Oceanside Classical Concerts presents Pianist Kevin Chen, Sunday, Marc

Canadian pianist Kevin Chen has quickly established himself as one of the most distinctive voices of his generation, praised for his poetic sensitivity, natural eloquence, and remarkable technical command.

Most recently, in October 2025, Kevin won the Second Prize at the 19th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. His decision to perform the complete set of Chopin Études Op. 10 in the second stage drew wide attention and praise, with Polish critics calling his interpretation “a complete musical story, not a show of virtuosity.”

He is also the First Prize winner of the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition (Tel Aviv 2023), the Concours de Genève (2022), the Franz Liszt International Piano Competition (Budapest 2021), the Hilton Head International Piano Competition (2020), and the International Piano-e-Competition (Minneapolis 2019). His artistic maturity and individuality have been widely recognized by audiences and juries alike.

Kevin has appeared with major orchestras including the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Taipei Symphony Orchestra, Hungarian National Orchestra, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, and Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. He has been featured at international festivals such as La Roque d’Anthéron, Chopin and His Europe (Warsaw), and Duszniki-Zdrój, and has performed in leading venues including Carnegie Hall (New York), Berlin Philharmonie, Munich Prinzregententheater, St. John’s Smith Square (London), and the Taipei National Concert Hall.

Born in Edmonton, Kevin began piano studies at the age of five and soon attracted national attention, winning first place at the Canadian Music Competition at eight. He was later named one of the CBC’s “Top 30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30” and one of Maclean’s magazine’s “100 Remarkable Canadians.”

He currently studies at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover with Professor Arie Vardi.