Tania Chen

Tania Chen is a concert pianist and free improviser.

She has performed in the UK, Japan, Europe and USA, playing the music of experimental composers John Cage, Morton Feldman and Cornelius Cardew. She has worked with Earle Brown in 2001 for the Earle Brown concert Union Chapel, and with Christian Wolff in June 2010. She has also premiered and performed piano works by contemporary composers such as Michael Parsons, Laurence Crane, James Saunders and Andrew Poppy. Tania has sung songs on the piano by Chris Newman and recently has been a guest vocalist for Newman’s Berlin-based band Miss Moth. 

Tania Chen has collaborated with film makers such as Jayne Parker, and in May 2007 she performed alongside Michael Nyman and Gavin Bryars in the Tate Modern “Sleep” all night event in the Turbine Hall, playing Satie's 'Vexations', accompanied by a screening of Andy Warhol's film 'Sleep'. 

She is equally known for her passion for free and experimental jazz improvisation, performing on piano and she also enjoys the exploration of sonorities of found objects, toys, toy piano, electronics and digital iphone apps. She regularly performs in the UK and Europe with improvisers including Steve Beresford, Mark Sanders, John Edwards, Lol Coxhill, Dominic Lash, Seb Rochford, and Guillaume Viltard. 

Tania curates the series Magnitude Music and invites performers at home and internationally to perform. 

Tania was awarded a place at the Royal College of Music and continued her postgraduate studies Goldsmiths College studying with John Tilbury.

She has recorded with Radio 3, Resonance FM, worked commercially for films, and has a growing number of releases on iTunes. Tania now records for the Knitted Records label. 

2011

2010

JOHN CAGE INDETERMINACY WITH

STEWART LEE

A TWO EVENING EVENT FRI 2 JULY & SAT 3 JULY, SHOREDITCH CHURCH, London, E1 6JN

Stewart Lee read 'Indeterminacy' by John Cage with music by TANIA CHEN one night & STEVE BERESFORD the next evening.

The iPHONE ENSEMBLE will be performing 0'00" by John Cage

Plus more works by John Cage;

Cheap Imitation - ALISON BLUNT violin

Suite for Toy Piano - TANIA CHEN

Amplified Music for Toy Piano - CHRIS BURN, STEVE BERESFORD

Cellist RICHARD THOMAS will perform short pieces by Cage 

SAT 14th AUGUST/ SUN 15th AUG /MON 16th AUG 

FETE QUAQUA at The Vortex 

I’m playing piano plus performances from:

Ute Wassermann voice

Gunter Christmann trombone and cello

Dominic Lash bass

Phil Wachsmann violin

Akio Suzuki  self made instruments and stone flutes

Sabu Toyozumi drums erfu

Alex Ward  clarinet

John Butcher  saxophones

John Russell  guitar

7:30PM FRIDAY 6th AUGUST, SHOREDITCH CHURCH, E1

VERSIO CHOIR sing RENAISSANCE & CONTEMPORARY MUSIC

curated by Michael Parsons and Tania Chen

Versio is a twelve voice a cappella choir from Finland specialising in Renaissance music & contemporary Scandinavian and Baltic composers. 

This programme will also include contemporary music for piano and string ensemble

8PM on FRIDAY 25th JUNE SHOREDITCH CHURCH, Shoreditch High St, London, E1

A Concert of Christian Wolff’s Instrumental Music

Microexercises set 1 (2006) - selection

Microexercises set 3 - ‘For Grete’ - selection

Edges

Exercise 10

Some solo pieces

FRIDAY 11th JUNE

FIORI - VOCAL ENSEMBLE FROM FINLAND 

7:30PM St Anne & St Agnes Church, Gresham St, London, EC2

curated by Michael Parsons 

FIORI, an eight voice female vocal ensemble from Finland will be singing music specially written for them by Finnish composers Tellu Turkka, Liisa Matveinen, Jenny Wilhelms, Mia Makaroff, and Three Sappho Lyrics by Michael Parsons

The POST TRIO with guest violinist Alison Blunt will performLevels and a new String Trio by Michael Parsons. 

