Chijen Christopher Chung 鍾啓仁, Cellist and Conductor

A native of Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Mr. Chung began his musical studies in piano, violin and cello at the ages of five and nine. Following a successful musical career in high school, he attended the National Taiwan Normal University where he majored in cello, minored in piano and was awarded the Certificate of Music Education.

Upon moving to the United States, Mr. Chung studied under the tutelage of cellist Peter Wiley (of Guameri String Quartet), at Conservatory of Music at Purchase College, SUNY, where he received both his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Music Performance.

Mr. Chung’s wide professional experience encompasses symphony orchestra and chamber music performances, conducting, teaching, studio recording and administration. He served as Associate Principal Cellist of the Taipei Symphony Orchestra, Principal Cellist of the Yin-Qi Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, and the Yin-Qi Chamber Orchestra in Taiwan. He performed with the Chinese Community Chamber Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, New York Symphony Orchestra and the Amadeus String Quartet and Piano Trio.

Mr. Chung’s teaching positions were at the Guang-Ren High School, Xi-Men Elementary School, and Guan-Du Christian College in Taiwan. He has been serving as the Music Director, cello and piano instructor at the Song of Songs Music School, Eastern School of Music, Amadeus Conservatory of Music, and Melody Time Music Center in the United States. In 2003, he was the Music Director and featured cellist for the world premiere of an original Chinese-language adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire at the Hwa-Sun Culture Center in Taipei, Taiwan.

With Youth Orchestra, CYCNY, at Alice Tully Hall of Lincoln Center, Chung performed Elgar’s Cello Concerto as soloist in 2010，and Chung conducted the World Premiere of Yasuhiko Fukuoka’s “Journey of a Thousand Miles” in 2012; the world premiere of Steve Margoshes’s “Symphony Dance from FAME- The Musical”, as well as the US Premiere of Shui-Long Ma’s “Searching” Concerto for Gu-Zheng and Orchestra, with Hao-Yin Huang as Gu-Zheng soloist in 2013. Mr. Chung has long believed that music has the power to transform lives, to transcend cultures and languages and to bring people together in important and lasting ways. It is for this reason that he dedicates his life toward inspiring a new generation of young musicians to pursue their dreams through the challenging and life-changing process of music education.

鍾啓仁老師是指揮和大提琴家。台灣高雄市人，五歲起開始學習鋼琴、小提琴、及大提琴。曾經連續三年獲得高雄市及台灣區音樂比賽大提琴第一名。就讀國立台灣師範大學期間曾榮獲協奏曲比賽第一名，並與師大音樂系交響樂團合作演出「聖桑第一號大提琴協奏曲」。鍾老師在台灣曾任敎於台北縣光仁中學音樂班，桃園西門國小音 樂班，及關渡基督書院音樂系等學校。1991-1993年間於臺北市立交響樂團擔任大提琴助理首席，並擔任臺灣音樂室內樂團及音樂合唱管絃樂團大提琴首席。鍾老師除了敎學外並有豐富的行政經驗，曾擔任台灣音樂合唱管絃樂團的藝術行政助理及紐約雅歌音樂藝術學院的音樂總監等。1997來美就讀Purchase College, SUNY並師事瓜內 里絃樂四重奏的大提琴家Peter Wiley ，獲得音樂學士及音樂碩士學位。2006年起擔任紐約幼獅青少年管弦樂團的 弦樂指導並曾於2010年與樂團合作，擔任獨奏於林肯中心愛麗斯特莉廳熱情、精湛地演出「艾爾加大提琴協奏曲」。

2011年9月起擔任幼獅青少年管弦樂團指揮，2012年指揮幼獅世界首演日裔美籍作曲家福岡保彥的作品「千里之道」，2013年指揮幼獅與國際古箏演奏家黃好吟敎授在紐約首演臺灣作曲家馬水龍敎授的「尋一古箏協奏曲」•，同時世界首演美國百老匯作曲家Steve Margoshes的作品「交響舞曲一選自歌舞劇名揚四海」。

鍾老師於2013年9月起擔任幼獅青少年管弦樂團的音樂總監兼指揮並在大紐約地區敎授大提琴及鋼琴學生。