Two Former Child Prodigies, a Pianist and a Violinist, will Perform at Chesapeake Music’s February 16 Interlude Concert

By Maria Grant
It is crystal clear that Chesapeake Music’s February 16th Interlude Concert will not disappoint. Two truly amazing multi-award-winning musicians will be featured: pianist Janice Carissa, and violinist Stella Chen.
Carissa began studying piano in Indonesia at the age of five with her self-taught pianist mother. She entered the Curtis Institute of Music at age 15, debuted with the Philadelphia Orchestra at age 16, and with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra at age 19. Carissa studied under professors Gary Graffman and Robert McDonald and went on to receive her master’s degree from the Juilliard School. She was recently named a Gilmore Young Artist and has won the Salon de Virtuosi Award and the American Protégé Star Performer Award. She has captivated audiences from the Sydney Opera House to the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall.
Critics praise her playing, saying she has a ‘fleet-fingered touch” and tells “a vivid story.” In past concerts, Carissa has tackled the challenging works of Liszt, Bach, Beethoven, Granados, Busoni, and Scriabin. Carissa has said that her goal as a performer is to spread the joy of music. Rest assured that on February 16, she will do just that.
Stella Chen grew up in Silicon Valley and began playing the violin at age seven. Her teacher, Li Lin, a passionate violinist, encouraged her, “to produce an interesting sound at all times.” Gramophone 2023 Young Artist of the Year, Chen garnered worldwide attention with her First Prize win at the 2019 Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition followed by the 2020 Avery Fisher Career Grant and the 2020 Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award. She is the Inaugural recipient of the Robert Levin Award from Harvard University. Her mentors include Levin, Donald Weilerstein, Itzhak Perlman, Miriam Fried, and Catherine Cho. Chen has performed as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic and the Chicago Symphony and appeared in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Vienna’s Musikverein, and Berliner Philharmonie. She plays chamber music with Perlman, Weilerstein, and Levin.
In March of 2023, Chen produced a stunning debut album called Stella X Schubert. Her instruments include the 1700 “ex-Petri” Stradivari and the 1708 “Huggins” Stradivari.
For the Chesapeake Music Interlude concert, there will be solo performances by Carissa, and solo performances by Chen, and the evening will conclude with a duo performance by Carissa and Chen. Predictions are in – a magical evening is in store.
Tickets for the Interlude Concert on February 16 at Easton’s Ebenezer Theater are $50. Chesapeake Music also offers free tickets for students and music educators, as well as a “buy-one-get-one” option for those who are new to Chesapeake Music and want to bring a friend. To purchase tickets, visit Chesapeakemusic.org