艺术总监兼指挥 陈正哲

艺术总监兼指挥  陈正哲

陈正哲博士，澳大利亚籍华裔指挥家、现任江苏省特聘教授及苏州科技学院音乐学院院长，先后获得昆士兰音乐学院(Queensland Conservatorium of Music)钢琴学士学位，高级学士文凭，昆士兰大学(University of Queensland)合唱指挥硕士学位与悉尼音乐学院(Sydney Conservatorium of Music)管弦乐队指挥硕士学位，后进入美国约翰霍普金斯大学皮博迪音乐学院(Peabody Conservatory, Johns Hopkins University)攻读乐团指挥博士学位。在校期间，师从著名指挥家麦耶尔，并任学院歌剧助理指挥职务。随即以一年半时间研修并完成指挥博士所需的课程及音乐会，创造该学院记录，并进入全美交响乐团联盟(American Symphony Orchestra League)大师班。其间，先后担任昆士兰音乐学院钢琴讲师以及悉尼音乐学院歌剧演出助理指挥。2002 年起先后进入美国巴尔蒂摩歌剧院(Baltimore Opera)与芬兰国家歌剧院(Finnish National Opera)担任助理指挥。2007 年受邀担任上海音乐学院教授及江苏交响乐团音乐总监暨首席指挥。

国际获奖方面，陈正哲博士曾获三项指挥大奖及其他奖项，所囊括奖项为：2005年，赢得著名卡拉扬青年指挥大奖(Karajan Fellowship for Young Conductors)，并因此受邀于萨尔斯堡音乐节(Salzburg Festival )与世界著名乐团--维也纳爱乐(Vienna Philharmonic)合作，于国际舞台展露知名度。同年，获 Vakhtang Jordania 国际指挥大赛第三名。此外，又获由全美交响乐团联盟举办的美国国家指挥及乐团总监选拔(National Conductor Preview)最高奖项。三项乐队指挥大奖之余，他还曾以精湛的技巧与演出赢得澳大利亚巴赫钢琴比赛(Bach Piano Competition in Queensland Conservatorium)冠军。1998年曾指挥芬兰 Candomino职业合唱团在澳大利亚布里斯本演出。同年，参加澳大利亚国家合唱指挥大赛，成为决赛 4位获奖者之一。

渐受国际瞩目的陈正哲博士，长期与欧美乐团与歌剧院保持良好合作关系。指挥方面，在澳洲先后与昆士兰交响乐团(Queensland Symphony Orchestra)、塔斯美尼亚交响乐团(Tasmania Symphony Orchestra)、墨尔本交响乐团(Melbourne Symphony Orchestra)以及悉尼音乐院管弦乐团(Sydney Conservatorium Orchestra)合作演出，均受当地乐评极高评价。2004年，受St. Magnus 音乐节邀请，与英国BBC 苏格兰交响乐团合作演出。目前，他的指挥足迹遍及世界各地，曾执棒的交响乐团包括：意大利维若妮亚爱乐管弦乐团(Verona Philharmonic Orchestra)、美国芝加哥斯维克乐团(Chicago Civic Orchestra) 、佛罗里达杰克逊交响乐团 (Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra)、巴尔蒂摩皮博迪交响乐团(Peabody Symphony Orchestra) 、波兰西里西亚爱乐管弦乐团(Silesian Philharmonic)、西班牙卡达克交响乐团(Cadaques Orchestra)、加拿大温里培交响乐团(Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra)、英国 BBC苏格兰交响乐团(BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra) 、希腊雅典国家交响乐团(Athens State Orchestra) ,以及亚洲当地的九州交响乐团、江苏交响乐团、上海爱乐乐团、澳门交响乐团、台湾交响乐团、长荣交响乐团、高雄市交响乐团、台北市立交响乐团等。

歌剧艺术表演方面，先后担任美国巴尔蒂摩歌剧院(Baltimore Opera)与芬兰国家歌剧院(Finnish National Opera)助理指挥。任职期间，长期累积及磨练多部大型歌剧，曾指挥与制作曲目包括：《蝴蝶夫人》、《弄臣》、《沙乐美》、《图兰朵》、《魔笛》、《女人皆如此》、《费加罗的婚礼》、《拉克美》、《卡门》、《麦克白夫人》 等。2004 年，指挥由美国作曲家弗兰特所作歌剧〈Super Double Lite〉在纽约百老汇Symphonyspace 音乐厅成功举行世界首演。 2006年，受杰捷耶夫(Valery Gergiev)之邀指挥俄国圣彼得堡著名马林斯基歌剧院乐团(Mariinsky Theatre)与剧团制作歌剧《茶花女》深受当地乐坛好评与瞩目。

