Violinist Samuel Chen has performed in various concert series and orchestras like the Mendocino Festival Orchestra and the National Festival Orchestra as concertmaster. Although born in California, Samuel spent most of his childhood in Taiwan. Under the instruction of his mother, Esther Chen, he started playing the piano at age four and the violin at age seven. Samuel received his bachelor's degrees in business economics and violin performance from University of California, Irvine, and a master's degree in violin performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He was a recipient of the Marjorie and Robert Rawlins Scholarship and the San Francisco Conservatory Scholarship. His principal teachers are Esther Chen, Haroutune Bedelian, Ian Swensen, and Catherine van Hoesen.