“You know what the greatest tragedy is in the whole world? It’s all the people who never get to know what it is that they can really be.”
– TERRY PRATCHETT
Originally from San Bernardino, California, Lou Chen serves as the program manager for Trenton Arts at Princeton (TAP) and the director of the Trenton Youth Orchestra. He graduated from Princeton University, where he received his bachelor’s degree in music (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) with certificates in conducting performance and American studies. A strong advocate for accessible arts education, Lou has collaborated with leading artists including conductor Gustavo Dudamel, cellist Sheku and pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason, and dancer Caleb Teicher on increasing opportunities for Trenton Public School students. In recognition of his work with TAP, Lou has received the A. James Fisher, Jr. Memorial Award, the Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts, and the Santos-Dumont Prize for Innovation.
Trenton Arts at Princeton (TAP) is the University’s coordinator of co-curricular arts engagement activities in the greater Trenton area. Our mission is to build a multi-disciplinary community of artists across Trenton and Princeton through youth programming, student leadership and volunteer opportunities, community performances, and more. TAP is a collaboration between the Department of Music, Lewis Center for the Arts, and Pace Center for Civic Engagement.
