About Hsuan-Fong
Oboist Hsuan-Fong Chen (pronounced “SHUan-fong”) has garnered a reputation as one of New York City’s most versatile musicians, with a career spanning orchestral, Broadway, new music, and occasional administrative roles. Having performed across the United States, Europe, and Asia, she is sought after for a wide range of engagements—from appearances with the American Ballet Theater, to sharing the stage with Rihanna at the 2015 Met Gala, and performing as the lead oboist in the hit Broadway production of Rocktopia. She has also appeared as a substitute in Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, and Camelot at Lincoln Center. In Fall 2025, she will hold the oboe/English horn chair for Ragtime, the Broadway revival at Lincoln Center. She was also the oboist for the world premiere of Watch Night in Fall 2023, a theatrical collaboration led by Tony Award-winning choreographer/director Bill T. Jones.
A seasoned orchestral player, Ms. Chen has performed with the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra in Alabama, Albany Symphony Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic, with whom she toured the West Coast. Other notable appearances include performances with the Metropolitan Opera, The Knights, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Princeton Symphony Orchestra, New Haven Symphony Orchestra, New York Classical Players, Novus NY, the Classical Music Institute in San Antonio, and the American Ballet Theater.
In new music, she appears regularly with Rocket City New Music, Talea Ensemble, Metropolis Ensemble, the Orchestra of the League of Composers, and the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in Santa Cruz, CA. As a soloist, she has given recitals and performed concerti with orchestras in Taiwan, Germany, and across the United States. Her album debut came in October 2019 on the Naxos label, recording Beethoven’s Serenade for Winds alongside faculty from the Yale School of Music.
A musician since age four, Ms. Chen is a proud alumna of the Walnut Hill School for the Arts and has honed her craft through invitations to festivals around the world. In the U.S., she has performed at the Aspen Music Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, Bard Music Festival, Chelsea Music Festival, Phoenix Chamber Music Society, Kingston Chamber Music Festival, and Artosphere Music Festival, among others. Internationally, she has appeared at Schloss Beuggen in Germany and toured Japan with both the Pacific Music Festival and the New York Symphonic Ensemble.
As an educator, Ms. Chen teaches oboe at the Aaron Copland School of Music, Queens College, CUNY, and chamber music at The Juilliard School Pre-College. She has held positions at the Calhoun School and the Greenwich Music School, and maintains private oboe and piano studios. She currently serves as Personnel Manager for Rocket City New Music, working closely with her husband, percussionist Sean Ritenauer, the organization’s founder. Previously, she was Artistic Coordinator and Orchestra Manager for the inaugural 2017 season of the National Youth Orchestra of China, arranging performances with NPR’s From the Top, WQXR’s Artist Showcase, and their Carnegie Hall debut.
A native of Taiwan, Hsuan-Fong Chen holds degrees from The Juilliard School (B.M.), the Yale School of Music (M.M. & Artist Diploma), and the Manhattan School of Music (Orchestral Performance Diploma). She is a former competitive pianist, with highlights including a solo performance at Carnegie Hall after receiving first prize at the American Fine Arts Festival, and a documentary feature in the National Palace Museum’s historical film A Museum Without Walls, alongside her piano teacher Da-Ming Zu. She is grateful to her mentors, including Nathan Hughes, Elaine Douvas, Pedro Diaz, Linda Strommen, and Stephen Taylor. She is based in New York City, where she lives with her husband, Sean Ritenauer, their young son, Koby, and their cockapoo, Hiro.
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