A fearless performer with seemingly limitless imagination and possessed with uncanny energy, pianist Han Chen plays scores old and new with rare rigor and insight.
Gold Medalist at the 2013 China International Piano Competition and prizewinner at the 2018 Honens International Piano Competition, Han Chen has earned international acclaim as one of today's most commanding interpreters of both contemporary and classical repertoire. His wide-ranging discography on Naxos encompasses Franz Liszt, Anton Rubinstein, Thomas Adès, and György Ligeti's Complete Piano Études, among others. His 2025 recording of Florence Price's Piano Concerto — nominated for the GRAMMY® Award in Best Classical Instrumental Solo—reflects his ongoing commitment to expanding the recognized repertoire.
Recognized by The New Yorker as a notable recording artist of 2023 and praised by Gramophone as "impressively commanding and authoritative," Mr. Chen has been celebrated by critics for delivering "some of the finest pianism" in recent memory. The New York Times has highlighted his "graceful touch," "rhythmic precision" and "hypnotic charm."
Upcoming Events
Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1 & Price Piano Concerto with Montgomery County Orchestra
Montgomery County, United States
Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 1 Florence Price - Piano Concerto in One Movement
False Harmonics #28: Currawong Project at Pioneer Works
Pioneer Works
New York, United States
Matthias Kriesberg - get used to it man thats the way we live now (Kevin Larke, electronics; Huei Lin, video) Alexander Scriabin - selected works Han Chen, Arseniy Gusev, Asiya Korepanova, Nicolas Namoradze, Élisabeth Pion (piano)
Recital at UC San Diego Bridge Music Series
University of California San Diego
San Diego, United States
Liang - A Book of Time I (West Coast premiere)
Brent Michael Davids' Indiana Concerto with New England Philharmonic
Tsai Performance Center, Boston University
Boston, United States
Brent Michael Davids' Indiana Concerto
Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 with Allen Philharmonic
Allen, United States
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto No. 1
enSRQ Performs Crumb and McIntosh
Sarasota, United States
George Crumb - Music for a Summer Evening Andrew McIntosh - Little Jimmy
Latest Release
Anton Rubinstein: Piano Sonatas Nos. 3 and 4
Anton Rubinstein stood at the heart of Russian musical life for nearly half a century and had a profound influence on generations of Russian musicians, including Tchaikovsky. His piano sonatas reveal a composer intent on uniting intellect and passion within a symphonic conception of the keyboard. With its heroic, noble themes, the Third Piano Sonata was Rubinstein's own favourite of the set. The final Piano Sonata No. 4 represents the composer at the height of his creative command, pouring a lifetime of emotions into a single piece and distilling the paradoxical tensions between intellect and impulse, Germanic structure and Russian ardour.
Critical Acclaim
"... pianist Han Chen digs deep below the music's agitated and hyper-romantic surface and manages to extract its finer poetic details, buried under the flurry of notes in the thick of which he sails through without a hint of technical challenge."— Classical Music Sentinel
Latest Updates
Symphonina Foundation: David Fogel Interviews Grammy®-Nominee Han Chen
Symphonina Foundation CEO David Fogel speaks with Han Chen about his Naxos discography, Grammy-nominated Florence Price recording, and upcoming Classical Reimagined event at CUNY Graduate Center.
ConcertoNet: Varieties of Musical Experiences — Reimagining Classics
"Flashy, loud, with fireworks, glissandi and pounding chords" — Harry Rolnick on Han Chen opening CUNY Graduate Center's Reimagining Classics with the first movement of Rubinstein's Third Piano Sonata.
Han Chen's Anton Rubinstein Piano Sonatas Nos. 3 and 4 Recording Submitted for GRAMMY® Consideration in Best Classical Instrumental Solo Category
Pianist Han Chen's critically acclaimed recording of Anton Rubinstein's Piano Sonatas Nos. 3 and 4 on Naxos Records has been submitted for GRAMMY® consideration in the Best Classical Instrumental Solo category, completing his acclaimed survey of Rubinstein's major piano sonatas.
The Boston Musical Intelligencer: Piano Master Bids Adieux Before Saying Hello
"Massively emotive and technically astonishing, Chen bested the field to win the flying colors of this joust." Lee Eiseman reviews Han Chen's "Departure: Music of Farewell and Emergence" recital at NEC's Williams Hall, including the world premiere of Nina C. Young's Fern Flower.
Han Chen Receives GRAMMY® Nomination for Florence Price Piano Concerto Recording
Pianist Han Chen's recording of Florence Price's Piano Concerto with conductor John Jeter and the Malmö Opera Orchestra has been nominated for a GRAMMY® Award in the Best Classical Instrumental Solo category, marking a historic moment for both the artist and the legacy of composer Florence Price.
Han Chen's Florence Price Piano Concerto Recording Submitted for GRAMMY® Consideration in Best Classical Instrumental Solo Category
Pianist Han Chen's critically acclaimed recording of Florence Price's Piano Concerto with conductor John Jeter and the Malmö Opera Orchestra has been submitted for GRAMMY® consideration in the Best Classical Instrumental Solo category, highlighting both artistic excellence and the historical significance of Price's groundbreaking work.
Latest Videos
Florence Price
Fantasie Nègre No. 1 in E minor
Franz Liszt
Impromptu
Jared Miller
Prelude
Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat major, Op. 106 "Hammerklavier"
György Ligeti
Études No. 13. L'escalier du diable (The Devil's Staircase)
Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-flat major, Op. 110
Fantasie Nègre No. 1 in E minor
Impromptu
Prelude
Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat major, Op. 106 "Hammerklavier"
Études No. 13. L'escalier du diable (The Devil's Staircase)
Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-flat major, Op. 110
Projects & Commissions
Infinite Staircase
18 World Premiere works for solo piano co-commissioned with Metropolis Ensemble, marking the centenary of György Ligeti.
ExploreMigration Music
An ongoing interview series exploring the impact of immigration on contemporary composers and their music.
ExploreCommissioned Works
A growing catalogue of new solo piano works commissioned by Han from leading composers across the Americas and Asia.
Explore