Erhu Soloist
Jiebing Chen is an internationally acclaimed erhu virtuoso and one of the most influential artists to bring the erhu into global classical and contemporary music contexts. She is renowned for her mastery of the traditional erhu repertoire as well as her pioneering cross-cultural and contemporary work.
Chen was among the first musicians to present the erhu as a featured solo instrument in Western symphonic concert halls. She has appeared as soloist with major orchestras including the Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and orchestras throughout Europe and Asia.
Her collaborations span classical, jazz, world, Indian classical, and contemporary music. She has worked with artists such as Béla Fleck, Max Roach, Jon Jang, Vishwa Bhatt, and L. Subramaniam. Her recording Tabla Rasa received a Grammy nomination for Best World Music Album. With over 20 internationally released albums, she is the most recorded erhu artist in the world.
Born in Shanghai, Chen began performing at age five and graduated with top honors from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. She won First Prize in China’s National Competition of Traditional Instruments and was the youngest recipient of the title National First Rank Performing Artist, China’s highest artistic honor. She later earned a Master’s degree in Music Theory from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
In addition to her performance career, Chen is a dedicated educator, bringing a broad, international perspective to erhu instruction, encompassing traditional technique, orchestral performance, contemporary repertoire, and improvisation.