Praised by The Baltimore Sun for her “impeccable technique…deeply expressive phrasing…and poetic weight,” Sirena Huang is one of her generation’s most celebrated violinists. She brings not only technical brilliance and powerful artistry to the stage, but also a profound sense of connection to her audience. Sirena is the 2022 Gold Medalist of the 11th Quadrennial International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, and was also awarded eight of the eleven special prizes.

Highlights of the 2024-25 season are a recital tour of Taiwan with performances at the National Concert Hall in Taipei and the Weiwuying Recital Hall in Kaohsiung. Multiple recitals in the United States will culminate in her Carnegie Hall debut recital in Zankel Hall in April 2025 and a debut recording on the Azica label as part of her Gold Medal prize at The Indianapolis. Sirena will appear in concerto engagements with the Hartford, Santa Fe and Southeast Missouri symphonies, the Louisiana Philharmonic and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra. Passionate about chamber music, Sirena will also perform chamber music concerts in Dallas and Montreal.

Sirena has been the recipient of multiple prizes including the First Prize at the Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition in 2017. She made her solo debut with the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra in 2004 at the age of nine and has since performed in 20 countries across three continents. She has been a soloist with numerous prestigious ensembles, including the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Baltimore, Shanghai, Russian, Evergreen and Singapore symphony orchestras, and the Staatskapelle Weimar in Germany.

Sirena performs on a Guarneri del Gesù violin, Cremona 1739 “Kortschak”, which is on loan from Dr. Ryuji Ueno and Rare Violins In Consortium, Artists and Benefactors
Collaborative.

Pianist Chih-Yi Chen’s versatile qualities as a collaborative partner, chamber musician and teacher have contributed to a distinguished international career. Chen has been on the faculty of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music since 2003 and is the Associate Chair of the Chamber and Collaborative Music Department. She was a recipient of the 2023 Indiana University Trustees Teaching Award. She has also been on the faculty of the Indiana University Summer String Academy for more than two decades.

Chen has been performing with International Violin Competition of Indianapolis Laureates since 2003 when she was first invited to perform with Barnabás Kelemen. She has served as an official pianist for the competition since the 9th Quadrennial in 2014 and was awarded special recognition at the 2018 Competition for “Best Performances” of the Beethoven and Mozart sonatas. She has also served as an official pianist for the China International Music Competition in Beijing.

Among the numerous musicians with whom she has collaborated are violinists Jaime Laredo, Mihaela Martin, Kyoko Takezawa, Sirena Huang, Richard Lin, Liviu Prunaru, Augustin Hadelich, Kerson Leong and Mark Kaplan, violist Atar Arad, cellists Sharon Robinson and Peter Stumpf, and clarinetists James Campbell, Howard Klug, and Gabor Varga. She has also performed with the Michelangelo, Pacifica, Rubens, Verona and Balourdet string quartets.