Pei-Chen Chen, DMA
Co-Founder & Director
Dr. Pei-Chen Chen is a Taiwanese-Canadian pianist, educator, and researcher recognized for her achievements across North America and Asia. She has received numerous awards as a soloist and chamber musician, including honours at international competitions such as the North West International Piano Ensemble Competition, the Ohio International Piano Duet & Duo Competition, and the United States International Duo Piano Competition. Dr. Chen is dedicated to promoting Chinese and Canadian piano music; her recent recordings include Northern Lights Piano Duets: An Exploration of Canadian Piano Music with the Sirius Piano Duo at the Orford Musician Residency. She has also performed works by Canadian composer Cecilia Livingston at the Banff Musician Residency and showcased one-handed pedagogical piano works, including Eckhard-Gramatté’s Piano Sonata No. 6, at the Australasian Piano Pedagogy Conference in Melbourne.
As an educator, Dr. Chen promotes a student-centred teaching approach that fosters an engaging and dynamic learning environment. From her background in piano performance, Dalcroze Eurhythmics, and early childhood music education, she has developed a holistic learning methodology that integrates mind, body, and real-world experiences. This approach empowers her students to excel in their musical journeys, earn recognition through awards, and prepare for successful futures through music.
Since 2016, Dr. Chen has immersed herself in Dalcroze Eurhythmics, actively incorporating this approach into her teaching and research. She received the Mitacs Globalink Research Award and a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Doctoral Fellowship for her project “Off the Bench, Sing and Play: Lived Experiences in Dalcroze-Inspired Piano Lessons for Amateur Adults.” She was also awarded the Selma Odom Prize for Best Student Paper at the 5th International Conference of Dalcroze Studies. As an active lecturer, Dr. Chen has presented workshops and papers at international conferences including the Dalcroze Congrès, Music Teachers National Association, National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, Australasian Piano Pedagogy Conference, and Piracicaba International Piano Festival. Her articles have been published in Being Music, the journal of Dalcroze Canada, and the Frances Clark Center’s Piano Inspires Discovery.
Beyond academia, Dr. Chen participates in various music organizations as part of her passion in community outreach and volunteer work. She serves as an adjudicator for Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) examinations, is the lead editor of Being Music journal, and is a committee member for the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, focusing on teaching adults.
Dr. Chen earned her Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Toronto under the guidance of Dr. Midori Koga and Dr. James Parker. She also holds the Advanced Certificate in Early Childhood Music Education from the Royal Conservatory of Music.