Pianist Tzu-yi Chen's musical philosophy and life

Written by: Yu-Chen Tsai

Translated by: Patrick McCurry, Michelle Eng and Tzu-yi Chen

During her February this year "228 Memorial Concert" at Taiwanese Presbyterian Church in D.C., the

notes of the Firebird Suite circled at the fingertips with pianist Tzu-yi Chen’s virtuoso touch, just like the

plot described by the Russian composer Stravinsky. A full-house audience at Washington, D.C.’s

Taiwanese Presbyterian Church completely followed the composer’s storyline. Their heartbeats were

dancing with the wizard and got lost with the melody of the beautiful lullaby. Until the last chord ended

with the bright glissando flying like the firebird to the sky, the whole audience was astonished with a few

seconds silence, and rejoiced with thunderous applause.

Tzu-yi's music draws your emotions and grabs your attention as she tells you many stories behind each

sound she makes. I wonder why there is such a difference between "When you play the notes right" and

"When your music actually touches people.” Guided by my curiosity, I very fortunately caught an

opportunity to interview her and get some answers from a great pianist!

After graduating from the Affiliated Senior High School of National Taiwan Normal University, she was

admitted with unanimous jury votes to study at the prestigious National Paris Conservatory of Music in

France, regarded as a Master’s-level study in French government.

That's right! It is the music school where famous Japanese TV drama and Live-action movie “Nodame

Cantabile” took place a few years ago.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nodame_Cantabile

Tzu-yi was laughing that the movie’s storyline was completely inspired and created by students’ lives and

surroundings at the Paris Conservatory, how the conductor Shinichi Chiaki and the pianist Megumi Noda

fell in love with each other, and at their adventures and journeys accompanied by music.

In contrast to the words "romantic" and “spontaneous," which for me easily associate with the country of

France, the French classical music education is surprisingly very academic, and famous for its strictness.

Before entering the conservatory, Tzu-yi had already won various national and international competitions.

However, her Parisian master asked her to forget the pursuit of fame and applause and to take more time

understanding the European cultural background, getting into the essence of finding the different sounds

and different styles of each composer she played, redefining the space and time of the written notes and

the history placed behind each piece of written music, and based on all of those elements, find that it is

possible to distinguish the subtle differences and be able to play the notes with sense, spirit, and great

understanding.

This is like the process of reassembling an Empire building, undoubtedly a painful experience for an

Asian foreign student. Unlike pianists from many other parts of the world who place “amazing fingers” as

their top training goal, European education places a great importance on the music itself and sees it as

cultural heritage instead of producing another star pianist. When I talked with Tzu-yi, I remarked that

music is in her life so deeply that all composers are like her real friends. She can chat about anything in

their life stories, such as Franz Liszt, who was famous as a rock star in the world and favored by women,

and who went back and forth four times to monastery life, studying for the priesthood to seek a quiet and

peaceful mind, or Frédéric Chopin, who created nuances with his unique soft-finger touches noted by the

concert reviewers of his time, or Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninov, who lived in foreign countries

but whose heart was in his motherland Russia.

When pianists play their works, they have to project the souls of different composers as if they were

speaking with them. When talking about those composers, it is as if Tzu-yi had known each of them for

many years. I began to understand why her music sounds so much deeper and sincere than many

others. There is a difference when someone puts her life and soul into every piece she plays.

Tzu-yi recalled the struggles of studying abroad. She often prepared for an entire week before class, but

got only strict criticism. In addition to a broad cultural understanding, she has extensive knowledge of

various artistic forms, books, movies, paintings, museums, sculptures, meditation, all to immerse her into

a sound-imagination world and to fully release the emotions during a performance (which reminds me of

an actor too deep in the script who sometimes can hardly pull himself out of the role he plays).

Tzu-yi said that there are times, seeing the music with its human emotions, desires, and devils, that it is

often not comfortable. But she must be honest to face her inner anxiety. Although born in a Christian

home, she was baptized a few years ago and returned to God's embrace. Religion provides her with the

power of stability, so that she will not be confused when she throws herself into the ocean of imagination.

At such a young age, it took a great deal of effort living alone in France, Germany, the United States, and

traveling to the rest of the world. This kind of experience had a profound impact on Ms. Chen. She often

engages in a deep and profound dialogue with herself, touching very difficult topics such as love and

doubt, truth and fiction, anxiety, fear, and other emotions. She is one of the very rare Taiwanese girls I

have met who went alone to the cinema, to the forest, and dared to walk, crossing those Parisian streets

from the Opera theatre back home when it was almost three o’clock in the morning.

