The Minnesota Sinfonia Mourns the Passing of Composer Kevin Chen

An announcement from Minnesota Sinfonia conductor Jay Fishman:

I have some very sad news. Kevin Chen, who was one of our Sinfonia composers, died on the morning of Tuesday, January 7th, 2025.

I first met Kevin when he was seven years old and won the junior division of our Call for Scores for Minnesota Composers. At that time, I started working with him on his compositions, and as time went on, we became very close friends. During that time, I also became very close to the family.

Kevin was battling cancer for the past several years, and when the Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota gave up hope of survival, Kevin was enrolled in a new cancer treatment trial at MD Anderson in Houston, Texas. MD Anderson is one of the foremost cancer treatment and research hospitals in the country, and our hope was that this new approach could be helpful. Kevin was the fifth participant in this trial, and he was in Anderson for forty plus days. He had his ups and downs to be sure, but until the end, we all had hopes that he could come through. I went down and visited with him three times while he was there, including this week. Kevin kept fighting – his will to live was amazing, but unfortunately, he could not overcome the horrific effects of the cancer.

I know that many/most of our Sinfonia musicians knew Kevin, asked how he was doing, and asked me to pass along their best wishes. I did, and Kevin and his parents Kelly and Brian were very grateful.

Kevin was a very special person, and he left me/us with many fond memories. He was incredibly bright and an excellent pianist and composer. One of my very favorite stories is when he had just finished a week of in-hospital chemo treatments at the U and, of course, had not been near a piano for over a week. The day following his release from the hospital, Kevin played the first movement of the Grieg Piano Concerto for the Minnesota Orchestra Competition. His performance was amazing. Everything was so clean, and more importantly, it was incredibly musical. I was at the competition, and his performance brought me to tears. Oh, and he won third place.

Kevin provided us with many stories and much joy to his friends and family. He was kind and thoughtful and always treated everyone with dignity and respect. He was a real treasure. His memory will always be with me, and the many friends and colleagues whose lives he touched.

Jay Fishman, Kelly Lu Block (mother), Kevin Chen and Brian Block (stepfather) at the Minnesota Sinfonia concert at the Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis, MN on October 20, 2024







The Houston Symphony String Quartet, Kevin Chen, Kelly Lu Block and Brian Block at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX







 


Obituary for Kevin Chen

Kevin Lu Chen, a gifted 15-year-old music composer and pianist from Plymouth, Minnesota, passed away on January 7, 2025. Kevin was born on May 17, 2009 in Northampton, Massachusetts.

Kevin was known for his gracious demeanor and warm smile. He attended Wayzata High School and MacPhail Center for Music. He was a member of the Wayzata FIRST Robotics team and Wayzata High School Orchestra. He filled his life in the pursuit of solving mathematical and computer programming challenges, as well as creating classical music.

Kevin’s musical journey began at the age of four when he started playing piano, and by the age of five, he was already composing his own pieces. He studied piano and composition at the MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis, MN, and also played violin. Kevin’s talent and dedication to music earned him numerous awards and honors in various competitions at state and national levels, such as MTNA Composition Contest, NFMC Junior Composers Contest, Sinfonia Young Composer Competition, and MacPhail Concerto & Aria Concert. He was also a multiple-time recipient of the Joan Miller Composition Scholarship at MacPhail.

Kevin’s music filled his home with joyous energy while bringing strength and comfort to those around him, even during his most challenging times. He was initially diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in August 2022. During this first round of cancer treatments, he wrote “Going Home”. Since his relapse in January 2024 he wrote numerous additional compositions, some of which can be found on his YouTube channel.

Kevin is survived by his loving family including parents Kelly Lu and Brian Block, father Sean Chen, step siblings Hailey and Kienan Block, and his beloved dog Lily.

Visitation featuring live music and recorded music videos composed or performed by Kevin will be held on Wednesday, January 15, 4-7pm Washburn-McReavy Glen Haven Chapel and Funeral Home, 5125 W Broadway, Crystal, MN 55429

Visitation with live Quartet performing Kevin’s music will be held on Thursday, January 16, 10am, King of Grace Lutheran Church, 6000 Duluth St, Golden Valley, MN 55422

Funeral service will be held on Thursday, January 16, 11am, King of Grace Lutheran Church, 6000 Duluth St, Golden Valley, MN 55422

Graveside Service will be held on Thursday, January 16, ~12:30pm, Washburn-McReavy Glen Haven Chapel and Funeral Home, 5125 W Broadway, Crystal, MN 55429

In lieu of flowers the family requests that Memorial donations be made to Osteosarcoma research and music charities through Thrivent Charitable Impact & Giving, Kevin Chen Osteosarcoma and Music Fund, ID: 711151.