Junyan Chen

Increasingly celebrated for her adventurous approach to repertoire and passion for contemporary music, “virtuosic and sumptuous” London-based pianist Junyan Chen is quickly establishing herself as one of the most exciting young pianists of her generation.

Following her Second Prize success at the Leeds International Piano Competition in 2024, she has made thrilling debuts with the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, and the Royal Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra. In the 26/27 season, Chen’s curatorial range comes into focus: she makes her concerto debut at the Royal Albert Hall for Classic FM Live, and tours Europe and the United Kingdom in recital, with appearances at the Boulez Saal, Tonhalle Zürich, Wigmore Hall, Sudewestrundfunk, and Kings Place.

As an orchestral soloist, she performs with the Romanian Radio Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and Cambridge Philharmonic Orchestra. Highlights of the 2025/26 season included solo recital debuts in Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Fribourg, and at the Klavier-Festival Ruhr, as well as a return to Wigmore Hall in London.

Chen regularly collaborates with Manchester Collective and Her Ensemble, and has worked closely with composers including Hans Abrahamsen, Mark Anthony-Turnage, and Dominic Muldowney. Her debut solo album, It’s Time (Linn Records, 2022), features works by Fazıl Say, Unsuk Chin, Sofia Gubaidulina, and Eleanor Alberga. The disc explores cultural identity through a diverse range of musical genres and art forms. Her second album (Orchid Records) will be released this season.