Music that Moves the Passions: 18th Century Harpsichord Music with Joyce Chen

Saturday, September 14, 2024 – 2pm
Reed College Performing Arts Building – Room 320 – Directions

Recital Followed by Hands-On Time for Newcomers!

Online Video Premiere – Sunday, September 29, 2024 – 2pm on the WEKA YouTube Channel

Dr. Joyce Chen, Assistant Professor of Historical Keyboards at the University of Oregon, presents an exciting recital of 18th century solo harpsichord music, featuring works by Joseph-Nicolas-Pancrace Royer, JS Bach, Marianna Martines, and more!

Printable Program for the Recital
Introduction to the Harpsichord (handout)

HANDS-ON TIME FOR NEWCOMERS – The recital will be followed by hands-on exploration of the instrument for anyone in the audience who wishes. Three harpsichords from the Reed College Early Keyboard Collection will be available for you to try!

Piano students and teachers are always welcome at WEKA events. It’s an excellent way to introduce students to the instruments known and loved by Bach, Scarlatti, Handel and other Baroque composers. A harpsichord builder as well as additional harpsichord instructors will be on hand to answer questions and provide guidance. Welcome!

ABOUT THE ARTIST – A native of Taiwan, Dr. Joyce Wei-Jo Chen is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Music (Historical Musicology) and the Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in Humanities at Princeton University. Under the guidance of Wendy Heller, Dr. Chen is currently working on her dissertation, “Musica Experientia/Experimentum: Acoustics and Artisanal Knowledge in the Global Seventeenth Century,” which explores the intersection between science, music, and aesthetics involving instrument-making, sensory experience, and the development of acoustical theory. For this project, Dr. Chen spent 4 months working as an apprentice at Zuckermann Harpsichords International—the last harpsichord manufacturing factory in the United States— in Stonington, Connecticut. In addition, she just finished building her first harpsichord from a Troubadour Virginal Kit.  

As a solo harpsichordist, Dr. Chen has performed throughout the United States, France, Belgium, and Taiwan. Dr. Chen received the 2018 Individual Artist Fellowship from the Delaware Division of the Arts and was a featured soloist in the 2019 Emerging Artist Showcase by Early Music America. Dr. Chen released her first solo harpsichord album featuring English virginalist music in Fall 2023.  View Dr. Chen’s YouTube Channel

Dr. Chen holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Harpsichord Performance from Stony Brook University and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley. Dr. Chen has been on faculty at St. Joseph’s University, the University of Delaware, and Delaware State University, where she also introduced a pilot program of HBCU early music access project in collaboration with Early Music America and the Princeton GradFUTURES program.

Admission
Free to WEKA members
Free to 18 and under, and college students with ID. Children must be accompanied by an adult
General Admission $25 payable at the door