“The vivacity was outstanding...”
— THE ARTS DESK

“exhilarating and technically thrilling performance ”
— GRAMOPHONE

Junyan Chen makes her debut with the Philharmonia Orchestra this season performing Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No 4. She played this concerto in the final of the Leeds International Piano Competition 2024, where she won Second Prize as well as the chamber music prize and award for a work by a woman composer. In Leeds she collaborated with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Domingo Hindoyan; having previously performed the work with Edward Gardner and the Royal Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra.

 

Highlights of the 2025/26 season include solo recital debuts in Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Hannover, Fribourg, and at the Klavier-Festival Ruhr, as well as a return to Wigmore Hall in London. She is the Artistic Director of the Leeds International Chamber Series 2025/26. She will perform herself in two of the concerts; a duo with Alim Beisembayev and as a member of the quartet Ensemble Jackalope (whom are Britten Pears Young Artists this season).

 

In 2025 Junyan performed Sur Incises in a London concert celebrating the centenary of Pierre Boulez, conducted by Susanna Mälkki. As an enthusiastic performer of contemporary music, she regularly collaborates with Manchester Collective and Her Ensemble, recent performances including London’s Southbank Centre and Milton Court Concert Hall. Junyan has worked closely with composers including Hans Abrahamsen (performing his Piano Concerto at the Royal Academy of Music), 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.

 

Following her time at the Shanghai Conservatoire, Junyan moved to London and continued her studies at the Royal Academy of Music, with Professor Joanna MacGregor. She recently held a fellowship at RAM, following her undergraduate and postgraduate studies.