Galip chen

Galip Chen is a 16-year-old pianist from Richmond, British Columbia. He began his piano journey at the age of six, learning from his grandmother, who hails from Gulangyu — a small island off the coast of Xiamen, China, affectionately known as “Piano Island” and “The Island of Music”. Gulangyu is home to China’s only piano museum and holds deep musical roots, which have clearly influenced Galip’s passion for the instrument.

Under the mentorship of his teacher, Shantha Gunasekera, Galip has achieved remarkable success in numerous competitions. He has earned top prizes at the Sea-to-Sky Music Festival, the BCCM Music Festival, and the Vancouver International Music Competition, where he not only won gold in his age division but was also recognized for the most outstanding performance of a Canadian composition.

Galip’s talent has also been recognized internationally — he won the Crescendo International Music Competition, which led to a special invitation to perform at the Winners Recital at Carnegie Hall in New York City.