Shuann Chai is an active and engaged artist, acclaimed for her interpretations on both modern and historiche instruments. Her broad interests are well reflected in recent projects: Beethoven recitals in Vredenburg Utrecht and at the American Church in Paris, concerts and master classes in China in collaboration with baritone Mattijs van de Woerd, and leading a series of performances of music by John Cage, in which she performed herself in collaboration with modern dancers.
Shuann studied piano and biology at Oberlin College and received her master's degrees from the New England Conservatory in Boston and the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. Her teachers included Jack Radunsky, Norma Fisher, David Breitman and Claus-Christian Schuster of the Altenberg Trio. In 2010, she otnved a scholarship to the Banff Centre in Canada. Here she was one of eight pianists, who were allowed to participate in Anton Kuerti's prestigious Beethoven master class. In 2012 and 2103, she was invited here as Artist in residence.
Shuann has been heard via a live webcast from Avro Klassiek, in radio broadcasts from Boston with Pieter Wispelwey and from Cleveland, Canada and Hong Kong. Her first solo CD of Beethoven sonatas on fortepiano was released in 2011 and was well received. In addition to her concert practice, Shuan Chai is increasingly in demand as a teacher. She has led master classes and taught at conservatoires and universities in China, Norway, Taiwan, England and America.
She will devote much of the 2013-2104 season to performing all of Beethoven's sonatas on period instruments. She currently lives in The Hague, where she is visiting professor at the Royal Conservatoire for historical performance practice on keyboard instruments. At the Friends of the Song, she performs with the soprano Mijke Sekhuis.
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