About Yimiao Iris Chen
Chinese violinist Yimiao "Iris" Chen is the Gold Prize winner in the 6th Jaen-Torres International violin competition in Spain and the Second Prize in the Zhejiang Province Violin Competition. As an active performer, Iris played many solo recitals, including the Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie, accompanied by New York Concerti Sinfonietta, Paul Hall, and Morse Recital Hall at The Juilliard School, Jilin Grand Theater, Shanghai Grand Theater, Glass Box Theater, Ernst C. Stifel Hall. In addition to solo playing, Iris works with many Symphony Orchestras, including Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Maryland Lyric Opera, Princeton Symphony Orchestra, Washington National Opera, etc. She also worked with the Juilliard School Orchestra, performing many great contemporary works, including William Schuman and David Diamond. In addition, she appeared as Concertmaster in the Washington Opera Society and Associate Concert Master with Summit Music Festival Orchestra and Youth Symphony Orchestra of Middle School Affiliated with Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
Iris is also devoted to her teaching career. She has taught over 50 students in China and the United States as a violin teacher/ instructor and has taught all levels of students from beginner to music pre-college and college applicants. She brought more than ten students to ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) and helped them pass the exam, including violin performance, music theory, and ear-training tests. Her previous older student got into the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music for a bachelor's degree in China and is now pursuing her doctorate degree at the University of Minnesota. Iris has comprehensive experience teaching advanced material, including the Carl Flesch Scale System, Kreutzer’s 42 Studies of Caprices, Pierre Rode, Jacob Dont and Niccolò Paganini. She holds the teaching assistant to violin associate professor Enxiao Chen at Zhejiang Conservatory of Music and she teaches at the Artist Music’s White Marsh Academy in Nottingham, Maryland.
Committed to promoting international cooperation, Iris has represented the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in an international music exchange concert at the Shanghai Grand Theatre with the Vienna Philharmonic using Mozart's violin. Simultaneously, she was the interpreter at the International Masterclass of Juilliard Vocal Professor Robert White. Iris maintains a good relationship with Peter Shi-Xiang Zhang, the Violin Professor at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and Australian Institute of Music, visiting and arranging students for exchange performances. In 2019, Iris invited Steven Laitz, the Chair of the Music Theory Department at The Juilliard School, to China to give lectures and master classes. In 2022, Iris contributed to the International Student Exchange Program of the Peabody Institute and Zhejiang Conservatory of Music.
Moreover, Iris is deeply committed to chamber music. She performed over 30 duets, piano trios, string quartets and string quintets, including repertoire from Baroque to Contemporary composers. Iris is committed to making chamber music a part of violin teaching. She actively plays duets with students during lessons, encouraging students to build ensemble groups to improve students’ musical cooperation skills, team communication skills and acoustic adjustment.
Iris was born in Hangzhou, China. She began violin lessons with her father at age three. At age seven, she commenced study with Chenxing Huang, and at age 13, she enrolled in the Music School affiliated with the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Iris earned her Bachelor of Music degree at The Juilliard School in New York City, studying with Lewis Kaplan. In May 2020, she earned the Master of Music degree at Mannes School of Music/The New School. Currently, she studies at the Peabody Institute as a candidate for the Doctoral program of Musical Arts with Vadim Gluzman. Iris is a full scholarship recipient of Aspen Music Festival, Summit Music Festival, and Mozarteum International Summer Academy. Iris also has received multiple academic awards, including the Peabody Institute Artistic Excellence Award, the H. & E. Kivekas Scholarship, the C.V. Starr Scholarship, the George Atlas Music Scholarship, the Mannes Supplemental Award GR, and the Mannes President's Scholarship.
Iris is also devoted to her teaching career. She has taught over 50 students in China and the United States as a violin teacher/ instructor and has taught all levels of students from beginner to music pre-college and college applicants. She brought more than ten students to ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) and helped them pass the exam, including violin performance, music theory, and ear-training tests. Her previous older student got into the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music for a bachelor's degree in China and is now pursuing her doctorate degree at the University of Minnesota. Iris has comprehensive experience teaching advanced material, including the Carl Flesch Scale System, Kreutzer’s 42 Studies of Caprices, Pierre Rode, Jacob Dont and Niccolò Paganini. She holds the teaching assistant to violin associate professor Enxiao Chen at Zhejiang Conservatory of Music and she teaches at the Artist Music’s White Marsh Academy in Nottingham, Maryland.
Committed to promoting international cooperation, Iris has represented the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in an international music exchange concert at the Shanghai Grand Theatre with the Vienna Philharmonic using Mozart's violin. Simultaneously, she was the interpreter at the International Masterclass of Juilliard Vocal Professor Robert White. Iris maintains a good relationship with Peter Shi-Xiang Zhang, the Violin Professor at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and Australian Institute of Music, visiting and arranging students for exchange performances. In 2019, Iris invited Steven Laitz, the Chair of the Music Theory Department at The Juilliard School, to China to give lectures and master classes. In 2022, Iris contributed to the International Student Exchange Program of the Peabody Institute and Zhejiang Conservatory of Music.
Moreover, Iris is deeply committed to chamber music. She performed over 30 duets, piano trios, string quartets and string quintets, including repertoire from Baroque to Contemporary composers. Iris is committed to making chamber music a part of violin teaching. She actively plays duets with students during lessons, encouraging students to build ensemble groups to improve students’ musical cooperation skills, team communication skills and acoustic adjustment.
Iris was born in Hangzhou, China. She began violin lessons with her father at age three. At age seven, she commenced study with Chenxing Huang, and at age 13, she enrolled in the Music School affiliated with the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Iris earned her Bachelor of Music degree at The Juilliard School in New York City, studying with Lewis Kaplan. In May 2020, she earned the Master of Music degree at Mannes School of Music/The New School. Currently, she studies at the Peabody Institute as a candidate for the Doctoral program of Musical Arts with Vadim Gluzman. Iris is a full scholarship recipient of Aspen Music Festival, Summit Music Festival, and Mozarteum International Summer Academy. Iris also has received multiple academic awards, including the Peabody Institute Artistic Excellence Award, the H. & E. Kivekas Scholarship, the C.V. Starr Scholarship, the George Atlas Music Scholarship, the Mannes Supplemental Award GR, and the Mannes President's Scholarship.
