CHORD CONNECTIONS
Brendan Tan
Founder
Brendan Tan is a junior at Stuyvesant High School. He has been a competitive classical pianist for over 11 years, winning numerous competitions and performing solo at concert halls including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center more than 10 times. He has also played the drums for 8 years and has knowledge in other genres of piano such as blues and pop. He enjoys music and was the Music Director overseeing the band orchestra for his high school’s musical production. Through Chord Connections, Brendan hopes to use music as a way to connect with the community and inspire change. Outside of music, he also loves to play basketball and was captain of his high school basketball team last year.
Sophia Chen
Co-Founder / Outreach Director
Sophia Chen is a junior at Stuyvesant High School. She has been playing classical music since she was five years old, starting from the piano and then also learning the cello when she was seven. She has had the opportunity to perform in many different places including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and has participated in many masterclasses with musicians from the Chamber Music Society at Lincoln Center as well as the NY Phil. When she was young, she looked up to the older musicians at her music program, and through Chord Connections, she hopes to spread music to different communities and be able to inspire others, especially younger kids into joining the community.
Yuxuan Che
Co-Founder
Yuxuan Che is a junior at Stuyvesant High School. He met Brendan Tan in freshman year, discovering their passion for music and becoming friends. Yuxuan has been playing guitar for 3 years and received classical piano education when he was younger. He loves digital audio engineering and production, as well as physical audio mixing. He is also an active member of the All-City Modern Music Project and a close pupil of distinguished music producer and Songwriters Hall of Fame Chair, Harold Stephan. At Stuyvesant, Yuxuan was part of every theatrical production as lead guitarist for the band and composed various pieces of music for the band-orchestra. He seeks to use Chord Connections as a way to use his passion for music to inspire a positive impact in communities.
Alex Pyun
Co-Founder
Alex Pyun is a Junior at Laguardia High School and will be entering the Juilliard Precollege Classical Voice program. Alex has won numerous awards as a baritone, such as 1st place in the American International Music Competition (2025), Semi-Finalist in the CS Music Competition (2024), and most promising Sophomore at the Regional Schmidt Competition in Montclair, NJ (2025). Alex is a firm believer in the transformational power of music and hopes to connect with audiences of all backgrounds and create positive change through performance. Through Chord Connections, Alex strives to cultivate hope, connection, and growth for listeners and inspire a new generation of musicians.
Isabella Deng
Graphic Design & Chamber Music Director
Isabella Deng is a junior at Stuyvesant High School. She’s been playing classical music on the viola for seven years. She’s had a well rounded experience with classical music: she’s played with various orchestras and chamber groups, as well as having the privilege of performing with esteemed groups such as the NY Philharmonic in venues like Carnegie Hall. She attended Interlochen Center for the Arts for their classical music program after auditioning and receiving a scholarship to go. She’s not only involved in the performing arts, but also the fine arts. She’s a member of Stuyvesant’s Key Club’s Visual Arts Committee and has a background in graphic designing and art in general. She believes Chord Connections can form a bridge and allow different communities to come together through music.