Ray Chen, violin, with Chelsea Wang, piano

“Colors dance, moods swing, and Chen’s artistry blazes.” (The Times) 

“Ray Chen can do pretty much anything he wants on the violin.” (The Washington Post)

Born in Taiwan and raised in Australia, Ray Chen was accepted to the Curtis Institute of Music at age 15 and captured the world’s attention as First Prize winner of both the Yehudi Menuhin and Queen Elizabeth Competitions. Profiled as “one to watch” by The Strad and Gramophone magazines, his profile has grown to be featured in the Forbes list of 30 most influential Asians under 30, and appearances in the TV series Mozart in the Jungle. He plays the 1715 “Joachim” Stradivarius violin, once owned by the famed Hungarian violinist, Joseph Joachim. 
 
Praised by the New York Times as an “excellent young pianist”, Chelsea Wang has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, in venues including Carnegie Hall, Kimmel Center’s Perelman Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin, Taipei National Concert Hall, and more. She has had the honor of playing for many notable musicians and chamber groups including Sir András Schiff, Richard Goode, Jonathan Biss, Miriam Fried, Leonidas Kavakos, and Emerson Quartet, among others.



PROGRAM:
Giuseppe Tartini: Violin Sonata in G Minor, B.g5 (“The Devil’s Trill”) (arr. Fritz Kreisler)
Camille Saint-Saëns: Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Minor, op. 75
Johann Sebastian Bach: Chaconne from Partita No. 2 in D Minor for Solo Violin, BWV 1004
Antonio Bazzini: La Ronde des Lutins, op. 25
Antonín Dvořák: Slavonic Dance No. 2 in E Minor, op. 72 (arr. Fritz Kreisler)
Pablo de Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen, op. 20