Elise Chen is a piano teacher and accompanist based in central Auckland. She graduated with BMus (Hon) with First Class Honours at the University of Auckland major in Classical Performance under the tutelage of renowned pedagogue Rae de Lisle. She is now studying towards her Master’s degree in performance and pedagogy. Elise began her piano studies at the age of six, since then she has won numerous awards at local competitions in New Zealand including first prizes in the Auckland Performing Arts Competitions (SAPAC, NSPAC, IRMT). During her study at the University of Auckland, she was awarded the Anna Nathan Prize in Early Keyboard Music, Janetta McStay Prize for Pianists and a First in Course Award.
Elise has had many experiences in collaborative piano, working with various singers, instrumentalists and school choir. Her university chamber music group was frequently selected to play in the prize giving concert of Auckland Chamber Music Society. Notably in 2019, Elise has performed in collaboration at the Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie in New York, USA.
An enthusiastic learner, Elise has participated in many performance masterclasses and pedagogical seminars. Piano Festival she has participated included the Wallace International Piano Festival 2018 in Auckland and International Maestro Piano Festival held in Taipei 2019 & 2020. She was taught in masterclasses given by acclaimed pianists such as Michael Houstoun, Robert Levin, Douglas Humphreys, Ilana Vered, Michael Tsalka, Yoshikazu Nagai, Alvaro Teixeira Lopes and Yaron Kolhberg.
Elise aspired to foster student’s imagination and develop healthy playing technique. She has found teaching to be an incredibly stimulating and rewarding experience in terms of tailoring the lesson activities to help individual students learn effectively and grow as a musician. Her students frequently achieved great success in grade exams and local competitions. Originally from Taiwan, Elise is a fluent speaker of Mandarin and English, the lesson can be taught in either language.