Also piano arrangements and solo violin and duet arrangements of traditional Scottish and Irish melodies

with Tania Chen piano

MONDAY 7th JUNE 

CHRISTIAN WOLFF CD RECORDING

The Post Trio, Tania Chen piano, Richard Thomas cello will be recording music by Christian Wolff. We will be rehearsing with Christian Wolff on Sunday 6th May in London. 

12PM on MAY 23rd KETTLES YARD GALLERY, Cambridge

Exploring early modernism from its roots to 2010 with a particular focus on pieces that reflect a sense of intimacy...

David Ryan/Ian Mitchell/Tania Chen play:

Free Improvisation and music focusing on late Liszt, early Schoenberg, Michael Parsons, Christian Wolff, film by David Ryan, and an opportunity to hear preludes by the son of Alexander Scriabin, Julian who died in a tragic boating accident age 11.

Julian Scriabin - Two Preludes

Schoenberg Four Songs op.2 , no.1 “Ewartung” with clarinet

Michael Parsons Hanging Gardens Transcriptions no.2 & no. 13

Liszt Via Crucis IV & X 

8PM on THURSDAY 20th MAY 

BATTERSEA ARTS CENTRE - New Sounds Series

Tania Chen & Roger Turner

8PM on SATURDAY 8th MAY 

at CULTURGEST ART CENTER in Porto, Portugal

Cornelius Cardew & the Freedom of Listening Exhibition

John Cage Four Walls 

Michael Parsons Piano Piece 1962

Cornelius Cardew Unintended Piano Music

Cornelius Cardew Octet for Jasper Johns - a realisation

Christian Wolff Piano Pieces - selection

2PM on SUNDAY MAY 2nd  CONWAY HALL, WC1

FREEDOM OF THE CITY FESTIVAL

“London’s premier festival of improvised and experimental music” - The Wire

Peter Evans

Okkyung Lee/Paul Lytton

Tania Chen/Lol Coxhill/Dominic Lash

London Improvisers Orchestra

More performances continue on Monday May 3rd

3PM on SUNDAY 25th APRIL 

USURP ART GALLERY http://www.usurp.org.uk/

Rodrigo Montoya

Steve Beresford

Tania Chen

8PM on SUNDAY 4th APRIL 

LONDON IMPROVISERS ORCHESTRA at Cafe Oto

Each month we have guests sitting in amongst the regular improvisers. This month: F. Rzewski, E.Laine, G. Wissel.

8PM on MARCH 27th MISS MOTH 

The Home Tour, Berlin. 

MISS MOTH - “Home Tour - The Answer to Solutions”

I am a guest singer for their 2nd concert.

MISS MOTH are Chris Newman, Bill Dietz and Seth Josel.

9PM on THURSDAY MARCH 25th SOWIESO, Berlin

Christopher Williams/Tania Chen/Chris Heenan/Jack Wright/

Shawn Hansen/Hilary Jeffrey/Mikaele Pelligrino

3PM on MARCH 28th Certain Sundays - A Salon Series At Sowieso, Berlin

“Life in Plastic, It’s Fantastic” performance inc. “Pop Rocks” installation & talk given by Tania Chen

“Experimental Composition & The Harp” talk given by Rhodri Davies 

8PM on MARCH 13th St LEONARDS SHOREDITCH CHURCH

APP iPHONE ENSEMBLE & MAGNITUDE FREE FLOW

iPhone App Sounds from: Alison Blunt, Adam Parkinson, Benedict Evans

Fusing free form, minimal, pop and found sounds using Apple iPhone sound creation apps.

MAGNITUDE MUSIC PRESENTS

Instrumentalists of Free Improvisation and Sound

MAGNITUDE STRING QUARTET & PIANO 

Sylvia Hallett(vln), Alison Blunt(vln), Lucy Railton(cello), 

Mizuka Yamamoto (vla), Guillaume Viltard (bass)

Perform two Chamber Pieces by Michael Parsons:

