It began with a five year old Andy Chen ’25 who, inspired by his parents, played his first notes on the piano. In doing so, he marked the start of a musical journey that would lead him to become an artist at Deerfield.
In the beginning, practicing was tough for Chen. “My [parents] did push me a lot, but looking back, I felt like I needed that push as a kid, and I’m glad that it got me to where I am now,” Chen said. He explained that a large reason behind his parent’s desire to keep him playing was because they saw and wanted to foster an innate musical gift in him. They were particularly impressed by his demonstrations of near-perfect pitch when playing songs from movies he had just seen.
At the age of nine, Chen attended a piano summer camp in Austria that marked a major milestone in his musical journey. He recalled endless hours practicing the piano and feeling exhausted, bored, and frustrated with the repetitive practice. However, Chen later stated that he was extremely grateful for the opportunity and felt inspired by the musicians he had encountered there. Specifically, Chen said, “Seeing how the professors around me and students around me who are able to work so hard and get somewhere with it, I was inspired to do the same.”
When asked about his musical endeavors at Deerfield, Chen expressed his gratitude for opportunities he received. “First of all, I’m really thankful to the entire chamber music program,” Chen said. “Deerfield [is] one of the only schools that has chamber music as a class…I’m just so grateful for all the opportunities that that program has given me.” For him, being able to work on music for hours every week and perform it on stage is a thrilling experience. “Deerfield is a surprisingly musical environment,” Chen said. “Almost every single year, we have been able to pull together three to five hour concerts…I feel like, in a very big sense, coming to Deerfield made me realize that music connects us all,” he added.
At Deerfield, Andy has left a significant impact on his fellow musicians. Evan Xie ’25, a fellow pianist and member of the Deerfield Chamber music program said about Chen, “He’s a brilliant pianist. I mean, if you’ve ever seen him perform, you know how musically talented he is, but also how sensitive he is to music. And you can really see his enjoyment and appreciation for music.” Another Deerfield musician, Max Wang ’25, shared how much work Chen has put into his musical career, saying, “Andy is incredibly passionate about music… His commitment to music is like one hundred percent.”
Both students noted Chen’s welcoming character outside of the practice rooms as well. Xie said, “You’ll never see him in the dorms without a smile. He greets everyone with such friendliness, and he’s always carrying, like, kind of a very, very nice, positive energy.”
To Chen, a moment that stands out in his musical career was when he was performing chamber music on the final night of a summer camp. The piece was progressing to the coda section, and Chen was weaving chords on his piano. Then, suddenly, the lights in the concert hall went out. “My first thought to myself was, was this a test? Because back when I practiced, piano teachers told me,‘If you know your piece well enough, you should be able to do it with your eyes closed.’” Chen then decided to continue playing the piece in the dark room. Soon enough, the violinist followed, succeeded by the cellist, and then the whole orchestra. Chen then looked at the waving crowd, and saw the entire room illuminated by the flashlights on the audience’s phones. “Once I’m up there on the stage, it’s not me who matters, but the music,” he said. “I will always try my best to bring that (the music) to the audience.”
In addition to playing piano, Chen also studied music composition, beginning his journey four years ago. By studying scores, textbooks, and having weekly lessons, he learned how to compose music on top of simply playing it. Starting from last winter, he began working on a particular composition with Director of Music Thomas Bergeron. After nearly a year of hard work, and looking into different kinds of hardware and software, this piece is now completed for the Deerfield orchestra and will be performed during the 2024-2025 Fall Family Weekend.
Wang shared how much work Chen has put into making sure his composition is not only musically rich, but also approachable for the entire orchestra. He said, “Andy had gone around personally and talked to different instruments to learn specifically their norms and to make his piece easier to read and play for the many different sections within the orchestra. He has also attended all the orchestra rehearsals and given us feedback and support so we can play the best we could.”
Looking to the future, Chen said, “Wherever it is that I go, I just look forward to talking about music with people, people who don’t have the same culture as I do, people who don’t share the same language as I do. I think music is a very, very powerful voice.”