“With Ms. Chen willing an intoxicating, expressive line, come what may.” — The New York Times
Born in 1974 into a musical family in Shanghai, China, Ms. Chen started her violin studies at age four under the guidance of her father, a professor of violin at the Shanghai Conservatory, and her mother, a violinist with the Shanghai Philharmonic. She gave her first public performance at age seven, soon after the Shanghai Conservatory admitted her as their youngest student in history. Having attracted international attention as a winner at the Prague Spring International Music Competition in 1987 at age thirteen, Ms. Chen has performed extensively throughout Asia, Europe and North America.
Prior to joining the New Jersey Symphony, Ms. Chen was a founding member of the Vega String Quartet. During her seven seasons with the group, as the first violinist, the group marked its place in the chamber music world. Their appearances included Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center (Mostly Mozart), Schneider Series, Museum d'Orsay of Paris, Aspen Winter Concert Series, Chamber Society Concert Series of Monterey Bay and La Jolla concert series among others. They also served as the quartet-in-residence at the Van Cliburn Institute and on the artist roster for Carnegie Hall’s New York City Neighborhood Concert series. Her chamber music awards indicate four of the total six prizes from the 1999 Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition in France, including the Grand Prize of the International Music Critics; first prize at the Coleman Chamber Ensemble Competition and first prize at the Carmel Chamber Music Competition. Her performances with the quartet have been heard on NPR’s “Performance Today,” the National Radio of China, France, Germany and the Czech Republic. Ms. Chen recorded the very first recording of John Carpenter’s String Quartet under the Naxos Record label. Her last season with the quartet included a complete Beethoven String Quartet Cycle as well as concert tours in USA and Germany.
Ms. Chen’s solo credits include: top prize of the 4th national Violin Competition of China; first prize of the Violin Competition of the National Society of the Arts and Letters in USA; a jury’s choice award in the Pablo De Sarasate International Violin Competition in Spain; Solo performances with the Shanghai Philharmonic, the Shanghai Soloists’ Orchestra, and the Florida Philharmonic; as well as a solo recording with the YinXiang Record of Shanghai. Ms. Chen has been broadcast on National Radio and TV of France, National Radio of Spain, Radio Shanghai and New York’s WQXR Radio for “The McGraw Hill Company’s Young Artists Showcase.” Ms. Chen has been a frequent guest artist of the Highlands Music Festival, the Rockport Music Festival, and the Kingston Music Festival.
Holding a master’s degree from the Juilliard School, a performance certificate from the Shanghai Conservatory and a bachelor’s degree in music from the Harid Conservatory, Ms. Chen’s major teachers include Glenn Dicterow, XinZhi Chen and Lina Yu. She also studied with Sir Norbert Brainin of the Amadeus String Quartet. |
