Owen Chen

About this Offering

My peace offering is a recording of me playing the first of Clara Schumann's Romances for Violin and Piano. In a world where women classical composers are not as celebrated as their male counterparts, I thought that it was important to be able to get this piece out there and to share her story.

I really enjoy the Romances by Clara Schumann for Violin and Piano. As an oboe player, these are one of the pieces that we take from other instruments and play it on ours. I think that this piece is very powerful and beautiful and there are so many things within the music that makes it so much fun to play. I love the back and forth between the oboe and the piano at times; the ways that the piano really does lead into the oboe part, and I think that it makes it so amazing to listen to and to play.

After taking this class, my eyes were really opened up to the inequalities within the composing world. This piece is important to me because it was composed by a woman. Yes, it was a long time ago, but even then, Clara Schumann admitted that she could never see herself as a true composer, which is why I included that quote at the beginning of the performance. I found it to be really powerful because even as accomplished a pianist as she was, she never thought she could be a composer just because she was a woman. That is really striking to me, and I really wanted to get this piece out there for people to listen to.

Daily Peace Action

Take time and listen to, or play, a piece that is composed by an individual who comes from an underrepresented background and try and spread their art.

Peace Builder Biography

My Name is Owen Chen, and I am an Oboe Performance Major at the University of Michigan. I started playing the clarinet in 5th grade, and then I switched to the Oboe in 6th grade after a teacher mentioned it, and I am so happy I made the switch. I enjoy cooking and spending time with my family and friends. I hope to take music as far as I can, wherever that takes me is where I want to end up!