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Stories   >   Ahead of his Armstrong Auditorium date, Ray Chen stops by the Coca-Cola SW Beverages Porch to chat and play / News on 6

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Ahead of his Armstrong Auditorium date, Ray Chen stops by the Coca-Cola SW Beverages Porch to chat and play / News on 6

Posted: March 13, 2024

Violinist and online personality, Ray Chen redefines what it means to be a classical musician in the 21st century. With a global reach that enhances and inspires a new classical audience, Ray Chen's remarkable musicianship transmits to millions around the world, reflected through his engagements both online and with the foremost orchestras and concert halls around the world. Beyond the performing arts, his work has also contributed to philanthropy, popular culture and educational technology.

Initially coming to attention via the Yehudi Menuhin (2008) and Queen Elizabeth (2009) Competitions, of which he was First Prize winner, he has built a profile in Europe, Asia, and the USA as well as his native Australia both live and on disc. Signed in 2017 to Decca Classics, the summer of 2017 has seen the recording of the first album of this partnership with the London Philharmonic as a succession to his previous three critically acclaimed albums on SONY, the first of which (“Virtuoso”) received an ECHO Klassik Award. Profiled as “one to watch” by the Strad and Gramophone magazines, his profile has grown to encompass his featuring in the Forbes list of 30 most influential Asians under 30, appearing in major online TV series “Mozart in the Jungle”, a multi-year partnership with Giorgio Armani (who designed the cover of his Mozart album with Christoph Eschenbach) and performing at major media events such as France’s Bastille Day (live to 800,000 people), the Nobel Prize Concert in Stockholm (telecast across Europe), and the BBC Proms.

He has appeared with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Leipzig Gewandhausorchester, Munich Philharmonic, Filarmonica della Scala, Orchestra Nazionale della Santa Cecilia, Los Angeles Philharmonic, SWR Symphony, New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Berlin Radio Symphony, and Bavarian Radio Chamber Orchestra. He works with conductors such as Riccardo Chailly, Vladimir Jurowski, Sakari Oramo, Manfred Honeck, Daniele Gatti, Kirill Petrenko, Krystof Urbanski, and Juraj Valcuha.

More recently, Ray Chen co-founded Tonic, an independent startup that aims to motivate musicians and learners around the world to practice their craft together. Although new, the innovative app has cultivated a highly engaged and supportive community and is available to download on iOS and Android today. Ray Chen’s presence on social media makes him a pioneer in an artist’s interaction with their audience, utilising the new opportunities of modern technology. His appearances and interactions with music and musicians are instantly disseminated to a new public in a contemporary and relatable way. He is an ambassador for SONY Electronics, a music consultant for Riot Games - the leading esports company best known for League of Legends, and has been featured in Vogue magazine. He released his own design of a violin case for the industry manufacturer GEWA and proudly plays Thomastik Infeld strings. His commitment to music education is paramount, and inspires the younger generation of music students with his series of self-produced videos combining comedy, education 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 1714 “Dolphin” Stradivarius violin on loan from the Nippon Music Foundation. This instrument was once owned by the famed violinist, Jascha Heifetz. 

News on 6 writes….Classical Violinist Ray Chen Performs On The Porch Classical Violinist Ray Chen Performs On The Porch. The pandemic brought a lot of things into perspective for many of us, and classical violinist Ray Chen reminded him of the importance of sharing music. Chen came by the Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages Porch to perform ahead of his concert at the Armstrong Auditorium in Edmond. He said while many people associate classical music with being old and stuffy, his concert on Thursday will be an interesting mix of music. "It is a big variety of music, probably nothing you have ever heard before," Chen said.

Chen said he has played the violin since he was four years old and that the instrument has grown with him. He currently uses a violin that is more than 300 years old. His performance is at the Armstrong Auditorium at 14400 S Bryant Ave, Edmond, OK 73034, on March 14 at 7:30.

Chen also founded a music practice platform designed to make classical music more accessible to musicians all over the world. He said that, through his experience in music, he found that many people struggle to find the motivation to practice. He founded Tonic to encourage users and allow them to open live studios for their practice sessions and play for a supportive audience of peers, which he said is one of his biggest motivators. Users can set their own practice schedules, keep track of practice time to stay on track for their goals and earn badges and other rewards for their efforts. Founded during the pandemic, Chen said Tonic was built by music lovers for music lovers and allows them to see the joy of music come alive through the community.

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