Violin Virtuoso Ray Chen- Feature on Asian Fusion Girl

RAY CHEN

DOB: March 6, 1989

Birthplace: Taiwan

Ethnicity: Chinese

Occupation: Violinist

Residence: n/a

Dina’s Thoughts
I first discovered violin virtuoso Ray Chen around 2010 and was floored by the beauty of his musicality. Some have called him the “Lang Lang of violin” and while he may share the concert pianist’s dramatic flair, Ray Chen has a unique style all his own.

Bio

Winner of the Queen Elisabeth Competition (2009) and the Yehudi Menuhin Competition (2008), Ray Chen is among the most compelling young violinists today. “Ray has proven himself to be a very pure musician with great qualities such as a beautiful youthful tone, vitality and lightness. He has all the skills of a truly musical interpreter,” said his friend and mentor Maxim Vengerov.

Mr. Chen’s premiere album Virtuoso, released worldwide on Sony Classical in January 2011, received glowing reviews from a range of major publications including The Times and Chicago Tribune, which named it the “CD of the week”. Following the success of this recording, Ray Chen was profiled by The Strad and Gramophone magazines as “the one to watch”. His 2011 recital tour featuring Virtuoso repertoire will bring him to Tokyo, Hamburg, Berlin, Munich, Zurich, and Dresden.

Ray Chen is currently working on his next CD with Daniel Harding and the Swedish Radio Orchestra. This will be his first orchestral recording; the release is planned for January 2012. “The musicianship of Ray Chen is just as exciting as that of Gustavo Dudamel. He seems to have it all: instantly recognizable tone, charismatic personality and musical authority unusual for his age. He is at the beginning of a major career and it is a privilege to build it with him,” says Bogdan Roscic, President of Sony Classical.

Mr. Chen’s festival engagements include Verbier, Ravinia, Schleswig-Holstein and Dresdner Festspiele. He will also return to Rostropovich Festival in Moscow in 2012 to participate in the celebration of Maestro’s 85th anniversary. Ray is looking forward to his upcoming debuts with the Filarmonica della Scala, Munich Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and National Orchestra of Spain, among others.

Born in Taiwan and raised in Australia, Ray Chen was accepted to the Curtis Institute of Music at the age of 15, where he studied with Aaron Rosand. Mr. Chen plays the 1721 “Macmillan” Stradivarius provided as part of the award for winning the 2008-09 Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York.

Ray Chen