Melanie Chen

19-year-old cellist Melanie Chen hails from Needham, Massachusetts and began cello lessons with Andrew Mark at age 5. She now studies with Felix Wang at Vanderbilt University as a Blair Academic Achievement Scholarship recipient and winner of the 2023 Chris Teal Scholarship Award. Recent accolades include: Winner of the 2022 MTNA Southern Division Young Artist String Competition, Winner in the 2022 Vanderbilt University Orchestra Concerto Competition, and 1st Place at the 2021 University o Massachusetts Young Artists Award Competition. A dedicated orchestra and chamber musician, she toured internationally with the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra under Benjamin Zander, and was selected as the cellist of the Rivers School Conservatory Honors Quartet under Bruce Coppock. Melanie played chamber music for five summers at Greenwood Music Camp, and attended Aspen Music Festival in Summer 2022 while studying with Eric Kim and Darrett Adkins.