Tuesday February 7th, 2012    6:30pm - 9:30pm

Details

The fast-rising violin star Ray Chen, often referred to as “Downtown Virtuoso”, celebrates the worldwide release of his first-ever orchestral album with a rare New York City appearance at (Le) Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker Street). “Classical music is often put on a pedestal and admired from afar”, says Ray Chen. “I love bringing it downtown, mixing it with fashion, digital technology, urban lifestyle, and – gasp! – pop culture. I love seeing my fans’ faces and making them smile.” This performance, featuring a selection of Ray Chen’s favorite works, will be streamed live nation-wide by NPR and internationally on his Facebook page which has thousands of followers across the globe. During his visit to New York, the violinist will also spend a day with students of M. S. 180, a public middle school in the Bronx, teaching under the auspices of Education Through Music. “I want to tell the kids about the ways my parents tricked me into practicing... And why I am now so glad they did,” says Ray Chen. He will also make a surprise appearance at the Apple store on W 67th Street and Broadway where he will showcase some of his favorite apps.

The new album is released by Sony Masterworks as a follow-up to the critically acclaimed “Virtuoso”, an award-winning solo recording that propelled Ray Chen to international stardom in 2011. For this new record Ray teamed up with the Swedish Radio Orchestra and conductor Daniel Harding. It features two of the most famous Romantic masterpieces in the violin repertoire: the Tchaikovsky and the Mendelssohn (E minor) concertos. His interpretations of these works led to his triumph at the 2008 Yehudi Menuhin International Competition and the 2009 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. “These concertos are my lucky charms,” says Ray Chen. “Maybe I bring something new and fresh to them. Some say recording them is a huge milestone, and I felt ready for it.” Alongside his technical mastery, many critics are impressed with the maturity of Ray Chen’s playing. In the words of the Chicago Tribune: “He is an exceptional talent.”

2012 is an exciting year for Ray Chen. He will become the youngest soloist of the Nobel Prize Concert in Stockholm in December. He will also return to the prestigious Aspen, Verbier and Dresden festivals, and perform with the world’s top orchestras including Montreal Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic and Gewandhaus.

Ray Chen was born in Taiwan and grew up in Australia. At the age of eight he was invited to play solo with the Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra, and in 1998 performed at the opening celebration concert of the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. At the age of 15 he was accepted for studies with Aaron Rosand at the Curtis Institute of Music. Ray Chen plays the 1721 “Macmillan” Stradivarius, which was part of his award as winner of the 2008–09 Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York.

Location: Le Poisson Rouge

Address: 158 Bleeker Street, NYC