2007年至2010年，陈正哲先生客居中国期间，受聘担任江苏交响乐团音乐总监与上海音乐院指挥系教授及硕士生导师。曾分别指挥上海音乐学院乐团在上海音乐厅演出，率领上海爱乐乐团赴浙江省举办多场新年音乐会。此外，还受邀指挥日本九州交响乐团在南京举办中日友好音乐会。在 07/08乐季， 受“上海之春”国际艺术节之邀，率领江苏交响乐团、江苏歌剧院合唱团及广播合唱团赴上海音乐厅演出，并于 2008年，率该团赴北京国家大剧院，参演“首届中国交响乐之春”开幕系列音乐会，演出获得北京与江苏各地媒体竞相报导。同年夏季，率领江苏交响乐团赴日本及韩国演出，并再度受邀客席日本九州交响乐团于福冈音乐厅演出。

2009年至2011年间，陈正哲先生出任苏州科技文化艺术中心艺术总监。除世界指挥邀约不断之外，他还全面负责华东地区最重要的表演指标性场地--苏州科技文化艺术中心的总体策划及发展规划。期间，他制作一部结合舞蹈及杂技的大型节目“苏SHOW”，至今已演出超过一千场。2010年5月，他带领苏州科文芭蕾舞剧院在台湾首演《新版罗密欧与朱丽叶》舞剧，并亲自指挥高雄市交响乐团担任现场乐团伴奏，取得巨大成功,该剧记者会由高雄市长、台北演出文化建设委员会副主委亲自出席,台湾众多媒体皆有报道此项盛事。

2011年2 月，陈正哲先生受邀担任台北艺术大学交响乐团指挥,并于同年 5月邀请著名芬兰大提琴家MarttiRousi(曾为柴可夫斯基大赛银奖得主,并担任此届大赛评委)合作演出德沃夏克《b小调大提琴协奏曲》，音乐会票全部售罄,现场座无虚席。同年暑假,他指挥两岸三地青少年百人管弦乐团在台湾及大陆巡演,地点遍及台湾日月潭,台中,天津,北京,广州等地。

2013年9月起，陈正哲先生出任苏州科技学院音乐学院院长，为学院带来全面性发展。短短数月，学院与世界著名的芬兰西贝柳斯音乐学院及意大利普契尼音乐学院建立姐妹校关系，并开始密切的师生交流，同时，他还带领学校民乐团及合唱团与德国及台湾多所音乐学院进行多次合作演出。今年起，学院启动全球教师招聘，吸引超过160位应聘者，并最终邀请6位国内外音乐家及作曲家加盟音乐学院，其中包含著名作曲家中央音乐学院刘湲教授。2015年1月，他将率领学院民乐团步入第四届世界音乐大会，使该乐团成为我国首个将民族音乐带入这个平台的学院团体。2015年5月，他将率领学院合唱团及管弦乐教师与台湾长荣交响乐团及钢琴家殷承宗携手走进台湾两厅院音乐厅，使其成为内地首个步入台湾最高音乐殿堂演出的学院团体。现在无论在指挥、钢琴、教职与艺术管理工作之上，都让指挥声望极高的陈正哲博士逐渐成为全方位音乐家，成为华人在国际乐坛上之骄傲。

Christopher Chen, Artistic Director and Conductor

Prof. Dr. Christopher Chen, an Australian conductor, is Dean of Academy of Music, Suzhou University of Science and Technology. Beginning his studies in Australia, Chen was awarded a Bachelor of Music degree and then a Graduate Diploma in Piano at the Queensland Conservatorium, a Master’s degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Queensland and a Master of Music (Performance) at Sydney Conservatorium. He later entered the Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, USA, where he read for his doctoral degree in Orchestral Conducting under the guidance of renowned maestro Gustav Meier.While at Peabody, he also worked as Assistant Conductor for the opera department. He made history in 2004 at the Conservatory by completing all the requisite coursework and recitals for his Doctor of Musical Arts in a record one and a half years. In 1999 and 2004 he took part in masterclasses held by the American Symphony Orchestra League. During that time, he also lectured at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music (teaching piano) and was Assistant Conductor for opera performances of the Sydney Conservatorium. Beginning in 2002, he became assistant conductor first with the Baltimore Opera and later with the Finnish National Opera, working directly with Chief Conductor Muhai Tang. In 2007 he was appointed Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Jiangsu Symphony Orchestra, where he began his international reputation.

