Ray Chen
{{short description|Taiwanese-Australian violinist (born 1989)}}
{{Other people|Ray Chen}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Ray Chen
| image = 260px
| caption = Chen performing at the Sydney Opera House in 2022
| background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
| native_name = {{nobold|陳銳}}
| native_name_lang = zh-Hant
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1989|3|6|df=y}}{{Cite web |last=Channel |first=The Violin |date=2020-03-06 |title=Today is Australian VC Artist Ray Chen's 31st Birthday! [ON-THIS-DAY] |url=https://theviolinchannel.com/ray-chen-violinist-birthday-born-on-this-day-1989/ |access-date=2020-12-10 |website=The World's Leading Classical Music News Source. Est 2009. |language=en-US}}
| birth_place = Taipei, Taiwan
| genre = Classical
| occupation = Musician
| instrument = Violin
| years_active = 1997–present
| label = {{flatlist|
}}
| website = [https://www.raychenviolin.com/ raychenviolin.com]
| module = {{Infobox Chinese|child=yes
| t = 陳銳
| s = 陈锐
| p = Chén Ruì
}}
}}
Ray Chen ({{zh|c=陳銳|p=Chén Ruì}}; born 6 March 1989) is a Taiwanese-Australian violinist. He was the winner of the 2008 International Yehudi Menuhin Violin Competition and the 2009 Queen Elisabeth Competition.{{cite web |title= Ray Chen |url= https://www.forbes.com/profile/ray-chen/?sh=4b1a61092135 |website= Forbes}} Since then, he has regularly collaborated with the world’s foremost orchestras and appeared at renowned concert halls.{{cite web |title= Ray Chen |url= https://www.laphil.com/musicdb/artists/1076/ray-chen |website= LA Phil}}
Early life and education
Born in Taipei, Taiwan, Chen began learning the violin at the age of four. Within five years he completed all 10 levels of the Suzuki violin method in Brisbane, where he grew up. At the age of eight, Chen performed as a soloist with the Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra. He was also invited to perform at the opening celebration concert of the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.{{cite web |title=Ray Chen |url=https://www.tatlerasia.com/people/ray-chen |website=Tatler Asia |publisher=Edipresse Media Asia |access-date=17 November 2022 |language=en |date=2021 }} Early on, his violin teachers included Kerry Smith and Peter Zhang.{{cite web |title= Artist Profile: Ray Chen |url= https://www.connollymusic.com/stringovation/ray-chen |website=String Ovation}}
In 1999, Chen was chosen as the 4MBS’s Young Space Musician of the Year in Brisbane. He also received the Australian Music Examinations Board’s Sydney May Memorial Scholarship and was awarded his Licentiate Diploma of Music with distinction at age eleven. In 2002, he won the Australian National Youth Concerto Competition and in 2005, the Kendall National Violin Competition.{{cite web |url=http://www.kendallviolin.org.au/finalists/winners.htm |title=Australia National Kendall Violin Competition |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080420080708/http://www.kendallviolin.org.au/finalists/winners.htm |archivedate=2008-04-20 |url-status=dead}} In 2004, he received the Third Prize at the junior division of the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition.
