The year 2022 has been an exciting one for Chelsea Guo Winner of the 2022 YCA Susan Wadsworth International Auditions in November, she was awarded management services and expanded concert opportunities. Chelsea was also proud to be included in “Classic FM’s Rising Stars: 30 Brilliant Musicians We’re Celebrating in 2022”. An artist who has already attracted international attention as a pianist and soprano of remarkable gifts, her dual artistry is featured in her 2021 debut recording on the Orchid Classics label, “Chelsea Guo: Chopin in My Voice”, which includes beloved Chopin solo repertoire, along with two Chopin songs and one Rossini aria in which the artist accompanies herself. The inclusion of the Rossini aria is typical of many of the concert programs Chelsea offers, which include both piano and vocal works, enriching the opportunity for her audience to experience music in a broader context and displaying the influence that singers had on composers of their time. Gramophone Magazine included the recording in their Essential New Albums and Classic FM featured Chelsea for an entire week as a “Young Classical Star.” The album reached #7 on the Billboard Traditional Classical Chart and received five stars from BBC Music Magazine, which wrote: “A very fine pianist with a beguiling voice; Here is a rare talent.” In China, all of the major digital music platforms prominently displayed the recording on their homepages. Both WQXR and Naxos China highlighted it among “The Best Albums of the Month. '' Chelsea’s 2021-22 season began with her German debut at the Moritzburg Festival as both pianist and soprano, and appearances in both capacities with the Stamford Symphony and Michael Stern in their season opening gala, as well as an hour-long return visit to radio station WQXR’s Young Artist Showcase. It continued similarly with the New Jersey Symphony and Maestro Xian Zhang, her Spain debut with the prestigious Sociedad Filarmonica La Coruña, her collaboration with the Oregon Mozart Players and Kelly Kuo in the closing concert of their 40th anniversary season, and her debut at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall with the New Jersey Symphony and Maestro Zhang, in Chen Qigang’s “Er Huang Piano Concerto”. Having won a top prize in the 2020 National Chopin Piano Competition in Miami, Chelsea’s 21-22 season also included recitals in Florida for the Chopin Foundation of the United States, the Grand Piano Series, and the Miami International Piano Festival. Chelsea started the 2022-23 season with a recital in Cremona, Italy, at the invitation of the Fazioli family, which was part of the Cremona Musica and Fazioli Piano festivals. She traveled immediately thereafter to London to participate in a live filming with Sky TV, which featured a group of young artists chosen by Classic FM as their "Rising Stars for 2022". Later on in the season, she will perform with the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players, “Model Room Musicales” of New York Yacht Club, and make concerto appearances with the New Jersey and New Haven symphonies. Chelsea’s solo piano performances have taken her to Carnegie Hall, London’s Wigmore Hall, as well as prominent venues throughout the United States, England, Austria, France, Poland, Italy, Spain, China, Japan and Canada. A guest artist of the Leeds Inaugural Piano Festival, she was also featured in Europe in solo recitals presented by the Mozarteum Summer Series in Salzburg, and in China, in a six-concert tour under the auspices of the Shenzhen Piano Music Festival. Her orchestral appearances have included the Ft. Worth Symphony, under the baton of Maestro Barry Douglas, and the Torun Symphony Orchestra in Poland. Chelsea was honored to be a Young Scholar of the Lang Lang Foundation, a young artist of the Artemisia Akademie at Yale, and a recipient of the US Chopin Foundation scholarships for four consecutive years. NOTE: When editing, please do not delete references to Young Concert Artists, nor special prizes. Please do not use previously dated biographies. 12/2022Chelsea’s passion for piano was mirrored by her love of singing from an early age. Having debuted as a pianist with the Tianjin Symphony Orchestra at age nine, she returned in 2018 as vocal soloist under the baton of Maestro Muhai Tang. She has been recognized for her vocal gifts as a 2019 National YoungArts winner, the first prize winner in the 2019 Schmidt Voice Competition, and recipient of scholarships from the George London and Gerda Lissner foundations. Chelsea graduated with honors from the Juilliard School’s Pre-College as a double major in piano and classical voice, studying with Hung-kuan Chen, Tema Blackstone and Lorraine Nubar. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in piano at Juilliard under the tutelage of Hung-Kuan Chen and continuing her vocal studies with Jason Ferrante. She has welcomed the opportunity to be mentored by renowned soprano, Barbara Bonney, over the past five years.

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‍LUIS URBINA
Piano collaborator

Luis Urbina was born in Caracas, Venezuela on July 16, 1991. He began his musical studies at the age of 9 on the piano and then began learning cello at the age of 10. He was considered a prodigy in his developmental years. He studied with Dr. Paul Posnak from ages 13-17 and won many local and state competitions as a pianist. He also took voice lessons with Chesne Ryman and competed as a singer during his high school years. Luis earned spots as a finalist in competitions such as the Lennox International piano competition and auditioned for the Gina Bachauer as well.

In 2009 Luis began his studies with Giselle Brodsky, the Artistic Director and Co-Founder the Miami International Piano Festival, which regularly brings in world-class artists and performers. With Mrs. Brodsky, Luis learned about the Taubman approach and greatly improved his technical awareness and musical knowledge and had the opportunity to work with great artists associated with the festival, such as Kemal Gekic, Misha Dacic, Jorge Luis Prats, Francesco Libetta, Dr. Frank cooper and Ilya Itin, just to name a few. He started his college studies at the University of Miami in 2009 with Dr. Frank Cooper, and later transferred to FIU where he got his Undergraduate Degree and studied with Kemal Gekic. During his time at FIU, he played in many ensembles, both jazz and classical, and won the Concerto Competition playing the Liszt 2nd with the School Orchestra. One of his biggest opportunities came when he got the chance to perform with Ida Haendel, the legendary violinist in concerts in Manhattan and Santa Barbara in between 2010-2012. Luis considers this to be one of his biggest honors as a musician.

Since his graduation at FIU, he has worked as a collaborator with many different musicians, especially singers. He played as a part of the MIPF’s “Opera and Piano Transcriptions” series as a collaborator, which sprung into the opportunity to give a recital with world-renowned soprano Eglise Guiterrez in December 2019. He has performed with names such as Gilles Apap, Simone Porter, Oliver Aldort and Chelsea Guo. He has also taken part in Miami Piano International Festival Academy, which had its inception in June 2015. This academy has been an amazing experience for him, gaining immeasurable insights into music and the world of piano with the fantastic roster of artists the Academy offers. Luis has been an integral part of the MIPFA, beginning as a student and now with a veteran role in the Academy, teaching and being a mentor to many younger pianists that attend. MIPFA has had its last two summer session in Briosco, Italy in the Villa Medici Guilini, which has been an amazing experience as well. Luis has also participated in a variety of concerts in the MIPF as a collaborator, accompanying names such as Chelsea Guo, Simone Porter, Eglise Guiterrez, Oliver Aldort, and many others. Luis will make his debut for the festival in the 2024/2025 season as a soloist. In March of 2024 Luis will also be pursuing an Artist Diploma in Musical Arts Madrid with Misha Dacic.