Executive & Artistic Director
Thor Steingraber
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Ray Chen, Violin
Chelsea Wang, Piano
Thu | Oct 30 8pm
Run time: approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes, including a 20-minute intermission
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Generously underwritten by the Colburn Foundation
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Program
TARTINI Sonata in G minor, Devil’s Trill Sonata (arr. Fritz Kreisler)
SAINT-SAËNS Violin Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 75
Ia. Allegro agitato
Ib. Adagio
IIa. Allegretto moderato
IIb. Allegro molto
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Intermission
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BACH Chaconne from Partita No. 2 in D minor for Solo Violin, BWV 1004
BAZZINI Scherzo fantastique, Op. 25, La Ronde des Lutins (Dance of the Goblins)
DVOŘÁK Slavonic Dance No. 2 in E minor, Op. 72 (arr. Fritz Kreisler)
DE SARASATE Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20, Gypsy Airs
Join the Journey:
2025–26 Season at The Soraya
Each Soraya season is a journey. A word that suggests many meanings, a journey can be far from the here and now, an exploration of what’s new or novel, a return to timeless themes and ideas that are affirming beyond being familiar.
When we imagine this journey, a year or more in the planning, you are always on our minds — the many audiences from the Valley and beyond, with varied tastes and interests, unique cultures and communities, and a wide range of life experience.
The 2025–26 Season journeys farther than any previous: the nightlife of Lisbon, Buenos Aires, and Mexico City; the daily life of West Africa; the spiritual realms of Alice Coltrane and Duke Ellington; the masterworks of Brahms and the megahits of Quincy Jones; and much more.
Program Note
The Soraya’s chamber concerts and recitals have become so popular that they often sell out. However, we don’t want to diminish the intimacy by expanding the footprint of these beloved concerts, as this special experience is offered first as a benefit to our Members who have exclusive early access to seats.
It is a great privilege we all share to experience these internationally acclaimed artists at such close proximity. Tonight is a perfect example. Ray Chen is rising in the ranks of the world’s busiest artists, and he is also a champion for music education, using social media to reach younger generations.
Thanks is owed to our Members for their loyalty, and to artists like Ray Chen for choosing to spend a precious day here amidst their busy globetrotting schedules.
Gratefully,
Thor Steingraber
Executive and Artistic Director,
Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts
Ray Chen
Violinist and online personality Ray Chen redefines what it means to be a classical musician in the 21st century. With a global reach that enhances and inspires a new classical audience, Chen’s remarkable musicianship transmits to millions around the world, reflected through his engagements both online and with the foremost orchestras and concert halls around the world. Beyond the performing arts, his work has also contributed to philanthropy, popular culture and educational technology.
Since winning first prize at the Yehudi Menuhin (2008) and Queen Elisabeth (2009) competitions, Chen has built a profile in Europe, Asia, the United States, and his native Australia, both live and on disc. Signed in 2017 to Decca Classics, he released his first album of this partnership with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 2018 as a succession to his previous three critically acclaimed albums on SONY, the first of which (“Virtuoso”) received an ECHO Klassik Award. Profiled as “one to watch” by The Strad and Gramophone magazines, Chen was also featured in the Forbes list of 30 most influential Asians under 30. He has appeared in major online TV series “Mozart in the Jungle,” a multiyear partnership with Giorgio Armani (who designed the cover of his Mozart album with Christoph Eschenbach), and performed at major media events, such as France’s Bastille Day, the Nobel Prize Concert in Stockholm (telecast across Europe), and the BBC Proms.
Chen has appeared with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Leipzig Gewandhausorchester, Munich Philharmonic, Filarmonica della Scala, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Los Angeles Philharmonic, SWR Symphony, New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Berlin Radio Symphony, and Bavarian Radio Chamber Orchestra. He works with conductors such as Riccardo Chailly, Vladimir Jurowski, Sakari Oramo, Manfred Honeck, Daniele Gatti, Kirill Petrenko, Krzysztof Urbanski, and Juraj Valčuha.
More recently, Chen co-founded Tonic, an independent startup that aims to motivate musicians and learners around the world to practice their craft together. The innovative app has cultivated a highly engaged and supportive community. With more than a million followers on Instagram, he is also a presence on social media. Chen’s appearances and interactions with music and musicians are instantly disseminated to a new public in a contemporary and relatable way. His commitment to music education is paramount and inspires the younger generation of music students with his series of self-produced videos combining comedy, education, and music. Through his online promotions, his appearances regularly sell out and draw an entirely new demographic to the concert hall.
