Mei-Ann Chen conducts the 2026 edition of Carnegie Hall’s NYO2, “a superbly talented youth orchestra” (New York Classical Review) that shows “a bright future for classical music” (Musical America) on July 30, 2026.

Featuring Gershwin’s beloved An American in Paris, Respighi’s picturesque Pines of Rome and Michael Torke’s Sky, a 2019 Pulitzer Prize finalist that blends bluegrass and Irish fiddle traditions with classical music with violinist Tessa Lark, the renowned soloist for whom it was originally composed, and whose recording of the piece was Grammy-nominated for Best Classical Instrumental Solo.

"The Chicago Sinfonietta is known for crafting eclectic programs with music from diverse composers, but Saturday’s concert at the Studebaker Theater took this approach to another level, globetrotting from the Indian subcontinent to East Asia to France and back. 

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"Chicago Sinfonietta music director Mei-Ann Chen took the podium for the second half, which paid homage to her roots with the orchestra and continued on the theme of East meets West. Tyzen Hsiao’s lushly lyrical The Angel from Formosa began the second half. Hsiao wrote the short orchestral elegy as a tribute to Taiwan, whose Portuguese name, “Formosa,” means “beautiful island.”

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"e returned to India with Reena Esmail’s Teen Murti, which sets three Hindustani ragas within the context of a piece for Western string orchestra. Meaning “three statues,” the work depicts a trio of musical figures, each drawn from a different raga. 

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While it might seem a strange choice at first, Ravel’s Mother Goose proved a nice foil to the other selections on the program, particularly in its nod to the East in the third movement, “Laideronnette, Empress of the Pagodas.” Chen led the Sinfonietta enthusiastically throughout the suite, bringing Ravel’s masterful orchestral coloring to the foreground.

Ending the evening was An-Lun Huang’s Saibei Dance—the first piece Chen ever conducted with the Sinfonietta. Akin to a Chinese Carmen excerpt mixed with the cinematic writing of John Williams, the piece provided an exuberant close to the colorful program."

"The orchestra was conducted by the Taiwanese-American conductor Mei-Ann Chen and much of the specialness of the performance was also down to her and the JPO players. From the first notes to the last, the soloist, conductor and orchestra were clearly listening to each other closely and forged a superb musical integration.

Her bright presence brought Schumann’s Fourth Symphony as vividly to life as the concerto had been."