kaiser. She went on to complete two master's degrees at the University of Music and Theatre "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" in Leipzig. one in Piano Performance under Professor Dietmar Nawroth, and the other in Collaborative Piano (Liedgestaltung) under Professor Alexander Schmalcz. Following her master's studies, she was accepted into the Meisterklasse (doctorate program) at the Leipzig University of Music and Theatre, where she also served as an assistant teacher, and later became a faculty member.
From an early age, CHEN performed regularly at prominent venues such as the National Centre for the Performing Arts, the Beijing Concert Hall, and the Zhongshan Music Hall under Professor Huang's guidance. At thirteen years old, her performance of Haydn's Piano Concerto in D major at Kunming Hall garnered high praise. She also participated in the recording of the CD Selected Piano Pieces of Jiang Dingxian, produced by China Record Group Co., Ltd., in honor of the composer's centenary.
In 2019, CHEN won first prize at the Chopin Avenue International Piano Competition and was awarded the Best Chopin Performance Award by the Polish Chopin Society. Since then, she has performed both as a soloist and chamber musician across major concert halls in Europe and China, including the Konzerthaus Berlin, the Mendelssohn Hall at the Gewandhaus, Zaragoza Concert Hall in Spain, the City Museum Concert Hall in Bregenz, Haydn Hall in Vienna, the TAK National Theatre in Liechtenstein, and Steinway Center in Beijing. Her performances have also been featured at the Shanghai Music Hall, the Inner Mongolia University of the Arts, and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
Additionally, she has played at historic venues such as Grieg House, Mendelssohn House, Schumann House in Leipzig, Carl Maria von Weber House in Dresden, and Wagner House in Bayreuth.
Chen's performances have been widely praised by leading critics. Swiss music critic Jan Kammann wrote in the Liechtensteiner Vaterland newspaper that "the emotional intensity of her performance made one forget reality," following her concert at the TAK National Theatre. The late legendary pianist Paul Badura-Skoda hailed her as a "promising young pianist." Gerald Fauth, President of the Leipzig University of Music and Theatre, praised her interpretation of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 at her entrance recital as "exquisitely nuanced and full of color." The Herdecke Daily newspaper described her playing as "rich in color and technically outstanding; her touch was uniquely clean and bright."
In 2022, CHEN signed with the German Stähling Agency, participated in a concert series organized by the Dr. Carl Dörken Foundation, and was awarded a scholarship by the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation (LMN). The same year, she was invited to perform Saint-Saëns' Carnival of the Animals with the Leipzig Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Michael Köhler. From 2024, CHEN will perform regularly in the concert series organized by the German Chopin Society as a member.