SSO GALA: RAY CHEN

Charismatic, funny and undeniably skilled - Ray Chen, the wildly popular Taiwanese-Australian violinist has dazzled the violin world on stage, in reviews and on social media. In this third performance with us, he is joined by the combined orchestras of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and the Singapore National Youth Orchestra, in Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2. (Please note the change in programme from the previously announced Violin Concerto No.1).

Ray, who turns 30 this March, is distinctive in the world of classical music for his decidedly spontaneous and comical approach to social media, regularly engaging and winning audiences with his “virtuoso” antics and able-to-laugh-at-himself sense of humour. His winning personality can be seen on his YouTube, Facebook and Instagram channels. Ray recently also contributed a video congratulating the SSO on its 40th Anniversary.

This by no means belittles his skills as a top violinist. First Prize winner at the prestigious Yehudi Menuhin (2008) and Queen Elizabeth (2009) competitions, Ray has built a much-praised profile in Europe, Asia, and the USA as well as his native Australia. He has been featured in the Forbes list of 30 most influential Asians under 30, appearing in the major online TV series “Mozart in the Jungle”, a multi-year partnership with Giorgio Armani 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. Ray plays the 1715 “Joachim” Stradivarius violin on loan from the Nippon Music Foundation, an instrument once owned by the famed Hungarian violinist, Joseph Joachim (1831-1907).

http://www.sso.org.sg/