MICHAEL in concert with the Greater San Diego Community Orchestra
Michael Chen, Division 1 Winner
Michael Chen is a ten year-old 4th grader at Sage Canyon Elementary School. He currently studies piano with Mrs. Inessa Litvin, an alumna of Saint Petersburg Music Conservatory. He developed interest in piano when he was 5 years old and took lessons from Professor Sifang Shen of Shanghai Music Conservatory.
Michael enjoys playing piano repertoire of all periods, with a penchant for Romantic and Classic. Since 2008 Michael has been entering the annual San Diego Piano Sonata and Concerto Competitions sponsored by the Music Teacher’s Association of California (MTAC) – San Diego branch, winning three first-place and two second-place prizes. In June 2011, Michael won First Prize at MTAC’s Southern California Concerto Competition held in Los Angeles. He went on to Oakland in July to compete for the statewide title and won both the First Prize and a Special Achievement Award of $1000. Through playing piano, Michael learned a wonderful way of communication, to reflect on the beauty of the world, and to express many kinds of emotions.
Michael would like to thank Mrs. Litvin for helping him with piano techniques and understanding of music, and for constantly challenging him to reach ever higher levels. He would like to thank Prof. Shen for fostering his early music interest and for continuing to teach him music theory. Michael also wishes to thank his sister Christine for always being there for him.
Michael enjoys going to school and playing basketball and golf with friends. His favorite subject is Math. He hopes to keep playing piano but may grow up to be a computer game architect, designing and playing games, and possibly composing the theme music for these games.