In 2010, Chen graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia with a Bachelor of Music, where he studied with Aaron Rosand.{{cite web |title=Ray Chen on Practicing and His Musical Journey |url=https://www.simplyforstrings.com.au/blogs/news/ray-chen-on-practicing-and-his-musical-journey |website=Simply for Strings |access-date=22 May 2023}} He also undertook summer studies at the Encore School for Strings with David Cerone and Robert Lipsett, and at the Aspen Music Festival with Cho-Liang Lin and Paul Kantor on a full tuition fellowship.{{cite web |title= Ray Chen (Violin) |url= https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Bio/Chen-Ray.htm |website=Bach Cantatas Website}}
Career
In 2008, Chen won the First Prize in the senior division of the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition in Cardiff, Wales.[http://menuhincompetition.org/laureates-archive/ Laureates Archive – Prizewinners since 1983], Menuhin Competition At the competition, he came to the attention of jury member Maxim Vengerov, who engaged him for debuts with the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra{{cite web |title=Orchestra - Mariinsky Ballet and Opera Theatre, Saint Petersburg, Russia |url=https://www.mariinsky-theatre.com/company/orchestra/ |website=www.mariinsky-theatre.com |access-date=17 November 2022 }} and the Azerbaijan State Symphony Orchestra at the International Rostropovich Festival in Baku.{{cite web |title=На VIII Международном фестивале Мстислава Ростроповича выступил Максим Венгеров (in Russian |url=https://www.classicalmusicnews.ru/reports/vengerov-festival-rostropovicha/ |website=ClassicalMusicNews.Ru |access-date=17 November 2022 |language=ru-RU |date=4 April 2017 }} Following this, he won the 2008/09 Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York and was subsequently loaned the 1721 Macmillan Stradivarius.{{cite web|title=Ray Chen Signs Exclusive Contract With Sony Classical|url= https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ray-chen-signs-exclusive-contract-with-sony-classical-88807372.html |work=PR Newswire|date=22 March 2010|accessdate=June 16, 2024}}
In 2009, Chen won the First Prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, where he was the youngest participant. Following the competition, he immediately embarked on a concert tour, performing with the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra under Jaap van Zweden, the National Orchestra of Belgium under Rumon Gamba, and the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg under Emmanuel Krivine, as well as in recitals throughout Belgium.{{cite web |title=Ray Chen wins Queen Elisabeth Competition |url=https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/en/2009/05/31/ray_chen_wins_queenelisabethcompetition-1-538283/ |website=Flanders News |date=31 May 2009 |publisher=VRT NEWS |accessdate=10 April 2019}} He was also given a three-year loan of the 1708 Huggins Stradivarius from the Nippon Music Foundation.
In 2010, Chen was signed by Sony Classical.{{cite web|title=New Sony signing: Ray Chen|url=http://www.gramophone.co.uk/classical-music-news/new-sony-signing-ray-chen|work=Gramophone|date=29 March 2010|accessdate=27 March 2011}} His first album with the label, Virtuoso, won him the Newcomer Award at the 2011 Echo Klassik Awards.{{cite web|title=Artist Biography|url=http://www.echoklassik.de/uploads/media/Ray_Chen_Bio_englisch.pdf|website=Echo Klassik}}
File: Ray Chen at NYC Apple Store (cropped).JPG in 2012]]
In 2012, Chen was invited to perform at the annual Nobel Prize Concert, playing Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto in G minor with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and Christoph Eschenbach.{{cite web|title=Ray Chen plays Bruch Violin Concerto 1st Mvt at Nobel Prize Concert in 2012|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5b1uhuY5uHE|website=YouTube.com|accessdate=2 September 2018}}
On Bastille Day in 2015, Chen performed live for an audience of 800,000 people at Champ de Mars. He was accompanied by the Orchestre National de France and Daniele Gatti.{{cite web|title= Violinist Ray Chen to play with Queensland Symphony Orchestra|url= https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/violinist-ray-chen-to-play-with-queensland-symphony-orchestra/news-story/4c59c1267d6b728bb03eaf0c19a05899 |website=Courier Mail}}
In 2016, Chen founded the Made in Berlin string quartet along with three string players from the Berlin Philharmonic, Noah Bendix-Balgley, Amihai Grosz, and Stephan Koncz.{{Cite web |last=Philharmoniker |first=Berliner |title=Made in Berlin {{!}} Berliner Philharmoniker |url=https://www.berliner-philharmoniker.de/en/about-us/orchestra/ensembles/group/made-in-berlin/ |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=www.berliner-philharmoniker.de |language=en}} In April of that year, Chen was the youngest juror ever of the Menuhin Competition.[http://menuhincompetition.org/jury-2016/ 2016 Jury], Menuhin Competition
In January 2017, Chen was signed by Decca Classics.{{cite web |title=Ray Chen Signs with Decca Classics |url=https://www.violinist.com/blog/laurie/20171/20939/ |website=VIOLINIST.COM |access-date=14 May 2021
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122011454/https://www.violinist.com/blog/laurie/20171/20939/ |archive-date=22 Jan 2021
|date=12 Jan 2017}} His first album with the label, The Golden Age, was nominated for an ARIA Music Award for Best Classical Album.
