BMA Festival of the Bay: Kevin Chen

Canadian pianist Kevin Chen has quickly established himself as one of the most distinctive voices of his generation, praised for his poetic sensitivity, natural eloquence, and remarkable technical command. Most recently, in October 2025, Kevin won the Second Prize at the 19th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. His decision to perform the complete set of Chopin Études Op. 10 in the second stage drew wide attention and praise, with Polish critics calling his interpretation “a complete musical story, not a show of virtuosity.” He is also the First Prize winner of several consecutive international competitions, namely the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition (Tel Aviv 2023), the Concours de Genève (2022), the Franz Liszt International Piano Competition (Budapest 2021), the Hilton Head International Piano Competition (2020), and the International Piano-e-Competition (Minneapolis 2019). His artistic maturity and individuality have been widely recognized by audiences and juries alike.