Celebrating Women’s History Month with WBDI : Meijun Chen

Band Shoppe has once again teamed up with Women Band Directors International to highlight four women making a difference in the music education community. For the month of March we will be celebrating Women’s History Month by posting each Friday about these amazing women.

We are so thankful for our ongoing partnership with WBDI because of the way they inspire, educate, and provide support to women in the music community.

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Her adjudication experience includes the Surrey Public Schools’ Grade 9–12 Concert Band Music Revue and MusicFest Canada in 2024. She also served as the Emerging Artist – Assistant Conductor with Edmonton Opera for the 2023–24 season and as Conducting Intern with the Edmonton Youth Orchestra in 2022 and 2020.

Meijun has received numerous awards, including the 2024 Midwest Clinic Emerging Music Educator Scholarship and the 2024 CBDNA Mike Moss Diversity Conducting Study Grant, through which she studied with Dr. Travis Cross and Professor Jerry Junkin at UCLA. In 2023, she was awarded the Johann Strauss Foundation Music Award, allowing her to study with Professor Toby Purser in Vienna, Austria. That same year, she won the Absolute First Prize in Conducting (Professional Category) at the UK International Music Competition.

She has been selected as a Conducting Fellow for several masterclasses, including the 2024 Domaine Forget International Music Festival, where she studied with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Kensho Watanabe while working with Orchestre Métropolitain and Orchestre symphonique de Québec. Other notable programs include the 2024 International Conductors Guild Conference in New York with David LaMarche, the 2023 United States “Pershing’s Own” Army Band Conductors Workshop with Dr. Emily Threinen and Colonel Bruce Pulver, and the 2023 University of Cincinnati College-CCM International Wind Festival, where she studied with Dr. Kelvin Holzman and Colonel Jason Fettig in collaboration with “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band.

In addition to her conducting career, Meijun is an accomplished clarinetist with 18 years of international performance experience across more than 13 countries in Europe, Asia, and North America. She frequently performs as a guest clarinetist with the Royal Canadian Artillery Band and won the Absolute First Prize in Clarinet Performance (Professional Category) at the 2023 Debussy International Music Competition.

She holds dual Master of Music degrees in Wind Band Conducting and Clarinet Performance, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Music with a minor in Economics, all from the University of Alberta. She is actively involved in the music community, serving as a committee member for the Women Band Directors International Scholarships Committee and maintaining affiliations with the College Band Directors National Association, International Clarinet Association, Alberta Band Association, International Conductors Guild, and British Columbia Music Educators Association.

Meijun is passionate about music performance and education, dedicating herself to inspiring young musicians, fostering community engagement, and sharing the joy of music with others.