In the 2017/18 season, Chen was an “Artist Focus” for the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra.{{Cite web|url= https://www.rsb-online.de/en/artists/ray-chen-2/ |title=Ray Chen - RSB|website=RSB|language=en}} In 2018, he appeared on an episode of Amazon Prime’s television series, Mozart in the Jungle.{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7239060/characters/nm2636700 |title=Ray Chen - Mozart in the Jungle|website=IMDb|language=en}}
In November 2020, Chen opened the Golden Horse Awards ceremony.{{Cite web|url=https://focustaiwan.tw/culture/202011215002|title=2020 GOLDEN HORSE/The 2020 Golden Horse Awards|website=Focus Taiwan|date=21 November 2020 |language=en|access-date=2020-12-06}}
Instruments
Following short-term loans of both the Macmillan and Huggins Stradivarius violins, Chen was the recipient of the 1715 Joachim Stradivarius from the Nippon Music Foundation.{{cite web |title= Concert review: Young Aussie violinist Ray Chen shows why he's the darling of the concert halls |url= https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/concert-review-young-aussie-violinist-ray-chen-shows-why-hes-the-darling-of-the-concert-halls/news-story/d207938b10e0323ea1812460e6f957a5 |website=Daily Telegraph}} From 2019 to 2022, he played on the 1735 Samazeuilh Stradivarius from Nippon.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nmf.or.jp/|title=Recipients of Instruments|website=Nippon Music Foundation|language=ja|access-date=2019-11-04}}
On 12 September 2022, Chen announced that he had received the 1714 Dolphin Stradivarius, which was loaned by the Nippon Music Foundation for a year. The violin was formerly played by Jascha Heifetz.
Non-classical collaborations
On November 20, 2021, Sting’s song "What Could Have Been", featuring Chen, was featured in the third act of the League of Legends animated series Arcane; the single was released the same day.{{Cite web|last=Esguerra|first=Tyler|date=2021-10-26|title=Riot's Arcane soundtrack features Imagine Dragons, Sting, Denzel Curry, Pusha T, Bea Miller, and more|url=https://dotesports.com/league-of-legends/news/riots-arcane-soundtrack-tracklist|access-date=2022-02-04|website=Dot Esports|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|date=2022-02-03|title=Arcane: League of Legends - Every Song, Ranked|url=https://screenrant.com/arcane-league-of-legends-every-song-ranked/|access-date=2022-02-04|website=ScreenRant|language=en-US}} Both Sting and Chen opened The Game Awards 2021 with the song.{{Cite web|date=2021-12-10|title=The DeanBeat: The Game Awards and the game industry are back|url=https://venturebeat.com/2021/12/10/the-deanbeat-the-game-awards-and-the-game-industry-are-back/|access-date=2022-02-04|website=VentureBeat|language=en-US}}{{cite AV media | date = December 9, 2021 | title = THE GAME AWARDS 2021: Sting Performs "What Could Have Been" from Netflix's "Arcane" | type = YouTube | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1klbTzBQpk | access-date = February 11, 2022 | location = | publisher = The Game Awards}}
In 2022, Ray was one of the collaborators on Jay Chou's song and video, "Greatest Works of Art," which rose to number one in China and garnered over 500 million views on Weibo and other Chinese streaming services within 48 hours of release.{{Cite web |title=Superstar Jay Chou breaks records with new music - China.org.cn |url=http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2022-07/11/content_78316891.htm |website=www.china.org.cn}}
Other ventures
Chen is frequently noted for his online presence, being one of the first classical musicians of his stature to embrace social media.{{Cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/ray-chen-the-armanisponsored-virtuoso-violinist-who-is-a-social-media-star-20171027-gz9a2g.html |title=Ray Chen, The Armani-Sponsored Virtuoso Who is a Social Media Star|date=27 October 2017 }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/classical-music/meet-ray-chen-the-violinist-making-his-seattle-symphony-debut-whos-also-created-an-app-and-a-viral-video/|title=Meet the Violinist... Who's Also Created an App and Viral Video |date=2 November 2021 |language=en|access-date=2022-07-12}} He began making comedy videos on his Facebook page in 2014,{{cite AV media | date = March 9, 2014 | title = The daily Ray Chen wake up ritual #mornings #birthdayboy #pisces | type = Facebook | url=https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=689109721152452 |access-date=2022-07-12}} and soon began creating humorous content for his YouTube channel relating to violin playing and classical music. The YouTube classical music comedy duo TwoSetViolin cite Chen as an influence in their decision to start doing comedy on their channel and Chen has appeared on their channel numerous times.{{Cite web|url=https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/2010s-classical-music-decade-review/|title=10 ways the 2010s changed classical music forever|website=Classic FM|date=19 May 2014 |language=en|access-date=2020-02-07}} He continues to create content for Instagram and other social media platforms, and hosts both a Discord{{Cite web |last=Chen |first=Ray |date=25 March 2020 |title=X |url=https://x.com/raychenviolin/status/1243013800963518465 |website=X}}and Reddit community as well.
