陳秋媛 Chiu-Yuan Chen
Clarinet
單簧管演奏家陳秋媛博士現為香港小交響樂團單簧管團員。2003年獲優秀學生獎章畢業於國立台灣師範大學音樂系，師事陳威稜老師，之後即獲得美國紐約茱莉亞音樂院 (The Juilliard School) 提供之獎學金與教育部留學獎金，前往茱莉亞音樂院學習單簧管演奏，師事Charles Neidich教授。取得碩士學位後，繼續於美國紐約市立大學研究所 (Graduate Center, City University of New York) 攻讀博士學位。除了在香港小交響樂團擔任單簧管團員，秋媛在香港演藝學院之邀擔任青少年音樂課程的單簧管老師, 並在多所學校擔任單簧管樂器班老師。
秋媛尤其熱衷室內樂。受到樂團的邀請，參加了多次香港小交響樂團在香港大學舉辦的Chamber Gems室內樂寶石系列的音樂會, 香港大會堂的午餐音樂會, 也經常於在香港花旗銀行主辦, 在花旗銀行大樓的 “Musical del Cuore” 系列音樂會演出。2019年四月受香港科技大學藝術節之邀演出《二十世紀單簧管三重奏》音樂會。
秋媛在台灣求學期間於2001年獲得台灣區音樂比賽單簧管成人組第一名，二十一世紀寰宇華裔協奏曲大賽中國作品演奏獎，並於2002年與國立台灣交響樂團合作，巡迴全台演出協奏曲。留學美國期間，曾獲全額獎學金參加德國國際萊比錫音樂營 (Internationale Sommer-Musikakademie Leipzig) 與日本札幌太平洋音節 (Paific Music Festival) 。2005年於茱莉亞室內樂音樂節 (Juilliard Chamber Music Festival) 開幕音樂會中演出後, 受到New York Times樂評Allan Kozinn特別贊賞她的演奏: “zesty, energetic, and capturing the music's spirit.” (熱情, 有活力, 且深切地捕捉樂曲的原味)。2006年應母校師大管樂團之邀回台灣演出協曲。2007年於New York Artist International比賽中勝出，獲邀於紐約卡內基音樂廳 (Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall) 舉辦個人獨奏會，廣獲好評。
Taiwanese clarinetist Chiu-Yuan Chen has been praised by the New York Times as “zesty”, “energetic”, and “capturing the music’s spirit”after her performance at Juilliard Chamber Festival. She has performed internationally as a soloist, chamber music artist, and as an orchestral player. As a soloist, Dr. Chen gave her Carnegie Hall debut recital at Weill Hall in 2008, as the winner of the Artist International Presentation in New York. She also won the first prize in the National Music Award for Solo Clarinet in Taiwan. She was awardedthe special prize of “The Best Performance of Contemporary Chinese Work" in the “Universal Chinese Concerto Competition of the 21st Century”, and as a prize winner, she got to go on tour with the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra,performing the Clarinet Concerto of the renowned contemporary Taiwanese composer, Yu-Chou Chen.
Equally versatile in orchestral and chamber music, Dr. Chen has been involved many times in the “Chamber Gems” series at the Hong Kong University, “Lunchtime Chamber Concert” series of Hong Kong Sinfonietta, and “Musica del Cuore” series at the Citibank Plaza. She has participated with full scholarship in the Pacific Music Festival in Japan, Focus! Festival, Juilliard Chamber Festival, and Leipzig International Summer Academy. During her studies, she performed as principal clarinet, E-flat and bass clarinet in the Juilliard Symphony Orchestra, the New Juilliard Ensemble, National Taiwan Normal University Orchestra and Wind Symphony.
Dr. Chen received her bachelor’s degree with high honors in music performance and education from National Taiwan Normal University, where she was a student of William Chen. She received her Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School, under the tutelage of Charles Neidich and Ayako Oshima Neidich, and Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the City University of New York. She has been a member of the Hong Kong Sinfonietta since 2008, serving as second clarinet, E-flat and bass clarinet player. She is the acting principal clarinet of the Hong Kong Sinfonietta from April 2022 to September 2023. As a teacher, other than private lessons, Dr. Chen has taught in the Junior Division of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, and is currently teaching in several primary schools in Hong Kong.