Lunchtime Pipe Organ Series: Dr. Theresa Chen

Dr. Theresa Chen is an instructor of applied jazz piano, director of jazz/funk combo and Orange Juice combo, songwriting, and history of jazz courses at Syracuse University. She is the first Taiwanese-American who teaches jazz at the college of music in the United States. Dr. Chen has accumulated 20 years of Catholic church service playing experiences since third grade, but she didn't start self-learning the pipe organ until 2016. So far, she has served at many Catholic churches in both Taiwan and America including St John's Cathedral in Chiayi City, Sacred Heart Church at Guting, Immaculate Conception Church at Fu-Ren University, and St Anne Church in Rochester, New York. She now serves as the music director and organist at the Most Holy Rosary Church in Syracuse, New York, and one of the executive committee members of the American Guild of Organists--Syracuse Chapter.

Dr. Chen has hosted many workshops in organ improvisations, hymn accompanying, and transcribing. Currently, she is preparing for her future research on sacred jazz(including jazz masses) and its placement in Catholic liturgy.

Dr. Chen received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in classical piano at National Taiwan Normal University(NTNU) in 2013 with the Certificate of Digital Visual and Sound Arts and minors in flute and voice. In 2015 and 2018, she earned Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in jazz piano performance at Eastman School Music, with a minor in music theory and the Certificate of Advanced Achievement in the Art of Improvisation. She has studied jazz and historical improvisations with the legendary jazz pianist Harold Danko, Gary Versace, Bill Dobbins, Dr. Dariusz Terefenko, Vincent Lenti, and organist/harpsichordist Edoardo Bellotti.

"An Afternoon of Pentecost Music and Transcriptions" Program for Wednesday, June 1st: 

J S. Bach: Organ Prelude in C Major BWV 547

D. Buxtehude: Chorale Prelude on "Komm, Heliger Geist" Buxwv 199

Naji Hakim: Trois Paraphrases sure "Veni creator spiritus"

Mov. I   Ductore si te praevio

Mov. II  Fons vivus

J. Haydn: Sonata 1 ("Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.") from Seven Last Words of Christ

F. Liszt: St. Francis Preaching to the Nature from Deux Legends

De-Fang Lai-Sun: The Blue Sky March

Scott Joplin: March Majestic

Vernon Duke: April in Paris