Mei-Ann Chen
Mei-Ann Chen’s Artistic Advisor Contract with Springfield Symphony Extended Through 2025-26 Season
The Springfield Symphony Orchestra (SSO) has announced its 2025-26 Season Subscriptions are now on sale to the public. Opening Night is on Saturday, October 11 with an Italian theme, conducted by Mei-Ann Chen, who will continue to serve as the SSO’s Artistic Advisor through the coming season.
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Chen, an internationally-acclaimed conductor and one of Musical America’s 2015 Top 30 Influencers, began serving as Artistic Advisor for the SSO in its 2024-25 season. In this position, Maestra Chen serves as the Orchestra’s artistic face, curating programs, selecting guest soloists and facilitating other artistic needs. As with the 2024-25 Season, Chen will once again conduct two performances this coming season – Opening Night on October 11, and the March 2026 performance, “Mendelssohn, Gershwin, & A Woman’s Voice.”
Chen has served as Music Director of Chicago Sinfonietta since 2011. Chief Conductor of Austria’s Recreation – Grosses Orchester Graz at Styriarte, she also serves as an Artistic Partner with ROCO (TX) and Northwest Sinfonietta (WA). Highly regarded as a compelling communicator, Chen is a sought-after guest conductor, and has appeared with distinguished orchestras throughout the Americas, Europe, Taiwan, The United Kingdom, and Scandinavia, (over 150 orchestras to date). Chen is a recipient of a League of American Orchestras Helen M. Thompson Award, a Taki Concordia Fellowship, several ASCAP awards, and is the only woman in the history of the Malko Competition to have been named First Prize Winner.
This coming season, the SSO will also launch new community-focused initiatives and partnerships. Music on the Menu is a concert series partnering with local restaurants to promote the SSO while raising funds for the Springfield Symphony Youth Scholarship Fund. The SSO will also partner with mission-aligned nonprofit organizations for performances to broaden its reach and impact.