“Levels” for string Quartet 2007 & “Independent Pulses” 1998

String Quartet Improvisation with Piano

Piano music by Morton Feldman tbc - Tania Chen - solo piano

Alan Tomlinson - solo trombone

Steve Beresford - solo piano

8:30PM on MARCH 6th STEVE BERESFORD’S 60TH BIRTHDAY CONCERT AT CAFE OTO

Christian Marclay - Turntables 

Steve Beresford - Piano & Electronics

Veryan Weston - Piano

Satoko Fukuda - Violin

Ute Kanngiesser - Cello

Guilaume Viltard - Dbl bass

Tania Chen - Piano

3PM on SUNDAY 28th FEBRUARY

USURP ART GALLERY http://www.usurp.org.uk/

“The Last Sunday: Monthly Music Adventures”

Free Improv + Electronic + Sound + Spoken Word + Experimental

Tania Chen (toy piano, objects, etc)

Lol Coxhill (soprano saxophone)

Max Eastley (self-made instruments)

Guillaume Viltard (contrabass)

Disinformation (electronics)

Steve Beresford (electronics, objects, etc)

FEB 4th  

Recording an Album In A Day Series on KNITTED RECORDS LABEL

Shabaka Hutchings, Mark Sanders, Tania Chen 

8PM on JANUARY 21st Battersea Arts Centre 

New Year New Sounds 

TRIO: Shabaka Hutchings - reeds, Mark Sanders - drums,

Tania Chen - Piano

2009

DEC 20th VORTEX Jazz Cafe

Christmas Mopomoso Concert

Steve Beresford & Tania Chen Duo 

String Quartet & Piano

Trio with Lol Coxhill - sax, Dominic Lash - Dbl bass, Tania Chen - piano

AUGUST 

OINTMENT on Knitted Records goes online on iTunes & Amazon

JULY 21st CAFE OTO

PIANO PIANO PIANO EVENING

Steve Beresford, Pat Thomas, Tania Chen

JUNE 25th LUNA LOUNGE 

Free jazz / improvisation night

David Ryan cls, Dominic Lash dbl bass, Tania Chen piano.

JUNE 21st VORTEX Jazz cafe

Shabaka Hutchings cl/sax, Mark Sanders drms/percussion, Tania Chen piano

APRIL 29th CAFE OTO

John Edwards SOLO BASS & HOT NEW TRIO - Seb Rochford drums, Shabaka Hutchings cl/ sax, Tania Chen pft

APRIL 28th Chelsea Space

Earle Brown GRAPHIC SCORE Day - ALL DAY Gallery and concert 

focusing on 9 REALISATIONS OF DEC 1952 & FOLIO 1 & 2 (unpublished)

MARCH 28th 

The launch of THE LOUNGE SERIES by private invitation only 

Free Improvisation - 5pm onwards

Steve Beresford, Sharon Gal voice, Ute Kanngieser cello, Tania piano, keyboards etc

MARCH 1st  CAFE OTO

LIO: London Improvisers Orchestra

FEB 20th Guinardo area BARCELONA

Session with Christopher Williams bass, Tania playing stylophone, toy guitar, melodica toy piano, Juan Mattos-Capote circuit bending & electronics

FEB 17th Chez Pilar, by Sagrada Familia BARCELONA

Christopher Williams dbl bass, Tania piano, Michael Moser cello

FEB 6th Battersea Arts Centre 

Free improvising: Tania Chen piano, David Leahy double bass, Dave Ryan clarinets

JAN 27th CAFE OTO

Free improvising: Tania Chen piano, John Edwards double bass, Dave Ryan clarinets, Bruce Coates saxophone

2008

JAN - APRIL

Continuation of Album recording 

improvisers Steve Beresford, Glenn Nightingale, John Edwards, Mark Sanders, Tania Chen, Tom Arthurts Sept - Dec 2007

MAY 24th Filming

FILM INSTALLATION & PREMIERE with Jane Parker (film) & Joan Keys (composition)

Artist Joan Keys is interested in the physical performative translation of graphic notation, she has created a painting realised as a graphic score. This will be performed and premiered by Tania Chen and filmed in London by noted experimental film maker Jane Parker. 

