Monday, July 20, 2015

Olivia Chen: 1st Prize, Violin, Category B | 2015


ENKOR International Music Competition 
Piano and Violin 2015

OLIVIA CHEN | USA | Age 13 

1st Prize
Score: 93.05 

Teacher: Amy Beth Horman



Paganini Violin Concerto 1 in D Major 1st movement


Artistic biography
Olivia Chen is a thirteen year-old violinist and 8th grader at Cabin John Middle School.
Olivia began violin lessons a week after she turned four years old, moving through Suzuki
books 1-6 in her first two years under the tutelage of Joyce Durfee in Houston, Texas. She
then commenced studies with Henry Rubin and became a young member of the Houston Youth
Orchestra. At the age of seven, Olivia and her family moved to Howard County near Baltimore.
There she continued her studies with Herbert Greenberg at the Peabody Conservatory. After
moving to Montgomery County, Olivia continued lessons with violinist and teacher, Emil
Chudnovsky for a year and a half. In the Fall of 2013, Olivia began studies at the Horman
Violin Studio in Washington, D.C. with violinist and teacher, Amy Beth Horman.

This past year, Olivia was featured in master classes with Baltimore Symphony Concertmaster
Jonathan Carney, Olivia Hajioff, Marc Ramirez, James Stern, and New Mexico Symphony Conductor and violinist Guillermo Figueroa. She also represented the studio in an exclusive class with Juilliard Professor, Shirley Givens in New York City this June.

Olivia was given the distinct honor of being the Associate Concert Master of the Chamber
Ensemble for the Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras (MCYO) in the 2013-2014 school year.

Ms. Chen has been selected to perform on the Music Friends Concerts at the Alden in 2014-2015.
Olivia is also a prize winner in the American Protégé International Concerto Competition and
will be featured in a concert at Carnegie in the Fall of 2014. In 2014, Olivia won 2nd place
in the Junior Divison (age 11-15) of the ENKOR International Competition for violin and piano.
Olivia was awarded 2nd prize in the Junior Division of the Asian American International
Competition. Most recently, Olivia was awarded 2nd prize in the Advanced Category of the WPAS
Feder Memorial String Competition.

Olivia has also been selected as a featured soloist for a special event for the Horman Violin
Studio hosted by the Symphony on the Potomac and conductor, Joel Lazar to be held this
November in Washington, D.C.

For the second year in a row, Olivia is one of a select group of students who will be
representing our studio in New York City in June at an exclusive class with Juilliard
professor and internationally renowned pedagogue, Shirley Givens.