Yi Chen composer, professor. As a prolific composer who blends Chinese and Western traditions, transcending cultural and musical boundaries, Dr. Yi Chen was born in 1953 in Guangzhou, China. She is the Distinguished Professor at the Conservatory of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and the recipient of the prestigious Charles Ives Living Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Chen has received bachelor and master degrees in music composition from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China, and Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Columbia University in the City of New York. She has been elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2005.