Christopher Chen's exquisite technique and performances have won him numerous international prizes, both as a pianist and as a conductor. As a pianist, he was awarded first prize at the Bach Piano Competition at the Queensland Conservatorium. In 1998 he conducted the Finnish choir Candomino in a performance in Brisbane, Australia, and was one of four finalists in that year's Australasian Choral Conducting competition. In 2005 he was awarded third prize in the Vakhtang Jordania International Conducting Competition. Also in 2005, his outstanding performances won him the famous Karajan Fellowship for Young Conductors, which led to an invitation to collaborate with the Vienna Philharmonic at the Salzburg Festival. In the same year, Chen was the winner in the American Symphony Orchestra League’s National Conductor Preview.

Under ever-growing international attention, Christopher Chen has maintained good long-term working relations with orchestras and opera houses throughout Europe, the US and Australia. As a conductor, Chen won high acclaim from local music critics for his work with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, the Tasmania Symphony Orchestra and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. In 2004 he was invited to work with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra at the St. Magnus Festival on Orkney. As an orchestral conductor, Christopher Chen has worked with the Chicago Civic Orchestra, the Athens State Orchestra in Greece, the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra in Florida, the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra in Maryland, the Silesian Philharmonic in Poland, the Cadaques Orchestra in Spain, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra in Canada and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in Britain, as well as orchestras in Asia including Japan's Kyushu Symphony Orchestra, the Jiangsu Symphony Orchestra, the Shanghai Philharmonic, the Macao Symphony Orchestra, Kaohsiung Symphony Orchestra, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, the Evergreen Orchestra, the Taipei Symphony Orchestra in Taiwan and the Seinäjoki City Orchestra in Finland among others.

Chen's credentials as an opera conductor have been thoroughly honed and sharpened through his work as assistant conductor with the Baltimore Opera and the Finnish National Opera, where he built up a formidable repertoire of productions including Madama Butterfly, Rigoletto, Salome, Turandot, The Magic Flute, Cosi Fan Tutte, The Marriage of Figaro, Lakme, Carmen and Lady MacBeth of the Mtsensk, among other full-scale operas. In 2004, he conducted the world premiere of American composer Ferrante’s opera Super Double Lite at Symphony Space in New York. In 2006 he was invited by Maestro Valery Gergiev to conduct Verdi's La Traviata with the famous Mariinsky Opera and Ballet Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, a collaboration that was met with much favourable criticism and attention in Russian musical circles.

Between 2007 and 2011 Christopher Chen lived in China, where he was first appointed Music Director of the Jiangsu Symphony Orchestra and Professor of Conducting and supervisor of the Master's degree programme at the Shanghai Conservatory . He conducted the Shanghai Conservatory Orchestra at the Shanghai Concert Hall for the 80th anniversary of the school and lead the Shanghai Philharmonic orchestra in numerous New Year’s performances in Zhejiang province. By invitation, he has also conducted Japan's Kyushu Symphony Orchestra as part of a Sino-Japanese Friendship Concert which took place in Nanjing. During the 2007/08 season, he led the Jiangsu Symphony Orchestra, the Jiangsu Opera Chorus and Radio Choir for their invited performance at the Shanghai Concert Hall at the famous Shanghai Spring International Music Festival. In 2008 he conducted this group again, this time at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, as part of an opening series of concerts entitled "Springtime for Symphonic China" which created huge media and critical acclaim in both Beijing and Jiangsu. In the same year, Mr. Chen led the Jiangsu Symphony Orchestra on a tour to Korea and Japan, where he was once again invited to conduct the Kyushu Symphony Orchestra for their performance at the Fukuoka Concert Hall.

Between 2009 and 2011, Christopher Chen was Artistic Director of the Suzhou Science and Cultural Arts Centre (SSCAC). In addition to his worldwide conducting engagements, at SSCAC he led the planning, organizing and overseeing of the artistic affairs of one of China's most important landmark venues for the performing arts. While there, he not only supervised the centre’s artistic development, but also arranged the SSCAC ballet company’s new production “Romeo and Juliet” world premiere in Taiwan, himself conducting the Kaohsiung Symphony Orchestra.

In May 2011, by serving as Conductor of Taipei National University of the Arts Orchestra, he invited Finnish Cellist Martti Rousi (1986 Tchaikovsky Silver Medal winner and as jury in 2011 Tchaikovsky International Competition) to play Dvo?ák Cello Concerto in a sold out concert in Taipei where both of them enjoyed a wonderful success. Then at the same year in the summer time, he led National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra Cross-strait Youth Orchestra to tour both Taiwan and Mainland China with five concerts at Sun Moon Lake, Taichung, Guangdong Zhongshan, Tianjin and Beijing Concert Halls. At the end of these concerts, they received applause from the audience as long as seven or eight times. Now whether as a conductor, a pianist, a teacher or an administrator, Christopher Chen continues to progress in consummate musicianship, earning greater international prestige by the day.