Chelsea Guo

Soprano and Piano

“A very fine pianist with a beguiling voice; here is a rare talent.”

– BBC Music Magazine

Winner of the 2022 Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions, New York-born and Connecticut-raised Chelsea Guo is a remarkable dual artist, equally acclaimed as a pianist and soprano. Forging a unique, multi-faceted career, she is earning praise from critics and audiences alike across the classical music world.

A graduate of The Juilliard School, Chelsea has quickly established an international presence with performances in North America, Europe, and Asia. She has appeared at major festivals including Italy’s Fazioli Piano Festival, Spain’s Sociedad Filarmónica de A Coruña, and Germany’s Moritzburg Festival, and in leading venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and London’s Wigmore Hall. At San Diego’s 2023 Mainly Mozart Festival, she drew acclaim for her rare versatility, appearing as soprano soloist in Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 under the baton of Michael Francis and, just two nights later, as pianist in Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2. The San Diego Story praised her “lithe soprano” that “uplifted every phrase with ingratiating sonic purity … I simply did not want Guo to stop.” She has also appeared with such orchestras as the New Jersey Symphony and Fort Worth Symphony, collaborating with conductors including Barry Douglas, Xian Zhang, Michael Stern, and Michael Francis. Additional engagements have included the Lakeside Symphony, Honest Brook Music Festival, Wasserman Piano Series at Utah State, and Orchestra Iowa. Upcoming U.S. engagements include the Chattanooga Symphony, Newport Classical, the Lied Center of Kansas, and the South Dakota State University Chamber Series.

Since her historic YCA win—the first artist honored both as pianist and vocalist—Chelsea has made recital debuts at New York’s Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center and Washington’s Kennedy Center. Recent highlights include the gala opening of The Florida Orchestra, where she performed as pianist in de Falla’s Nights in the Gardens of Spain and soprano soloist in Villa-Lobos’s Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5; a duo recital with baritone Joseph Parrish at Kansas City’s Harriman Jewell Series; a recital at the Gilmore Rising Stars Series; and a December 2024 appearance as soprano soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the Richmond Symphony.

Her 2021 debut recording, Chopin in My Voice (Orchid Classics), was selected by Gramophone as one of its “Essential New Albums” and named among the “Best Albums of the Month” by WQXR and Naxos China. She was also recognized as a Classic FM “Rising Star” in 2022.

A prizewinner at the 2020 National Chopin Piano Competition, the 2019 Schmidt Vocal Arts Competition, and a 2019 National YoungArts winner, Chelsea has proven her artistry on both piano and vocal stages.

In summer 2024, she joined Wolf Trap Opera’s Studio Artist Program, appearing in productions of La Bohème and Così fan tutte. As a member of the Opera Studio of the Volksoper Wien, she performed leading roles in the 2025–26 season, including Frasquita (Carmen), Papagena (Die Zauberflöte), Taumannchen (Hänsel und Gretel), Barbarina (Le nozze di Figaro), and Servilia (La clemenza di Tito). Upcoming at the Volksoper Wien, she takes on the roles of Maria in West Side Story, Musetta in La Bohème, and Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi.