International piano sensation is to launch Harrogate International Sunday Series 2025
Award-winning pianist Junyan Chen will get this year’s Harrogate International Sunday Series off to a flying start at the Old Swan Hotel this weekend.
Chen won the silver medal at the 2024 Leeds International Piano Competition, also winning the chamber music prize and Alexandra Dariescu award for a work by a woman composer, cementing her reputation as a rising star of classical music in the piano world.
The acclaimed musician will perform an exhilarating programme this Sunday, January 26 at The Old Swan Hotel at 11am.
Featuring pieces by Bach, Beethoven, Bartók and Liszt, the hugely-talented Chen said she hoped her programme would resonate with her audience.
"I’m very excited to connect with everyone through the music.
"I believe classical music remains very much alive and I would love for them to fall in love with these pieces the way I have.”
Chen has appeared in venues such as Wigmore Hall, KKL Lucerne and Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Hall, and as a soloist has collaborated with the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra, and XinZhu Symphony Orchestra.
Her debut solo album, It's Time, was released by Linn Records in 2022 and explores a range of music styles and art forms, including Turkish folk ballads, jazz and African dance.
Sharon Canavar, Chief Executive of Harrogate International Festivals, said it was a thrilling way to start this year’s Sunday Series.
“We have been lucky enough to present some breathtaking performances over the years and Junyan Chen promises to continue that tradition.”