
Julie Chen, Cello
Julie Chen, age 14, is a freshman at Conestoga High School in Pennsylvania. She began cello at age 8 and currently studies with Gloria dePasquale. She also studies cello with Clancy Newman and Dominique de Williencourt. She previously studied with Hai-Ye Ni, the principal cellist of The Philadelphia Orchestra. She has attended Meadowmount for two years in Prof. Hans Jensen’s studio. She also studies piano with Natalie Zhu. She has attended master classes with cellists Wei Liu Denton, Marcy Rosen, and the Dover Quartet. Julie was chosen as a finalist for From the Top and is eligible for the Learning and Media Lab Fellowship, which includes a recording.
She received a full scholarship for the Advanced Study Ensemble program at Settlement Music School. She is a cellist in the Youth Chamber Orchestra at Temple Music Prep, was the principal cellist of the Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra (PYAO) for the 2023-2024 season, and was the principal cellist of PRYSM Strings of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra from 2021-2023. Julie won first place in the Pennsylvania Music Teachers’Association competition in November 2024. Julie is a winner of the Irving Ludwig Youth Competition in October 2024 and the Old York Road Symphony Orchestra Young Artist competition in April 2024, and will perform next spring with the Lansdowne Symphony Orchestra and Old York Road Symphony Orchestra. She won 1st place in the Tri-County Music Festival competition junior strings division in 2023 and 1st place in the senior ensemble division in 2024,and performed in the winners’ concert both years. Julie won 1st place in American Protégé concerto competition with the Judges Distinction Award in 2023. She won 1st place in the 11-13 division and overall runner-up in the Philadelphia International Music Festival’s (PIMF) summer camp concerto competition in 2022 which earned her a spot in the Winners Circle Concert in March 2023 with the Philadelphia Orchestra members. Her other interests include drawing,dancing, singing, playing the piano, and swimming. She is in the gifted program at her school which includes a writing seminar.