However, at the same time, she is very warm and hospitable. She recalled her school years, her mother

always filling up the dining table before she came back home. The warmth of the family cultivated her

taste, and the travels around the world have added more flavors to her cooking menu. The last time I was

fortunate enough to be invited to taste the dishes Tzu-yi made—Russian herring salad, Spanish paella,

crepes—all were so delicious and amazing. I can see that what makes her successful in her career is her

self-discipline and high standard for herself, and her love for her friends and openness to new friendships

helped her to quickly establish herself in a foreign country.

However, like all immigrants who have a hard-working life, the road is groped and formed step by step.

“Did you ever think of going back to Taiwan and live there?” I asked, just as many of us have seriously

thought about going back to Taiwan because of family or work.

“When God closes a door, he opens another window for you,” she answered. “The difficulty is that living

in foreign countries, everything has to be done by myself. Even hosting a concert, I often have to think of

every detail from the program printing, recording and stage management, to the piano tuner.” But she

paused a moment, and said ”Why do humans have to discover the moon and explore outer space, when

they are ultimately well enough living in the earth?” For her it is the same question as “Why do I have to

continue to learn new pieces, even if I have played piano for so many years?” It is simply because she

does not want to stop at the same point in life, so she bravely walks into the unknown." Life is not always

smooth and peaceful, but music is the best friend, accompanying her through all the high and low points

of her life.

In talking about classical music education to the next generation, Tzu-yi suggests not being afraid to bring

kids to the concert hall, listening to classical music radio stations while driving, and creating opportunities

for music to be part of every day, so that in family life, children are accompanied by music as a habit. "In

any good live performance, the audience's feeling and perception are elevated and sublimated to a high

level." The American school system has many opportunities for music exposure, such as school orchestra

and marching band. Parents' efforts can cultivate children’s interest. However, to become a professional it

takes a different level of commitment. Many other activities must be given up in order to be highly

focused. It takes a lot of time to practice before a child can progress from short, boring pieces to highly

challenging repertoire and being able to excel in playing.

Despite her busy concert traveling schedules and her dedicated piano practicing time, Tzu-Yi teaches at

the Levine School of Music and maintains a home private studio. How can an Asian artist find his/her way

in a western society? Tzu-yi said, "We must collaborate across nations, across genders and cultures,

across media. Any combination of music, social topics, painting, dance, and other different art forms will

show the flexibility of music, and we will be able to see common values." Many cultures co-exist in

America. There are many opportunities to reach out to different people. Asian musicians gather together

to create platforms such as The New Asia Chamber Music Society (NACMS) in NY joined by Tzu-yi.

NACMS connects outstanding rising Asian musicians and helps them to create their own stage. In

addition to promoting classical music, it reaches out to a wider audience, enabling people to appreciate

Asian cultures by producing high-quality concerts performed by top Asian musicians. NACMS will release

its first piano quartet album in November of this year. Another non-profit organization in NY which also

recruited Tzu-yi for its artist roster is Muse Connect. It is one of the rare music-charity organizations

established in New York. Tzu-yi will perform at its opening Gala concert in October of this year. This

organization will support emerging talents of the music world by holding top-quality concerts crossing

cultural boundaries.

I feel so proud to see the excellent Taiwanese talents shining on various stages in the world. Tzu-yi

actively performs on many events held by Taiwanese communities.

(Here are some photos to share with you.)

On August 26, 2018, there will be a piano recital with top-notch, difficult repertoire, as interpreted by Tzu-

yi Chen, at the National Cathedral School, so don't miss it. Located in the Greater Washington area, we

[in the Taiwanese community] are fortunate enough to have such a top pianist on our side. We should

warmly support her, enjoy her music, and enrich our hearts.

