Classical Pick: Phyllis Chen Plays Around

Phyllis Chen

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More About

• Phyllis Chen
• Charles Schultz
• Whitney Sander
• Classical Music
• Chamber Music

Remember Charles Schultz’s little musical prodigy, Schroeder, who banged his heart out on his toy piano? Well, he has a female counterpart: Phyllis Chen, a brilliant pianist, composer and performance artist whose life changed one day in 2001 when she discovered John Cage’s Suite for Toy Piano. It was love at first sound, and Chen — a multi-award-winning artist whose credits include honors at the International Bartok/Kabalevsky Piano and the Coleman Chamber Music competitions, and a special Bach Prize at Chicago’s Marjorie Barnett Competition for her performance of the Goldberg Variations — embarked upon a new career composing for and performing on the instrument most of us have passed off as nothing more than an annoying kiddie keyboard. Invented in the early 1900s, toy pianos have a two- to three-octave range and are made of metal rods and plastic hammers — seemingly not an imposing forum for artistic expression. But Chen has proven otherwise, elevating the toy piano to legitimate status, with original multimedia compositions like The Memorist, written for three toy pianos, laptop, sampling keyboard, bowls, music box, frying pan, pillow and stuffed bunny. Chen performs in a Chamber Music in Historic Sites concert at a venue as quirky as she is — the Residence for a Briard, an eco-friendly Hybrid House designed by architect Whitney Sander and named for the owners’ large Briard dog, which influenced design and materials throughout the house. In Culver City (address and directions given upon ticket purchase); Sun., Nov. 16, noon, 2 & 4 p.m.; light reception between concerts; $90. (213) 477-2929, www.dacamera.org.