Sicong Chen

Sicong Chen,

Sicong Chen

Viola, Violin

Teaching Philosophy

“For as long as I’ve cared about music, I’ve cared about teaching. To me, pedagogy and andragogy are fundamental aspects of my music-making process. Rather than simply directing students unilaterally, I prefer to see the teacher and student alternate roles during class, exchanging intellectual standpoints to fuel each other’s passion. This is the core value that I bring to all my teaching work.

I have mixed feelings about authority in the classroom. Although it can readily provide a conventional answer to any question, it is less helpful for individual thinking development. It hinders us from creating unprecedented art, as the authority might impose excessive restrictions on everyday practice. Nevertheless, we have the responsibility to consider and communicate proper reasoning behind the principles we are teaching. In my class, I appreciate questions, encourage challenges, support imperfections, and embrace mistakes. Some of the most glorious moments in my playing come from my flaws, and I want students to learn these lessons too. If we acknowledge that mistakes are part of us, we can craft extraordinariness out of them.

As music playing is an exquisitely complex and abstract activity, I take care to prioritize the mental process in my lessons. In psychology, action is primarily influenced by the seven modules of emotion, which we can rarely control effectively. How we make music can vary widely depending on our emotional state, even if we have practiced it hundreds of times beforehand. A simple sentence, such as “How are you?” or “How do you feel about the playing?” would be valuable to students whose playing and mental/emotional health might improve with time and space to process in the lesson. This is one of the most prominent aspects in my teaching.

To achieve further success in music performance, I focus on disciplined practice with grace and efficiency. I often reassess myself with three questions: “What?” “Why?” “How?” The questions can extend to any aspect of music playing. I usually apply the questions to the lesson to see students’ rationale for their action, followed by discussing the pros and cons, and eventually optimizing the process. I ensure that the musical direction is not determined solely by me, but rather developed through a thoughtful brainstorming process.

Musicality is also a critical subject in the cultivation process. In past generations, teachers often separated music skill development from musicality development. However, I am more inclined to believe that the music technique serves musicality, and the musicality shapes the music technique. Therefore, I introduce tools to blend musical connection with the techniques alongside the teaching. Students need to understand the musical context first and apply it flexibly, using suitable music techniques in their playing. For instance, asking students, “How do you see this note with dots in this Mozart Sonata, compared to the one in Imagine Dragons’ Violin Cover?” Students who have a complete understanding of the appropriate technique implementation will be able to provide a positive learning experience.

As a teacher, I have the great privilege of envisioning my students’ futures. I want students to build a solid, independent thinking system with exquisite practice tools. Only when we establish a solid foundation can we think thoroughly; only then do we have room to think about music itself. And if we can understand the principles of music, we will spark creativity with limitless possibilities. My ultimate goal for a student in a lesson is to eliminate the teaching aspect, to communicate readily through music, to express freely without limitation, and to create beauty that goes beyond our ordinary imagination.”

Biography

Praised as “delivery was crisp, precise with feeling” by LSO News, Sicong Chen is an avid multi-genre musician steeped in classical music. Chen made his solo debut in 2012, performing alongside the Beijing Youth Symphony Orchestra at the Forbidden City Concert Hall. Since then, Chen has appeared as a soloist and ensemble musician in venues worldwide. Recent season highlights include his performances at the Beijing Concert Hall, the Millennium Monument Concert Hall, the Zhongshan Concert Hall, the China National Library Concert Hall, the Gammage Concert Hall, the Kaufman Music Center, the Rivercenter, and the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. Chen also made his recording debut in 2015, featuring works by his first teacher, Xiongda Jiang, alongside the Beijing Youth Symphony Orchestra.
Chen has received top awards in the Sicong Ma National Violin Competition, the Hong Kong International Violin Competition, the Schoenfeld International String Competition, the Hong Kong International Chamber Music Competition, the China Hummingbird Chamber Music Competition, the LaGrange Symphony Young Artists Competition, and the Grand Prix International Music Award. Chen has also served as concertmaster throughout his studies with the Beijing Youth Symphony Orchestra, Arizona State University Symphony Orchestra, and the Schwob Philharmonic, as well as a member of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, LaGrange Symphony Orchestra, Albany Symphony Orchestra, and Panama City Symphony Orchestra.
Chen is an experienced ensemble leader and enjoys collaborating with his peers, educators, and acclaimed artists through chamber music and orchestral playing. Chen has performed alongside artists including Vadim Repin, Cho-Liang Lin, Sergiu Schwartz, Boris Kuchnir, Nicholaj Znaider, Andrès Cardenes, Shmuel Ashkenasi, Boris Abramov, Jason Vieaux, Demonic Cheli, Benjamin Beilman, JP Jofre, Ester Park, Branson Yeast, and Luca Lombardi. He has been featured by news outlets such as Germany’s Sulzbach-Rosenberg Stadt and Japan’s Kobe Shimbun, where he was noted as an extraordinary classical musician. In 2023, Chen confounded the Aestas String Quartet, the Graduate String Quartet in residence at the Schwob School of Music.
Chen fuses a passion for classical music into new music exploration. He has been arranging and participating in contemporary music events. His arrangements of string ensemble music have been recorded for the Reynold Lake Oconee Resort and have received thousands of views on social media. Chen’s performance of the commissioned work “Lines Around Corner,” collaborated with Ralph Lewis, has been showcased at the SEAMUS National Conference and the CMS National Conference.
Chen has appeared as a soloist with the Beijing Youth Orchestra with maestro Xiongda Jiang, the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra with Sir Richard Prior, the Schwob Philharmonic Orchestra, the CSU Virtuosi Ensemble with conductor Sergiu Schwartz, the Northern Arizona Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Desmond Siu, and Blue Morpho Orchestra with maestro Enslius Montes Olivar. In 2018, he was invited as a guest artist for the International Clarinet Festival in Ostende, Belgium.
Born in Beijing, China, Sicong Chen began studying the violin at the age of 12 with Xiongda Jiang. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Violin Performance at Arizona State University under Professor Danwen Jiang, and an Artist Diploma and Master of String Quartet with Professor Sergiu Schwartz, the William B. and Sue Marie Turner Distinguished Faculty Chair in Violin.
As of 2025, Chen is invited as a music faculty member at the Manhattan International Music Festival. Chen also serves as an Ambassador for the Vargas Music Foundation, teaching and mentoring aspiring young talent. Chen is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts at Boston University under the direction of Professor Peter Zazofsky.
Sicong began teaching in 2016 and joined Note-worthy Experiences in October 2025.