Violinist Ray Chen has won the grand prize of the 2009 Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition in Brussels, Belgium, bringing him a €20,000 cash prize, numerous concert engagements, a recording, and a three-year loan of the “Huggins” Stradivarius from the Nippon Music Foundation. The 20-year-old Chen—an Australian born in Taiwan who is currently studying at Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute—was this year’s youngest competitor. He also is a first-prize winner of the 2008-09 Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York and of the 2008 International Yehudi Menuhin violin Competition in Wales. Chen’s performances in the U.S. during the 2009-10 season include recitals at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. in December and at Merkin Concert Hall in New York in January, as part of the Young Concert Artists Series.
Posted June 9, 2009