OCT 9th CAFE OTO

Piano premiere of graphic score by Joan Keys at Cafe Oto as part of a Piano evening with Tania Chen, Chris Butler, Pat Thomas

NOV 20th CAFE OTO

Tania Chen: Schoenberg: Six Little Piano Pieces op.19 & Morton Feldman: Piano Piece 1964

Performers: Tania Chen, Steve Beresford & Sharon Gal, Pule Pheto & Steve Noble

DEC 7th Michael Parsons 70th Birthday Concert at The Warehouse

Free improvising with Tania Chen piano, Dave Ryan clarinets, Ian Mitchell clarinets

2007

JAN

BBC Radio 3 Broadcast of Cornelius Cardew & British Experimental Composers.

Tania Chen performed Cornelius Cardew’s Sonata’s 1, 2 & 3

MARCH

Composition of music to be recorded for album 

MAY

18 hour Tate Modern Turbine Hall for THE LONG WEEKEND series Warhol/Cage/Satie.

performance of “Sleep” Installation of Andy Warhol film performance of Satie “Vexations” for piano, performers: John Giorno poetry, Michael Nyman, Tania Chen, Gavin Bryars

SEPT-DEC

Recording of album of music 

Musicians:

Steve Beresford, Tom Arthurs, Alan Tomlinson, Mark Sanders,

John Edwards, Glenn Nightingale

2006

19 February, Bridewell Hall, London

John Tilbury's 70th Birthday Concert

Free Improvisation with ensemble performers Simon Allen (percussion), Tania Chen (piano), Simon Allen (dulcimer), Dave Ryan (clarinet)

Premiere of piano music by Michael Parsons and Arnold Schoenberg

Tania Chen solo piano: Michael Parsons, 2006: Oblique Pieces VI & VII, Schoenberg / trans. Michael Parsons, 2005: The Book of the Hanging Gardens Nos. 5 & 13

May: Cornelius Cardew

2005

COMMERCIAL RECORDINGS:

CD release of "Ointment" - Steve Beresford and Tania Chen, Rossbin Production

CD recording of Michael Parsons "Hanging Gardens" Schoenberg Transcriptions

CD recording of Slonimsky's "51 Minitudes For Piano"

RADIO INTERVIEWS:

Live Panel Discussion Frieze Art Fair October 23 Cecilia Wee with Tania Chen

2004

Sabbatical

2003

Improvising at the BONNINGTON CENTRE

March: KETTLESYARD GALLERY

April: OXFORD CONTEMPORARY MUSIC FESTIVAL

May: FREEDOM OF THE CITY

May: ARTS COUNCIL TOUR

June: Co-hosting of VETO SHOW

July 17: WHITECHAPEL ART GALLERY, "LIPSTICK"

August 2003-March 2004: recording of albums with ANDREW POPPY

August/September: LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS

September: BRICKLANE CARPARK

JULY 2003-APRIL 2004 - FILM & SOUND PROJECTS:

October: LATE NOTES SERIES, BRISTOL.

December 13: WAREHOUSE: CORNELIUS CARDEW ANNIVERSARY

2002

10-12 January 2002, Gale Gates, Dumbo, Brooklyn, NEW YORK

13-15 February 2002, The Tramway GLASGOW

20-22 March 2002, New Music Festival, Innsbruck, AUSTRIA

7 May 2002, Adrian Boult Hall, BIRMINGHAM

17 May 2002, The Warehouse

August-September 2002, Berlin - Hamburger Bahnhoff, Stuttgart, Kasel, GERMANY

22nd September 7.30pm 2002 SOUTHBANK CENTRE

Autumn 2002, Purcell Room, LONDON

14 November, 2002 The Warehouse

1999-2001

November 1999, Dal Niente Projects,

March 2000, Fukuoka

May 2000,BMIC

June 2000, Ensemble RRRRRR…

October 2000, SONOROUS PROCESSES

January 2001, Southbank Centre

March 2001, The SPACE

April 2001, APARTMENT HOUSE

May 2001, Ensemble RRRRR…BMIC

May 2001, Hungarian Cultural Institute

May 2001, 291 Gallery

October 2001, CUTTING EDGE SERIES at the Warehouse BMIC

November 2001, PLANET TREE FESTIVAL Conway Hall/Purcell Room

November 2001, COCHRANE THEATRE

December 2001, St Cyprians, Baker St. LONDON