World Premiere of “Serenity” by Hannah Chen
Saturday, July 20th, 1pm
Free Event
Watch the video above, or on EXT’s YouTube
EXTENSITY presents the virtual world premiere of Hannah Chen’s “Serenity” performed by cellist Audrey Chen. Hannah was the winner of EXT’s ‘23 Commissioning Contest in partnership with Wildflower Composers.
In Hannah's words: “Serenity... reflects the importance of tea in various cultures. Tea can often be a calming ritual that brings people together and strengthens community…I want this piece to bridge the gap between composer, performer, and audience and to serve as a visceral, meditative experience.”
About Hannah Chen: Hannah Chen (b. 2006) is a composer and harpist from the San Francisco Bay Area. She attends Oakland School for the Arts and San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre-College, studying composition with Mario Godoy and harp with Jennifer Ellis. Hannah is the principal harpist of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and has previously been the harpist for the Contra Costa Wind Symphony. As a composer, Hannah’s pieces have been premiered and performed by SFCM students and faculty members, the Argus Quartet, Music at the Mission’s Chamberfest, and at Wildflower Composers’ Camp. https://www.hannahchenmusic.com/
About Audrey Chen: Praised for her “lyricism of dramatic intensity” (San Francisco Classical Voice), Washington state native and cellist Audrey Chen has performed around the world in venues including Carnegie Hall, Sumitomolife Izumi Hall, Melbourne Recital Center, Royal Albert Hall, and the Kennedy Center. She has concertized with the Seattle Symphony and the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra, and has been featured as a guest artist with the Jupiter Chamber Players, Argus Quartet, Parker Quartet, and Borromeo Quartet. Audrey performs actively as the cellist of the prize-winning Terra String Quartet. Audrey’s festival appearances include performing at Yellowbarn, Olympic Music Festival, Music@Menlo, Ravinia Steans Music Institute, Four Seasons Chamber Music, Perlman Music Program, Tanglewood Music Center, Taos Music School, and Sarasota Music Festival. She received her B.A. from Harvard University and an M.M. from the New England Conservatory, and she is pursuing a D.M.A. at the CUNY Graduate Center while teaching chamber music at CUNY Hunter College. https://www.audreychencello.com/
About Wildflower Composers: https://wildflowercomposers.org/