P.S. Listen to Tzu-yi on the Internet.https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqeCcRgHB5PGePd52nSsTFg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6evARbfJQQ

P.P.S. Read more about Tzu-Yi's story in Chinese:

http://blog.udn.com/Carole777/72476124 andhttps://www.muzik-

online.com/tw/periodical/muzik/2011/58/9ba77448-14bd-49a5-ac7f-257f22cd686f

<鋼琴家陳孜怡的音樂哲思與人生>

撰文: 蔡佑晨

二零一八年，二二八紀念音樂會，火鳥在鋼琴家陳孜怡飛快移動的指尖，飛舞盤旋，如同俄

國作曲家史特拉文斯基描述的情節，台美教會裡滿滿的聽眾，隨著火鳥的煉獄之舞，以及優美的

催眠曲，心情高低起伏，如癡如醉，直至最後一個音符落下，全場靜默了幾拍，只剩下自己的心

跳，然後如雷的掌聲響起。孜怡的音樂，牽引你的情緒，緊抓你的注意力，她用琴音告訴你動人

的故事。"把音符彈到正確"與"感動人心"之間的差別在哪裡?很幸運地逮到採訪她的機會，我迫不

及待想要從專家的口中得到解答。

孜怡師大附中畢業就進入法國國立巴黎高等音樂學院就讀。沒錯，就是幾年前超紅日劇"交響

情人夢"裡，野田妹和千秋學長一起"嘣啾，嘣啾"的全球頂尖音樂教育殿堂。跟我對法國"浪漫"，"

