MSO conductor candidate drawn by orchestra's chemistry, reputation
Mei-Ann Chen sees great things ahead for the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. And she’d like to be the one who helps shape its musical destiny.
Chen, 36, is one of three candidates for the job of conductor and music director to replace the retiring David Loebel. The others vying for the position are Alastair Willis, former associate conductor of the Seattle Symphony who led the MSO in his debut last month; and Thomas Wilkins, music director of the Omaha Symphony who was at the podium earlier this month.
Mei-Ann Chen
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This weekend, Chen leads the orchestra through a diverse trio of hefty works by John Adams, Beethoven and Dvorak in a concert that is part of the First Tennessee Grand Series Saturday at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts and the Sundays with the Symphony Series at the Germantown Performing Arts Centre.
Chen is assistant conductor with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and is a former assistant conductor for the Atlanta Symphony. In 2005, she became the first woman to win the Malko International Conductors Competition. She served as Assistant Conductor of the Oregon Symphony from 2003 to 2005 and in 2002 was named music director of the Portland Youth Philharmonic in Oregon.
Three years ago, before Loebel had announced he would be leaving, Chen had an opportunity to conduct the MSO. Even then, she felt there was good chemistry. “Conducting an orchestra is all about chemistry,” she said. “It’s almost like a relationship between a couple; there’s a chemistry you can’t deny or force.”
Beyond that, there’s an additional attraction. “The MSO has quite an interesting reputation as being one of the most innovative orchestras in our field,” she said. “The musicians have been incredibly involved in wanting to bring the organization to the next level. They’re examining the possibilities of what they can do with the art form to connect with the community.”
Chen says the orchestra is ahead of the curve in community awareness and engagement. “It’s thinking, ‘How can we make the MSO so important that we not only survive but thrive.’”
She sees her own role as furthering the existing momentum of the orchestra. “Maybe I’m ambitious, but knowing where they’ve gone with projects such as Leading From Every Chair and also with charter schools, my vision will be to make the MSO not only one of the hottest and indispensable cultural institutions in Memphis but the national envy of innovation, creativity and a leader in our field.”
Part of that, Chen says, is the orchestra becoming a destination for young talent to be cultivated. Among her ideas are having more guest artists visiting schools, possible residencies for young musicians and involving youth both as listeners and performers.
Along with new talent, Chen would like to offer some new programming, a task she likens to putting together a restaurant menu. “You have to have something tasty, healthy and balanced,” she says. “If one element is off, you won’t have a good meal. The standard repertoire is crucial but if you only do that, you also lose out on the flexibility that one learns from tackling a new repertoire.”
Chen has been impressed not only with the orchestra and its vitality, but with the city of Memphis as well. “There is so much happening here. What other great cities have such rich heritage in different genres? It’s so rare to be in a place where music is one of the most essential components.”
Memphis Symphony Orchestra with guest conductor Mei-Ann Chen and guest soloist Julie Albers on cello
The First Tennessee Grand Series concert is Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, 255 N. Main. Tickets: $15-$78.
The Sundays with the Symphony Series concert is Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at the Germantown Performing Arts Centre, 1801 Exeter Road. Tickets: $45. Call 537-2525 or go to memphissymphony.org.
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