NYC Gazette

Following her studies at Juilliard, Chelsea Chen spent a year in Taipei on a Fulbright scholarship, where she studied Mandarin and collected folk songs for compositions. She then pursued an Artist Diploma at Yale. In 2009, Chen relocated to Forest Hills, Queens, focusing on her freelance career as a concert organist, church musician, and composer. Over the years, she has collaborated with fellow Juilliard alumni including Arielle (BM ’07, MM ’09), Lewis Wong (MM ’07), Joseph Lee (BM ’06, MM ’08), and Yui Kitamura (BM ’06, MM ’07). "I’ll always be grateful for those friendships forged at Juilliard," Chen expressed.

Since late 2018, Chen has been residing in Zurich with her husband Eliot. The couple welcomed their son Nathan in October 2023 and have been adjusting to life as new parents. Recently, Chen completed a piece titled “Children’s Dances,” inspired by Chinese and Taiwanese children’s songs. This composition will be premiered by finalists during the Taylor Organ Competition in Atlanta this March. Despite her busy schedule as a performer and mother, Chen continues to perform with support from friends and family who assist with childcare when needed. She hopes to reconnect with more of her Juilliard peers soon.

For those interested in sharing their own Life After Juilliard stories, contact [email protected].