隨興"的想像大相逕庭的是，法國古典音樂教育是相當一板一眼，以嚴謹出名的。孜怡在進入學院

就讀前，已經世界各地征戰，獲獎無數，巴黎的指導老師卻要她忘記對外顯炫技的曲目之追求，

要求她了解文化的內涵，與不同作曲家的成長背景及審美觀，以及樂曲背後的時空環境和歷史，因

為這樣才能夠把細微內隱的精神分辨，進而表現出來。這猶如"打掉重練"的過程，對一個有著文

化隔閡的外國學生，無疑是相當痛苦的，向外探索的同時，得深刻自我檢視。不同於美國對於舞台

上華麗技巧表現的包裝，歐洲非常重視對於音樂內在涵養的追求。經過這樣的訓練，孜怡信手捻

來，分享幾個作曲家的小故事: 數次成為神職人員又離開，在當時猶如搖滾巨星般深獲女性青睞的

李斯特; 體弱多病，多愁善感的鋼琴詩人蕭邦，其特有的柔軟指法; 或是身在異鄉卻心繫祖國的俄

國作曲家拉赫曼尼洛夫。音樂家表現作品時，得要注入不同作曲家的靈魂，才能代言其中的精隨

，說到那些音樂巨匠，孜怡熟悉的程度，好像是她相交多年的至交。深入地研究歷史，思考音樂

背後的哲學，並揣摩作曲者要表達的情感，再加以技巧演繹出來，才能交織出打動人心的音樂。

孜怡回憶起在外求學時的艱苦和掙扎，常常課前準備很久，在老師面前努力演出，卻換來面

無表情的嚴格評語。樂曲裡的情境很多是年輕的她沒有經歷過的，為了表達這些情感，除了認真學

習其背景，她大量接觸各種藝術創作，書，電影，繪畫，逛博物館，觸摸陰暗隱晦的情緒，透過

默想，轉化為一個個圖像，以比喻的方式，把人世間被隱藏的面象表露出來。甚而，為了展演人

類的共同情感，藝術家必須得發覺最幽微的心思，向下挖掘，並且放大。能做到的，多半是善感

纖細的心靈，可以想見為了在專業領域進步，他們要融入不同的情境，在不同的情感裡擺盪，沉

浸，以期能在演出時完全釋放。能不能收斂，保有原來的自己，那就是另一回事了(讓我想起演員

入戲太深，無法抽離導致健康出狀況的例子)。孜怡說，這好像在跟魔鬼拉鋸的過程，人類的情感

，慾望，因她的演出而展現，獲得撫慰，她卻要誠實去面對自己內心的痛苦掙扎與不安。雖然出

生在基督教家庭，她卻是在繞了一大圈之後，幾年前受洗，回到神的懷抱。宗教提供了她安定的

力量，讓她在追尋時不會迷惘。

年輕時就帶著一身絕頂功夫，隻身在法國，德國，美國，世界各地闖蕩，這樣的經歷給孜怡

帶來深遠的影響。她自在於獨處，與自身進行尖銳的深度對話，在自己的世界裡觸摸愛與溫暖，

真實與虛假，面對焦慮不安或是害怕等種種情緒。一個人進電影院;一個人在森林散步; 深夜十點

看完演出，帶著激盪不已的思緒，從巴黎的歌劇院走過異鄉的街道，到家時才驚覺已經凌晨。可

是同時，孜怡熱情好客。她回憶，直到出國求學以前，家裡的餐桌上，都是媽媽精心烹調的料理

。家庭的溫暖養成她的品味，世界各國遊歷的經驗，拓展了她對不同飲食文化的視野。上次有幸

受邀品嚐孜怡的料理，俄國的醃菜，西班牙的海鮮飯，希臘捲餅，一道道都美味可口，讓人驚艷

。是這樣的內斂自省，同時珍惜人與人之間的互動交流，讓孜怡在異鄉站穩腳步，發光發熱。

然而，跟所有出外打拼的人一樣，路是一步一腳印摸索出來的，雖然走過一些岔路，也因為

親情或工作上的考量，認真思考過回台灣，但在山窮水盡疑無路時，往往柳暗花明又一村。在國

外，事事都得親力親為，從演出內容，到宣傳企劃，都要自己來。「為什麼人類要登陸月球，探索

外太空?為什麼我要繼續學新的曲子，即使已經學了那麼多?因為不願意停在原點，所以勇敢邁向

一種未知。」「深知自己在異鄉起點不比在地人，埋首努力，根本忘記時間，常常過了好長一段日

子，抬起頭才發現自己又往前行了一段路。」對音樂的熱愛，執著，陪伴她走過人生的高山與低

谷。

對於古典音樂教育，孜怡建議不要害怕走進音樂廳，帶小孩去音樂會，或是開車時聽古典音

樂電台，在生活裡營造親近音樂的機會，讓家庭生活有音樂相伴成為一種習慣。「在任何好的演

出裡，聽眾的感知都在同一個時空昇華到不同的層次。」美國的教育體系，接觸音樂的機會很多

，像是學校裡的管弦樂團，藉由學樂器，參與社團活動，都能加深對音樂的欣賞能力。家長的投

入可以感染孩子，培養他們的興趣。至於如果要走上音樂的路，則必須得割捨許多日常活動，投

注高度專注力，以許多時間投入練習，才能從枯燥進步到忘我的境地。

目前在Levine Music任教的孜怡，有著繁重的教學日常生活。在德國國立Karlsruhe音樂大學拿

到碩士以及最高演奏文憑的她，在忙碌之餘堅持熱情投入表演工作，探詢不同的可能性。「一定要

合作，跨國家，跨種族，跨文化，跨媒體。音樂與繪畫，舞蹈等不同藝術形式的結合，在溝通上

展現彈性，才能看到兼容並蓄的多元價值。」在美國多族裔的社會，接觸不同的人的機會多，亞

裔音樂家聚集交流，創建合作平台，便能以亞洲文化圈的視角，眺望並參與美國的主流社會。

孜怡投入的新亞室內樂音樂協會New Asia Chamber Music Society，就是希望能串聯優秀的亞洲

年輕藝術家，共同創造自己的舞台, 成立宗旨除了推廣古典音樂外，更希望觀眾能經由這些優秀

的亞裔音樂家的演出來欣賞亞洲文化。該組織即將於今年十一月首發鋼琴四重奏專輯。 同年孜怡

也接受今年初在紐約成立的音樂慈善組織MuseConnect的邀請， 參與十月即將到來的首場慶祝音樂

會, 該音樂慈善團體提供這個平台給樂壇新起之秀, 來舉辦高水準融合東西方文化的音樂會。

聽孜怡眼睛發亮，熱情分享音樂的點點滴滴，除了增進自身對於音樂的鑑賞能力，更同時被

她的熱情感染，對古典音樂能夠帶給人生的啟發和心靈滿足有更深的體認。優秀的台灣人在世界

各種舞台發光。孜怡積極參與台僑活動，許多藝文場合，音樂會，都可見到她的身影(八月二十六

日就有一場難得的陳孜怡個人獨奏會，走過、經過、但千萬不要錯過)。大華府地區的我們，幸運地

能有這麼一位在地的頂尖鋼琴家，更要好好疼惜支持她，享受她的音樂，富足我們的心靈。

PS. 上網聽孜怡。https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqeCcRgHB5PGePd52nSsTFg

PS 2. 更多孜怡的故事: http://blog.udn.com/Carole777/72476124 以及 https://www.muzik-

online.com/tw/periodical/muzik/2011/58/9ba77448-14bd-49a5-ac7f-257f22cd686f