An ambassador for Sony Electronics, Chen is a music consultant at Riot Games and is in a multi-year marketing partnership with the Italian fashion house, Armani.{{Cite web|url=https://classicalpost.com/read/2020/2/3/how-to-cope-with-insecurity-as-an-artist-thanks-to-ray-chens-igtv-series|title=How to Cope with Insecurity as An Artist Thanks to Ray Chen's IGTV Series|date=31 May 2023 }} He has also been featured in Vogue Magazine, written a blog for RCS Rizzoli, and designed a violin case for Gewa.{{Cite web|url=https://www.gewamusicusa.com/item/.316.495.003/|title=| .316.495.003 | GEWA music USA|website=www.gewamusicusa.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://backstage.ravinia.org/posts/2017/7/24/the-vogue-violinist-from-the-small-town-down-under-makes-his.html|title=The Vogue Violinist from the Small Town Town Down Under makes his CSO Debut|date=24 July 2017 }}
In 2021, Chen launched an app with developer Rose Xi under the title Pocket Conservatory. Conceived as a community-building and practice motivation app for musicians, Pocket attracted 3,500 users immediately (with another 4,000 on the waitlist) in 117 countries. In 2022, Pocket rebranded as Tonic and continued to add users in preparation for a wider launch.{{Cite web|url=https://www.jointonic.com/blog/brand-new/ |title=The contest between harmony and re-invention|date=25 April 2022 |language=en|access-date=2022-07-12}}
Discography
=Albums=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
! style="width:29em;" | Title ! Album details |
| scope="row" | Stravinsky: Diversions - Music for Violin & Piano |
|
|---|
| scope="row" | Virtuoso
|
|
| scope="row" | Tchaikovsky & Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos (with Daniel Harding and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra) |
|
| scope="row" | Mozart: Violin Concertos & Sonata (with Christoph Eschenbach and the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra) |
|
| scope="row" | Ravel: Complete Orchestral Works (with Lionel Bringuier and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich) |
|
| scope="row" | The Golden Age
|
|
| scope="row" | The Song of Names (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) |
|
| scope="row" | Solace |
|
| scope="row" | Player 1 (with Cristian Măcelaru and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra) |
|
Awards and nominations
=ARIA Music Awards=
The ARIA Music Awards are presented annually from 1987 by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).
{{awards table}}
! {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
| 2018
| The Golden Age
| {{nom}}
{{end}}
=ECHO Klassik Awards=
The ECHO Klassik Awards was presented annually from 1994 until 2017 by the Deutsche Phono-Akademie.
{{awards table}}
! {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
| 2011
| Virtuoso
| Newcomer Award
| {{won}}
{{end}}
=''Forbes'' 30 Under 30=
In 2017, Chen was selected to be included in Forbes 30 Under 30 under the Entertainment and Sports category for Asia.{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/ray-chen/?sh=6ecdfb9c2135|title=Forbes 30 Under 30|website=Forbes |access-date=12 July 2022}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{official|https://www.raychenviolin.com/}}
- [https://www.camimusic.com/ray-chen Ray Chen - Columbia Artists Music]
{{Portal bar|Biography|Classical music}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chen, Ray}}
Category:Australian classical violinists
Category:Male classical violinists
Category:Aspen Music Festival and School alumni
Category:Curtis Institute of Music alumni
Category:Prize-winners of the Queen Elisabeth Competition
Category:Musicians from Brisbane
Category:Musicians from Taipei
Category:Taiwanese emigrants to Australia
Category:21st-century classical violinists
Category:21st-century Australian male musicians