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Ray Chen talks with Global Times about using social media to promote classical music

Instead the serious silhouette he presents at concerts, many non-hardcore fans' first impression of Chinese Australian violinist Ray Chen comes from the funny videos he posts on Facebook and SoundCloud.

The first prize winner of the 2008 International Yehudi Menuhin Violin Competition and the 2009 Queen Elisabeth Music Competition and the second ethnic Chinese musician to perform at the annual Nobel Prize Concert in 2012 following Chinese pianist Lang Lang, the 29-year-old violinist has become a classical music Internet celebrity of sorts with more than 2 million subscribers on audio sharing platform SoundCloud and more than 130,000 followers on Facebook.

From funny self-produced videos of him putting on little skits during routine violin practices to serious stage performances and online master classes, Chen's social media presence is packed with all kinds of content that shows off the artist's sense of humor and talent. One of his most-watched videos playing Johann Sebastian Bach's "Sarabande received more than 46,000 YouTube views - a relatively impressive figure for classical music videos. "For me, the goal was never to be a celebrity," the Taipei-born musician told the Global Times after the Beijing release party for his new album The Golden Age in mid-June.
Photo: John Mac        READ THE FULL Global Times ARTICLE