Julie Chen, age 14, began playing the cello at age 8. She currently studies with Gloria dePasquale and two musicians known and beloved by the KCMF community: Clancy Newman and Dominique de Williencourt. Julie previously studied with Hai-Ye Ni, the principal cellist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, who will perform at KCMF this summer. Additionally, Julie studies piano with KCMF Artistic Director Natalie Zhu.
For our third annual Young Artist Mini Recital, Julie will perform English composer Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E-minor, Op. 81.“This concerto was written by Elgar after World War I to express his sadness for all the lives lost by England,” Julie says. “I performed the entire concerto at Meadowmount School of Music last summer and I really enjoyed performing it. Over the year since, I have learned more about this concerto. It was the last major work by Elgar before his death in 1934. The piece basically contained his entire life with complex feelings. The more I know about the concerto, the more deeply I am moved by this beautiful work.”
Julie says at her first performance on stage as an 8-year-old, she realized that music was going to be an irreplaceable because of how it can help convey deep feelings. “The cello has a tone close to the human voice,” she says. “I used to take voice lessons but I soon discovered that my cello sings better than me! Playing the cello is like telling a story or expressing an idea without talking. It is the perfect way to connect with others. People may have different views, but music somehow connects each other.”
At 14, Julie is already an award winning musician, including winning the Irving Ludwig Youth Competition and the Old York Road Symphony Orchestra Young Artist competition. She is a cellist in the Youth Chamber Orchestra at Temple Music Prep, was the principal cellist of the Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra (PYAO) for the 2023-2024 season, and was the principal cellist of PRYSM Strings of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra from 2021-2023
Our annual Young Artist Mini Recital series begin in 2023, featuring pianist William Ge. Pianist Ian Lin was featured in 2024.
