Mei-Ann Chen has been named the new Music Director for the Memphis Symphony.
She was assistant conductor for the Baltimore Symphony and Atlanta Symphony and well as being a League of American Orchestras Conducting Fellow.
She was a finalist for the music director position for the Princeton Symphony. She conducted the PSO’s January 18, 2009 concert which featured Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony, as well as lesser known works such as Dvořák’s Wind Serenade, Op.44 in D minor, Rossini’s Overture to La scala di seta and the very unknown – since it was the premiere – Clarinet Concerto by Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Moravec (which was commissioned by the PSO).
From watching her in rehearsals I knew she was well informed on the music and conveyed her insights to the players easily. I had a chance to talk to her after the final rehearsal while I was waiting to go onstage to blather on about the music. It turns out that Mei-Ann was one of the nicest persons I’ve met – an unusual trait for conductors 🙂
Here are my published notes (PDF format) at the PSO site for this concert. There is some additional info on Mei-Ann there too. The New England Conservatory has a nice press release on her new gig.
Chen mentioned to some at the Green Music Center that she has some impending career options, as she’ll leave her post as music director of the Memphis Symphony in May.