About this Artist

Ray Chen is a violinist who redefines what it is to be a classical musician in the 21st Century. With a media presence reaching out to millions, Ray Chen's remarkable musicianship transmits to a global audience that is reflected in his engagements with the foremost orchestras and concert halls around the world.

Initially coming to attention via the Yehudi Menuhin (2008) and Queen Elizabeth (2009) competitions, of which he was First Prize winner, Ray has built a profile in Europe, Asia, and the USA as well as his native Australia. Signed in 2017 to Decca Classics, the Ray’s forthcoming recording with the London Philharmonic follows three critically acclaimed albums on SONY, the first of which (“Virtuoso”) received an ECHO Klassik Award.

Ray Chen’s profile continues to grow: he was featured on Forbes’ list of 30 most influential Asians under 30; made a guest appearance on Amazon’s “Mozart in the Jungle” TV series; performed for a live TV audience on France’sBastille Day and at the Nobel Prize Concert in Stockholm.

Ray has performed with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Los AngelesPhilharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony among others, and will make upcoming debuts with the San Francisco Symphony, Berlin Radio Symphony, and Bavarian Radio Chamber Orchestra. He works regularly with conductors such as Riccardo Chailly, Vladimir Jurowski, Manfred Honeck, Daniele Gatti, Kirill Petrenko, and many others.

Ray’s commitment to music education is paramount, and inspires the younger generation of music studentswith his series of self-produced videos combining comedy and music. Through his online promotions his appearances regularly sell out and draw an entirely new demographic to the concert hall.

Born in Taiwan and raised in Australia, Ray was accepted to the Curtis Institute of Music at age 15, where he studied with Aaron Rosand and was supported by Young Concert Artists. He plays the 1715 “Joachim” Stradivarius violin on loan from the Nippon Music Foundation. This instrument was once owned by the famed Hungarian violinist, Joseph Joachim (1831-1907).