Organist to perform in Coshocton

COSHOCTON – Organist Chelsea Chen will perform on Sunday, May 7, at 3 p.m. in the sanctuary of the Coshocton Presbyterian Church on the church's Taylor and Boody tracker-action pipe organ.

The public is welcome and encouraged to attend this free event, which is held in conjunction with the Pomerene Center for the Arts annual Dogwood Festival. 

"The program for Ms. Chen’s Coshocton concert will include a variety of music, including some of her own hymn arrangements as well as other music appropriate for our Bach-era-style organ," said Alice Hoover, organist at the Coshocton Presbyterian Church.

Chen’s dynamic organ playing has taken her to the far corners of the world. The Los Angeles Times has praised her talent with the terms "rare musicality" and "lovely lyrical grandeur," and her compositional style as "charming" and "irresistible."  

The Palm Beach Daily News reports that Chen has "proven herself to be an artist of great technical and dramatic skill. She is personable, humble and simply appears to be one with the instrument."

The Kansas City Star states, "From the opening bars … to the final piece on the program … Chen held the audience captive. The range of tonal colors and variety of nuance in texture and style she brought to each work revealed a depth of musicality that delighted and inspired the audience, who awarded her an enthusiastic standing ovation."

Chen is a native of San Diego. She received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Juilliard School of Music and has done further study at Yale University. She served as organist and concert series director at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale. She currently resides in New York City as artist-in-residence at Emmanuel Presbyterian Church.

"We are thrilled to have Chelsea coming to share this concert with us," Hoover said. "We hope to see a full crowd at the church for this free event." 

The Coshocton Presbyterian Church is located at 142 North Fourth St. in Coshocton, Ohio, across from the Courtsquare. The parking lot and the building are handicap accessible. The public is invited and encouraged to attend this free concert, which is made possible through the generosity of the Joe. R. Engle Organ Fund at the Presbyterian Church. For more information, contact the church office at 740-622-0486.