Jiebing Chen

Jiebing Chen is one of the foremost erhu virtuosos in the world based on her mastery of the classical Chinese repertory and her award-winning contemporary innovations. As a soloist with Chinese, American, and European orchestras she was the first to bring the erhu into the symphonic concert hall. She has performed in partnership with some of the most notable jazz and world music artists of our time. She received a Grammy nomination for Best World Music Album for her jazz improvisations with Bela Fleck and Vishwa Bhatt.

Ms. Chen began performing at 5 in her native Shanghai. Her talent was saved during the Chinese Cultural Revolution when, at age nine, she was taken into the Chinese Navy Orchestra. There she played the lead instrument in the orchestra that accompanied Madame Mao’s “model operas”. She was the youngest performer to be named National First Rank Performing Artist; the highest honor the Chinese Government award to artists.

Ms. Chen graduated with top honors from the Shanghai Conservatory and received a master’s degree in music theory from the State University of New York in Buffalo.