Musicians Behind the Scenes: Violist Che-Hung Chen

Where were you born? I was born in Taipei, Taiwan.
What piece of music could you play over and over again? Brahms’s Two Songs for Voice, Viola, and Piano, Op. 91.
What is your most treasured possession? My Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto LA Dodgers jerseys gifted by our stagehand Chip O’Shea in celebration of my United States citizenship.
What’s your favorite food? Mediterranean.
Tell us about your instrument. My main instrument is a viola made by Carlo Antonio Testore in Milan, Italy, in 1756, which I pair with a bow made by Canadian Michael Vann that I won as part of the Grand Prize at the 7th International Banff String Quartet Competition. I also use a 1949 Genuzio Carletti viola and a bow by Frenchman Jean-Jacques Millant. Both were acquired by my parents for me when I was 12 years old. 
What piece of music never fails to move you? Chopin’s Etude in E major, Op. 10, No. 3.
What is the most challenging piece you have ever played? Everything is challenging on the viola.
When did you join the Orchestra? January 15, 2001.
What’s your favorite Philadelphia restaurant? Lau Kee in Chinatown.
Do you speak any other languages? Chinese and Taiwanese.
What do you like to do in your spare time? Re-watch the 2024 World Series. 
What’s on your Spotify playlist? Edgar Meyer’s Quintet for Strings and Double Bass; “Demons” by Imagine Dragons; Hilary Hahn and Natalie Zhu playing Mozart violin sonatas.
What is your favorite memory with the Orchestra? On February 22, 2023, when the Orchestra played “The Star-Spangled Banner” for me and fellow new United States citizens at the top of our naturalization ceremony. 
What is a little-known fact about you? Google “General Tso’s Chicken costume.”

Photo by Seth Jacobson