Mei-Ann Chen

Mei-Ann Chen (; born 1973) is a Taiwanese-American conductor. She is currently music director of the Chicago Sinfonietta and conductor laureate of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra.

Early life and education A native of Taiwan, Chen wanted to be a conductor since she was ten years old. At a young age she began playing violin and piano with the support of her parents, and later taught herself to play the trumpet.

In 1989, Chen attended a concert in Taipei by the American Youth Orchestra, She performed with the American Youth Orchestra before being invited to attend the Walnut Hill School, a preparatory school linked to the New England Conservatory, two months later at age sixteen. She left her parents, who thought she would study to become a concert violinist, and for more than three years lived with a couple in Boston she referred to as her "American parents" (Mark Churchill and Marylou Speaker Churchill, who was once a member of the Portland Junior Symphony). Chen continued her undergraduate and graduate work at the Conservatory. Speaker taught Chen, who also received violin instruction from James Buswell and Eric Rosenblith as well as conducting supervision from Frank Battisti and Richard Hoenich. Later in her career, in October 2010, Chen returned to the New England Conservatory to guest conduct the Philharmonia. Chen dedicated the concert to the late Marylou Speaker Churchill, and thanked Benjamin Zander and dean emeritus Mark Churchill for "making her career possible". In 2002, Leonard Slatkin invited Chen to conduct the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center in the National Conducting Institute. Chen received a fellowship to study at the Aspen Music Festival and School with David Zinman. received its third ASCAP award in 2004 for innovating programming, and began collaborating with the Oregon Symphony (Chen was the ensemble's assistant conductor from 2003 to 2005) and Chamber Music Northwest. In April 2005, Chen became the first woman to win the Malko Competition, the "world's most prestigious prize" for young conductors. She also won the Taki Concordia Fellowship in 2007, an award established by Baltimore Symphony Orchestra music director Marin Alsop to support "promising" female conductors. Chen was presented the Sunburst Award from Young Audiences for her contribution to music education and was named "Educator of the Week" by KKCW. Though Chen initially thought she would remain with the Philharmonic for ten years, she left in 2007 to become assistant conductor of the Atlanta Symphony. In April 2009 Chen withdrew her candidacy for music director of the Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra. Her next role was assistant conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra for the 2009–2010 season, though she never led a subscription program and mostly conducted programs for children. Chen's three-year tenure began in September 2010. Chen's contract was renewed for an additional three years in 2012, extending her leadership through the 2015–2016 season. During her Memphis tenure, she took up residence in Mud Island, Memphis. and now has the title of conductor laureate of the orchestra.

Chen became music director of the Chicago Sinfonietta on 1 July 2011, with an initial contract of 4 years. Chen has recorded a commercial album with the Sinfonietta released on May 28, 2013, entitled Delights & Dances, on the Çedille label. In May 2014, the Chicago Sinfonietta extended her initial contract through the 2016-2017 season. In May 2016, the orchestra further extended Chen's contract through the 2018-2019 season.

In December 2015, Musical America named Chen one of its 2015 "Top 30 Influencers". Chen was the artistic director and conductor for the 2016 National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra Summer Festival.

In 2019, Chen became principal guest conductor of recreation – Grosses Orchester Graz. In May 2021, the orchestra announced the appointment of Chen as its next principal conductor, effective with the 2021-2022 season. Chen is the first female conductor and the first Asian conductor to be named to this post with recreation – Grosses Orchester Graz.