NTNU Symphony Orchestra to Perform with Internationally Acclaimed Conductor
The Symphony Orchestra of the National Taiwan Normal University Department of Music will present its 2026 Spring Concert, Manifestations of Spring, on 25 May at the National Concert Hall in Taipei. The evening will be led by internationally renowned conductor Mei-Ann Chen and feature world-class pianist Boris Berman as soloist.
A Homecoming Before a Historic Appointment
The concert carries special significance. Mei-Ann Chen has been appointed as the Director of Orchestral Activities and Chair of Conducting at the Manhattan School of Music (MSM). MSM is one of the most prestigious music conservatories in the world, alongside Juilliard and the Curtis Institute. Chen will assume the role in July 2026, making this performance one of her final engagements in Taiwan before beginning her new position.
Chen's return to NTNU is a personal one. Her father is an alumnus of the University, and she chose to mark this transitional moment in her career by conducting at his alma mater. In her new role at Manhattan, Chen will provide strategic and artistic leadership for the MSM orchestra program, teach and mentor conducting students, and regularly conduct the MSM Symphony Orchestra as part of the School’s annual performance season. She has expressed her hope to bring practical and international experiences to the next generation of musicians, helping students find their own artistic voices through music.
Beyond her new appointment, Chen currently serves as Music Director of the Chicago Sinfonietta and has been an active advocate for youth conductor training programs. Known for her vivid teaching style, she has been known to tell students that when music demands explosive energy, “you are Thor, and you have to throw the hammer.” Chen bridges the worlds of performance and pedagogy with incredible fluency.
A World-Class Collaboration for NTNU Students
Joining Chen on stage is Boris Berman, one of the most distinguished pianists and educators of his generation. A graduate of the Moscow Conservatory and heir to the storied Russian piano tradition, Berman currently serves as Chair of Piano at the Yale School of Music. He has performed on six continents with ensembles including the Berlin Philharmonic and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and his book Notes from the Pianist's Bench is widely regarded as an essential text in piano pedagogy.
Berman will perform Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 12 in A Major, K. 414, a work celebrated for its elegance and emotional refinement. His return to Taiwan and continued collaboration with NTNU represents an invaluable opportunity for students to engage directly with a musician of the highest international caliber.
Department Chair Ling-Yi Ou-Yang has noted that the NTNU Symphony Orchestra's regular concert series serves a dual purpose: deepening Taiwan's musical culture through ambitious programming, while providing students with a platform to collaborate with world-leading artists. Hosting Chen on the eve of her landmark appointment at one of America's foremost music institutions, alongside a Yale faculty artist of Berman's standing, makes this concert an exceptional demonstration of NTNU's international reach.
Program Highlights
The evening's program spans the breadth of 20th-century orchestral literature, opening with Shostakovich's Festive Overture, Op. 96, a work of brilliant brass writing and infectious energy. The second half features Debussy's Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, a landmark of French Impressionism widely regarded as a harbinger of musical modernism.
The concert culminates in Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, arguably the most consequential orchestral work of the 20th century. Its 1913 Paris premiere famously provoked a riot in the audience; conductor Sir Simon Rattle has described it as “a revolutionary work that changed the world.” For NTNU's student orchestra, it represents one of the most demanding challenges in the symphonic repertoire, and a testament to the ensemble's artistic ambition.
NTNU congratulates Mei-Ann Chen on her historic appointment to the Manhattan School of Music and thanks both her and Boris Berman for their generous commitment to music education and international exchange. This concert stands as a proud reflection of the global connections that NTNU's Department of Music continues to cultivate.