Shun-Lin Chou

Shun-Lin Chou

Associate Director, BCCM + Dir. of Keyboard Studies

Office: UMC-A506
e-mail: sam.chou@csulb.edu

Dr. Shun-Lin Chou is recognized internationally as a performer of uncommon brilliance and artistry, having performed to critical acclaim as soloist in over a dozen concertos throughout the world. Upcoming concerto performances include the 2023 Celebrating Music series with the Bob Cole Conservatory Symphony and a gala concert with the Formosa Philharmonic in Taiwan. A former member of the Hawthorne Piano Trio, he has collaborated with members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in performance.

An in-demand adjudicator and clinician, Shun-Lin Chou has judged competitions from regional to national levels. Locally, he has frequently judged top level competitions for MTAC, CAPMT, MTNA, SYMF, SCJBF, and many others. Invitations to present masterclasses and lecture recitals have taken him to colleges and universities in Asia, Europe, and across the United States. A dedicated teacher and leader in music organizations, he has served as Missouri Music Teachers Association’s Conference Chair and serves as California State Chair for MTNA Performance Competitions. His former students have won national competitions, received full-tuition awards to prestigious graduate programs, and appointed to professorships at colleges and universities. A multi-faceted artist, teacher and scholar, Chou recently presented a paper at an international symposium on Johannes Brahms entitled Brahms’ Piano Idiom: Toward a New Virtuosity.

Dr. Shun-Lin "Sam" Chou currently serves as Associate Director of the conservatory, Director of Keyboard Studies, and Professor of Piano at CSULB’s Bob Cole Conservatory of Music, a position he has held since 2003. Previously, he has taught at Missouri State University, Tunghai (Taiwan) University summer festival, and the University of Michigan. Chou earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance and the prestigious Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music after being awarded a Graduate Fellowship, and received a Master of Music degree in Piano Pedagogy from the University of Michigan. His principal teachers include Nelita True, Louis Nagel, Daniel Paul Horn, and Reginald Gerig.

A naturally curious learner with wide-ranging interests, Chou has completed courses towards an M.D. degree at the University of Chicago and received an award at the 48th American Chess Open.