Ray Chen

Ray Chen
Ray Chen at NYC Apple Store
Background information
Birth name	陳銳
Born	(1989-03-06) 6 March 1989 (age 28)  TaiwanTaipei, Taiwan
Genres	Classical
Occupation(s)	Violinist
Instruments	Violin

Ray Chen (born 6 March 1989 in Taipei, Taiwan) is a Taiwanese-Australian violinist. He was the first prize winner in the 2008 International Yehudi Menuhin Violin Competition and the 2009 Queen Elisabeth Music Competition and now records on the Sony Masterworks label.

Chen began learning violin at the age of four. Within five years he completed all 10 levels of the Suzuki Music Education (Suzuki method) in Queensland, Australia. Chen was invited to play solo with the Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of eight. He was also invited to perform at the opening celebration concert of the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

Ray Chen was chosen as Australia's 4MBS's "Young Space Musician of the Year" in 1999. He was awarded the Sydney May Memorial Scholarship of the Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB) for being the youngest and most talented musician. Chen was awarded his Licentiate Diploma of Music with distinction by the AMEB at age 11. At age 13, he won first prize in the Australian National Youth Concerto Competition (NYCC), and in 2005 won first prize in the 2005 Australia National Kendall Violin Competition. Professor Goetz Richter, chair of the String Unit at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music has described Chen as "one of the most talented and accomplished young violinists to have emerged from Australia."

In April 2008 Chen won the senior division first prize of the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists in Cardiff, Wales. In 2004 he won the Junior third prize. As winner of the 2008 International Yehudi Menuhin Violin Competition, Chen came to the attention of Maxim Vengerov, who served on the competition jury. Subsequently, he was engaged for performances including debuts with the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra in St. Petersburg and at the International Rostropovich Festival with the State Symphony Orchestra of Baku, Azerbaijan, under the baton of Vengerov.