One of the most active and versatile musicians in Taiwan today, Chen’s work spans conducting, composition, arts administration, program production, writing, translation, teaching, and hosting and producing radio and television programs. He can be aptly described as a “musician” committed to an all-encompassing, multifaceted career.

He graduated from the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at National Taiwan University in 1979. He later studied composition and conducting with You Chang-fa, Francis Burt, Hsiao Tzu, and Karl Östereicher. In 1986, he graduated from the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna with dual diplomas in conducting and composition.

He has received numerous awards, including First Prize in the Hsu Tsang-Houei Composition Competition (1985) and Second Prize in the Second Composition Competition of the Taiwan Provincial Symphony Orchestra (1993). To date, he has composed over a hundred works, many of which are frequently performed both in Taiwan and internationally. He is particularly noted for his large-scale orchestral compositions, in which he employs a wide range of techniques to integrate elements of Taiwanese local culture, elevating them into refined art music that expresses the unique beauty of Taiwan and is widely appreciated by performers and audiences alike.

He has held several prominent positions, including Assistant Conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra, Associate Conductor and Deputy Director of the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, Director of the Kaohsiung Symphony Orchestra, and Deputy Director and Director of the Taipei Symphony Orchestra. He is currently a professor in the Department of Applied Music at Tainan National University of the Arts.

In addition, he has appeared as a guest conductor with ensembles such as the Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra (Japan), Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, Hebei Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Opera House Orchestra, and the Voronezh Philharmonic Orchestra (Russia). His writings have appeared in various newspapers and magazines, offering insightful and critical perspectives on contemporary cultural trends, the cultural and creative industries, education policy, and the management of arts institutions. He is also set to launch the radio programs Music Insight and Inside Music on Taipei Philharmonic Radio.