As a close disciple of Mr. Lin Yiuji, renowned violinist Chen Yi will embark on a solo concert tour in 2024 in May. In this round of the tour, Chen Yi will visit Beijing, Shanghai, Weihai, Nanjing, Xiamen and other cities to stage the "Unbounded Realm" concert, which will conclude in October at Carnegie Hall in New York with pianist Rohan de Silva.
Violinist Chen Yi became famous at a young age and studied under Professor Lin Yaoji, a famous violin educator in mainland China. In 2008, he won the gold medal at the 2nd China International Violin Competition, which also became the last gold medal won for him by Professor Lam's former disciples. From the "Golden Bell Award" to the "China International Violin Competition", she has won almost many youth competition awards of the same age, and is an eye-catching musician in today's music scene, with her highly personalized performance and enthusiastic stage charm are praised.
As the European Classical Music Journal commented: "Chen Yi's unique voice has an indescribable charm, which irresistibly penetrates into the hearts of every listener." Contemporary violinist Maxim Vengerov called "Chen Yi a violinist full of talent and musical mission". It is this well-known and powerful violinist in the Chinese and foreign classical music circles who has been absent from the domestic music scene for five years, and the last time was back in 2019 when he performed Bruch's Scottish Fantasia with the China Symphony Orchestra.
In recent years, Chen Yi, who has faded from the limelight of classical music in China, has skillfully combined her music career with administrative skills. She has been the Chief Operating Officer of Shar Music for 10 years. Founded in 1962, Shar Music has been the backbone of the Bow String Company, providing musicians around the world with the highest quality instruments, bows, strings and string-related products.
From studying abroad to starting a family and running a business, Chen Yi has worn many roles, being a talented daughter, a smart wife, a resilient mother and a successful entrepreneur. This year, at the age of 40, she is eager to pick up the violin again, with a pure love for the stage, to show the domestic audience the infinite possibilities of life. Talking about this concert, Chen Yi said, "My wish is that everyone can have zero contact with classical music, and I hope to analyze the profound meaning of this art in the language of the public." Art should be lived, and life should be art, this is what my mentor Lin Yaoji has always taught. This concert is also Chen Yi's way of paying tribute to her mentor and reaffirming her artistic career.
In the upcoming "Unbounded Realm" concert, Chen Yi will select the most technically challenging and artistically expressive works of each era. Each piece is a tribute to the violin's diversity, and each note crosses borders and eras, telling the stories and historical imprints of different cultures. Talking about the selection, Chen Yi said, "We will perform works by composers from many countries from 1834 to 1982. The repertoire follows the concert selection style of the violinists of the 1910s, with a large span and a majority of technical repertoire, and composers such as Ernst, Wagsmann and Sarasati have dabbled in it. It can be said that the repertoire style spans romance, jazz and tango, showing the diversity of the violin as an instrument in more dimensions. ”
It is worth mentioning that Chen Yi will explain the interesting stories behind each track in a new storytelling format. This innovative form of expression combines music and narration to provide the audience with an audio-visual and artistic experience.
Text/Beijing Youth Daily reporter Tian Wanting
Editor/Gong Lifang