Ray Chen, the Taiwanese-Australian violinist who has become known as much for his successful social media persona as his sensational playing, has signed a record deal with Decca Classics. Chen will begin work on his first Decca release later this year.
‘I’m super stoked to be joining forces with the awesome team at Decca Classics,’ commented Chen. ‘We’ll be working together on a variety of projects which include the recordings of classic repertoire that everyone loves but I’m happy that I’ll have a partner which will help boost the multimedia side of things too.’
Speaking of multimedia, Chen also took time make this tongue-in-cheek video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=136&v=6x2bJXm6wJo
‘Not only is he a terrific performer with stunning virtuosity, he is also an extraordinary communicator – on stage, on record and online,’ said Dr Alexander Buhr, managing director of Decca Classics. ‘With his infectious energy and innovative approach, Ray is forging a new path for classical music in the digital sphere.’
Chen has over 10,000 followers on Twitter, more than 100,000 likes on Facebook and his SoundCloud account has an astonishing two million followers. Away from social media, he has won both Queen Elisabeth and Yehudi Menuhin Competitions, and released three successful albums on Sony.