Violinist Ray Chen / Courtesy of Lotte Foundation for Arts
Ray Chen is serious about bridging people with classical music. The Taiwanese Australian violinist is one of the most active YouTubers among star instrumentalists in his generation. A recent video features him playing “Soda Pop” from the Oscar-winning animation “KPop Demon Hunters.” He also founded the app “Tonic” to help musicians from all over the world connect and share effective ways to practice.
Ahead of a recital in Seoul on June 4 at Lotte Concert Hall, Chen gave a written interview on The Hankook Ilbo. “Even if one is not a concertgoer, a familiar tune played in a way unheard before can make one stop scrolling and pay attention. In that moment of surprise — ‘K-pop on the violin?’ — a door opens.”
The 37-year-old made his mark by winning the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists in 2008 and the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2009. Since then, he has remained active on the international stage, performing with major orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, the London Philharmonic Orchestra and many others.
He is also a classical music influencer with more than 2 million followers on social media. “Short-form content can show hundreds of thousands within seconds that classical music is not something old and confined to museums, but something alive and breathing,” Chen said. “Because of how algorithms work, they keep serving more content, and at some point, people find themselves drawn into classical music.”
Violinist Ray Chen plays for Korean singer IU. Captured from Ray Chen's social media
The Curtis Institute-trained musician started on the violin at age 4 and by the time he was 8, he was already playing in international stages. “I realized that the violin could be a key to opening new worlds. This became my purpose in life,” Chen said.
What he describes as “pure joy” also stems from this sense of “connection.” He added, “Just as spectators at a sports game share emotions, I try not to lose awareness of the audience when I perform.
That sense of connection extends beyond the concert hall. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he co-founded the practice platform Tonic, where musicians around the world could share their practice sessions in real time and encourage one another. It was an attempt to transform what can often be an isolated, individual activity into a shared experience.
At the same time, he continues to lower the barriers to classical music by sharing a wide range of content on social media. “Classical music is an art form that has continuously adapted through every technological era,” he said. “To create a connection between today’s audiences and composers, we need to understand the lifestyles and habits that shape how people experience music.”
Source: Korea Times News
