Askonas Holt is delighted to welcome Junyan Chen to the roster for worldwide general management following her success at this year’s Leeds International Piano Competition
In addition to the Marion Thorpe Silver Medal, Junyan took home the inaugural Alexandra Dariescu Award, presented for outstanding performance of a work by a female composer, as well as the Yaltah Menuhin Award for exceptional performance of chamber music. The Finals of the Leeds International Piano Competition saw her perform Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No 4 with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic conducted by Domingo Hindoyan.
Watch a clip from her Finals performance:
Coming up, Junyan gives solo recitals for the Leeds International Piano Series, in Liverpool, and for the Harrogate International Sunday Series. Next spring sees Junyan collaborate with the Manchester Collective on a project that includes the world premiere of Hidden Mechanisms by Askonas Holt artist Héloise Werner with performances in Leeds and at the Southbank Centre London. Further ahead, Junyan gives a solo recital at Wigmore Hall.
Junyan's debut solo album, It's Time, featured a programme of works by living composers, including Fazil Say, Unsuk Chin, Sofia Gubaidulina and Eleanor Alberga. Released by Linn Records in 2022, It's Time explores cultural identity through different musical genres and art forms, including Turkish folk ballad, jazz, Russian poetry, and African dance.
Following her studies at the Shanghai Conservatoire, Junyan holds a fellowship with the Royal Academy of Music, having recently graduated with a first-class Honours Masters degree.
Image: © Frances Marshall