Ying-Chen Kao

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Ying-Chen Kao (b.1981) has received various commissions and performances by renowned musicians and ensembles including the Peabody Children’s Chorus, Peabody Preparatory Dance Department, Michael Kannen, Donald Sutherland, Gary Thomas, Svetoslav Stoyanov, Benjamin Beirs, Tracy Anne Smith, Après Duo and AM/PM Saxophone Quartet. Ying-Chen was the recipient of the Otto Ortman Award, Peabody Conservatory's Graduate Assistantship Full Tuition Award, Austin Weeks Scholarship, the Maxwell R. Lepper Endowment Scholarship, the Lawrence Friedman Music Scholarship, Encore Grant from the American Composers Forum, and a Peabody Development Grant. Ying-Chen’s solo guitar piece has been recently released on the album, “TRACY ANNE SMITH: Lilac.Star.Bird” in 2008. Ying-Chen not only focuses on composition but is also a graphic designer. In August of 2006 her graphic work, “Constellation of Voice” was used as the cover image for Carnegie Hall’s October playbill.

Ying-Chen started playing the piano at the age of 5, and began composing at the age of 15. She attended Kuang Jen High School, an elite music school in Taiwan for musically gifted students. She holds her Bachelor’s degree in Theory Composition from the University of Miami, where she performed extensively as an instrumental and vocal accompanist.

Ying-Chen is currently a doctoral candidate at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University where she received her Masters Degree. She was awarded the composition assistantship from 2006-2008, and was the recipient of the Otto Ortman Award. Ying-Chen currently studies composition with Michael Hersch . She has studied composition with Christopher Theofanidis, John Van der Slice, Robert Gower, Paul Wilson and Lu Wen-Tze, and piano with J.B Floyd. She has participated in master classes with Chen Yi, Melissa Hui, Libby Larsen and Christopher Rouse.

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Selected Work list

Frustration Factory ( for saxophone quartet)(2009)
Commissioned by AM/PM saxophone quartet

Surreal Perception (for clarinet/bass clarinet, violin, cello and piano)(2008)
for REDSHIFT ensemble

Song of the Darkness (for mezzo soprano ,violin, viola, cello and vibraphone)(2008)
Commissioned by musicology prof.Andrew Talle
poem by John Bricuth

Transmutation (for solo tenor trombone) (2008)
commissioned by Summer Trombone Workshop 2008 Taipei, Taiwan

Ancient Memory (for solo tenor trombone) (2008)
commissioned by Summer Trombone Workshop 2008 Taipei, Taiwan

New Commissioned work for guitar and soprano (in progress)
for guitarist Benjamin Beirs

New Commissioned work for percussion (in progress)
for percussionist Svetoslav Stoyanov

Violin Concerto (in progress)

New Commissioned work for guitar duo (in progress)
for guitarist Tracy Anne Smith

I am Dancing Blue Flame (for soprano, tenor saxophone, piano, electronics and video) (2008)
for soprano Bonnie Lander/Text by H.A. Kares

Lilac . Star . Bird (for solo guitar) (2007)
for guitarist Tracy Anne Smith

The Blue of the End (for saxophone and organ) (2007)
commissioned by Jazz saxophonist Gary Thomas and organist Donald Sutherland

Black Carrot (for bass clarinet and piano) (2007)
for clarinetist Stephen Pfleiderer

Collidescope (for dancers and video) (2007)
for "New Work 2007" A Collaborative Showcase

The Sonnets to Orpheus (for children’s chorus and solo cello) (2007)
commissioned by Doreen Falby, director of the Peabody Children’s Chorus

Red Air ( for large orchestra) (2006)

Piano Quintet (2006)

Cloud Burst (for cello and piano) (2005)
commissioned by Michael Kannen, head of Peabody’s Chamber music department, and founding member of the Brentano String Quartet.

Haunted by an angel (trio for baritone, violin and guitar) (2005)
Text by H.A. Kares Received an Encore Grant from the American Composers Forum

530.623 (trio for clarinet, violin and viola) (2004)
For Noah Weber, Jesse Irons and Gwendolyn Fisher

Three pieces for three percussionists (2004)

Three pieces for two sopranos and String Quartet (2003)
text and Translation by Ching-Ming-Cheng (in Chinese)

Flute Sonata (for flute and piano) (2003)

Spanish Rhapsody (for solo Piano) (2003)

Toccata (for viola and piano) (2002)