Biography

Winner of the 2014 Lincoln Center National Soloist Award from the Forte Festival, Chinese-American cellist Steven Chen has performed with premiere ensembles across the United States and Europe with brilliance and charisma. Steven is also the 2021 recipient of the James Winship Lewis Memorial Prize in Performance from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University.

Steven’s playing has been praised by the Greenville Times as “royal, magnificent, and soaring,” and “a warm, lyrical conversation” by the Baltimore Talbot. Since 2014, Steven has enjoyed a prolific career as a soloist, chamber musician, and guest principal cellist. Past engagements include Walt Disney’s Night of Stars, Carnegie Hall’s Spotlight Concert Series, the Mid-Atlantic Symphony, Brevard Festival Orchestra, Spartanburg Philharmonic, Greenville Symphony, Asheville Symphony, Montclair Orchestra, the Baroquelyn Ensemble, the Biscopink String Quartet, and Peabody’s Harbour String Quartet. 

Well-known for his social advocacy, Steven has appeared at Carnegie Hall for Kate Winslet's Golden Hat Foundation to support children with Autism and Al Gore’s National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) for environmental awareness. He was also invited to speak alongside Renée Fleming at the 2021 Johns Hopkins University Commencement Ceremony.

Pursuing his initial studies with former teacher Kathleen Foster at the Lawson Academy of Fine Arts at Converse College, Steven was the recipient of the prestigious Peggy Gignilliat Scholarship. He went on to receive degrees in Business Administration, Data Analytics, and Cello Performance at Montclair State University studying with Nicholas Tzavaras of the famed Shanghai Quartet. Steven is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts with Mr. Alan Stepansky at the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University. He is also the the InterPlay Artist in Residence at the University of Maryland. When Steven is away from his cello, he enjoys visiting new restaurants and coffee shops in Baltimore with his six-month old bernedoodle, Apollo.

Steven performs on the 1985 “ex. Roberto Fenzi” Gadda from the Chi Mei Culture Foundation collection.