Chen is an ambassador for SONY Electronics, a music consultant for Riot Games, a leading esports company best known for League of Legends, and has been featured in Vogue magazine. He released his own violin case design for industry manufacturer GEWA and proudly plays Thomastik-Infeld strings.
Born in Taiwan and raised in Australia, Chen was accepted to the Curtis Institute of Music at age 15, where he studied with Aaron Rosand and was supported by Young Concert Artists.
This year, Chen began a new chapter in his musical journey, exploring the world of rare violins and play-testing 24 Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesùs (and counting). Among them, a 1727 Stradivarius has become one of his favorites so far and is the instrument he currently performs on. Chen’s previous instrument was the 1714 “Dolphin” Stradivarius — once owned by Jascha Heifetz — on loan from the Nippon Music Foundation.
Chelsea Wang
Praised by The New York Times as an “excellent young pianist,” Chelsea Wang is an award-winning soloist, chamber musician, and educator who has performed extensively across North America, Europe, and Asia. Her appearances include Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Merkin Hall, Kimmel Center’s Perelman Theater, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, The Phillips Collection, Guarneri Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin, Munich’s Allerheiligen-Hofkirche, Warsaw Philharmonic Chamber Hall, Seoul Arts Center, Taipei National Concert Hall, Weiwuying National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts, and Hong Kong City Hall.
Wang is a prizewinner and finalist in numerous national and international competitions, including the Seoul International Music Competition, Washington International Competition for Piano, and New York International Piano Competition.
Wang made her orchestral debut at the age of 6 and has since performed with ensembles such as the Fort Worth Symphony, Des Moines Symphony, New Orleans Civic Symphony, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony, Northwestern University Chamber Orchestra, and musicians from the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, among others. She has appeared at major festivals including Music@Menlo, Ravinia Steans Institute, Bravo! Vail, Tippet Rise, Music Academy of the West, Orford, PianoTexas, Fontainebleau, Music from Angel Fire, Four Seasons, Banff, Amalfi Coast, and Norfolk Chamber Music Festival.
A dedicated chamber musician, Wang has performed as a guest artist with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Manhattan Chamber Players, Buffalo Chamber Music Society, Hong Kong Intimacy of Creativity, and the Samos Young Artist Festival. She has collaborated with leading artists such as David Shifrin, Ida Kavafian, Ani Kavafian, Anne-Marie McDermott, David Finckel, Roberto Díaz, Paul Neubauer, Dimitri Murrath, Peter Wiley, and Bright Sheng. Wang’s performances have been broadcast on NPR’s From the Top, WQXR (New York), WFMT (Chicago), WHYY (Philadelphia), WSMR (Sarasota, Florida), and other regional stations, as well as on Rob Kapilow’s What Makes It Great.
As a passionate and enthusiastic educator, Wang serves on the faculty of the Music@Menlo Chamber Music Institute’s Young Performers Program and has led numerous interactive performances in schools and community venues throughout New York City and across the United States.
A native of West Des Moines, Iowa, Wang began piano studies at age 4 with Chiu-Ling Lin and Ksenia Nosikova. Wang earned her bachelor’s degree at the Curtis Institute of Music under the tutelage of Meng-Chieh Liu and Ignat Solzhenitsyn, where Wang received the Sergei Rachmaninoff Award upon graduation. She holds a Master of Music degree and Graduate Performance Diploma from the Peabody Conservatory, studying with Leon Fleisher and Yong-Hi Moon, and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts at Northwestern University with James Giles. Wang is also an alumna of Ensemble Connect, the fellowship program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and the Weill Institute. She is based in New York City.
The Soraya
The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya/Producer) is an award-winning, state-of-the-art 1,700-seat theater that opened in 2011 as the Valley Performing Arts Center. Through a transformative gift by Younes and Soraya Nazarian, the venue was renamed The Soraya in 2017. The Soraya is located on the campus of California State University, Northridge, the intellectual and cultural heart of the San Fernando Valley.
Executive and Artistic Director Thor Steingraber, in his 12th year leading the organization, sums up what makes The Soraya a central piece of Los Angeles arts and culture. “At The Soraya, we hold a high standard of excellence for every performance from a vast array of artistic disciplines, and we hold steadfast to our commitment to the value and impact of the performing arts in community-building, for the Valley’s 1.8 million residents and beyond.”
The Soraya’s 2025–26 Season is a journey through the expansive sounds of orchestras, the freestyle vibes of jazz, the innovations of dance luminaries, and a vast array of global voices. The Soraya continues its vigorous commitment to excelling, innovating, and amplifying access for Valley residents, students, and arts lovers across Southern California.