Dr. Alber Chien is an award-winning pianist based in California, celebrated for his versatility as a soloist, collaborator, and chamber musician. His performances have taken him to prestigious venues across the U.S., including Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall, as well as in Taiwan and Germany. Notable competition accolades include second prize at the Los Angeles Liszt International Competition (with the Best Performance of Hungarian Rhapsody Award), first prize in the Music Teachers Association of California’s State Piano Concerto Competition, and first prize in the Southern California Junior Bach Festival for his interpretation of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. In chamber music, he has earned first prize at both the VOCE State Competition for Chamber Ensembles and the Rutgers University Mason Gross Chamber Music Competition.
Dr. Chien holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Piano Performance from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts. His esteemed teachers include Daniel Pollack, Shigeo Neriki, Jean-Louis Haguenauer, and Daniel Epstein. He has also participated in masterclasses with Oxana Yablonskaya, Gustavo Romero, and Llyr Williams, and was nominated to attend the prestigious Gilmore Keyboard Festival.
A distinguished collaborative pianist, Dr. Chien has worked with celebrated artists such as Shmuel Ashkenazi, Midori, and Vadim Gluzman in masterclasses, and has served as an accompanist for university professors across various instruments and voice. His past roles include staff pianist at both Indiana University’s Summer String Academy and the Manhattan School of Music’s Pre-College Division. He is currently a Staff Pianist at the renowned Bowdoin International Music Festival.
Beyond his collaborative work, Dr. Chien is committed to contemporary music and has premiered numerous compositions. He was a member of the Atlantic Music Festival’s Contemporary Music Ensemble in 2019.
An experienced educator, Dr. Chien has taught at both Indiana University and Rutgers University, offering individual and group lessons to music majors and non-majors. He has held the position of Visiting Professor of Piano at McLennan Community College, where he taught courses ranging from applied piano to advanced music theory and opera workshop. Recently, he served as Visiting Instructor of Piano, Coordinator of Collaborative Piano, and Music Director of the Opera/Musical Theatre Ensemble at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. He is currently Instructor of Collaborative Piano at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.
Contact Information
School of Music
MUEB 208
