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telephone: (510) 643-5515
email: jchew@berkeley.edu
Jacqueline Chew, pianist, has devoted much of her life to performing the music of Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992). In 1986, at conductor Kent Nagano’s invitation, she went to Amsterdam to meet Messiaen. She worked on his piano cycle, Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jesus with Yvonne Loriod-Messiaen, for whom the piece was written. The following year, in Avignon, France, she attended Messiaen’s master classes and concerts, and while there, met Messiaen protégé, Roger Muraro. In Paris, she worked with Muraro on the entire 2-hour cycle and in 1988, gave her first complete performance of this work. Her 2-disc CD of this work is now available through www.cdbaby.com. Other Messiaen works Ms Chew performs are Oiseaux Exotiques for piano solo and orchestra, and chamber pieces Quatour pour la fin du temps and Visions de l’Amen.
Ms Chew holds degrees from San Francisco Conservatory of Music and State University of New York-Binghamton. She studied privately with Leonard Shure in Boston, and has played in master classes for Alfred Brendel, Soulima Stravinsky and Gilbert Kalish. She has appeared in numerous concert series and music festivals in the United States and Canada. From 1990-2004, she performed, toured and recorded with the Women’s Philharmonic. In 2006, she recorded Sweet Irrational Worship: The John Jacob Niles-Thomas Merton Songs with baritone Chad Runyon. Released on MSR Classics, it is also available at www.cdbaby.com. Mr. Runyon and Ms Chew performed this work for the International Thomas Merton Society 9th Annual Meeting-2005 and in June 2006, at the Trappist monastery, the Abbey of Gethsemani (Kentucky).
A native of Oakland, California, Ms Chew currently teaches at the University of California at Berkeley, San Francisco Conservatory of Music and San Francisco Community Music School. In 2005 she became a Benedictine Camaldolese Oblate. Her journey from atheist to Camaldolese oblate, through performing Messiaen’s Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jesus, aired on HallmarkTV in August 2006. www.newmorningtv.tv/todaysshow_081406