Robert Chen 陳慕融, Violinist(小提琴家)
Robert Chen (陳慕融; pinyin: Chén Mùróng) is a Taiwanese-born violinist who is the Concertmaster of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Professor of Violin at Roosevelt University. He received Bachelor’s and Master’s of Music degrees from the Juilliard School, where he studied with Dorothy DeLay and Masao Kawasaki.
Born in Taipei, Taiwan around 1969,[2] Chen began studying the violin at the early age of seven. He immigrated with his family three years later to Los Angeles where he studied with Robert Lipsett. Chen advanced very quickly, debuting with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the age of twelve and participating in the master classes by legendary violinist Jascha Heifetz. Today he is an active musician, working with a number of ensembles and other projects. He has a personally-edited version of the violin part for Johannes Brahms first symphony, available through the online publisher Ovation Press.
His activities as a soloist include performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Northwest Symphony Orchestra, Moscow Philharmonic, New Japan Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan, Orchestra of the Komische Oper Berlin, NDR Orchestra of Hannover, and Bournemouth Symphony. In 2000 he made his Chicago Symphony Orchestra concerto debut with Maestro Daniel Barenboim. In 2003 he gave the Chicago Symphony orchestra premiere of the Elliott Carter Violin Concerto. Chen is a frequent guest at major music festivals including the Marlboro Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, La Jolla Summerfest, and the Schloss-Moritzburg Festival in Dresden, where he has collaborated with Emanuel Ax and Richard Goode. He also has toured extensively with Musicians from Marlboro. As a chamber musician, Chen has collaborated with Daniel Barenboim, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, and Yo Yo Ma, both at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and at Carnegie Hall in New York.
Chen has won top prize at the 1994 Hanover International Violin Competition and awards at the Taipei International Violin Competition (1988), National Young Musicians Foundation Debut Competition (1984), and Aspen Music Festival Concerto Competition (1986). He has recorded works by Tchaikovsky, including the famous violin concerto, with the Berlin Klassics label. Chen received an award at the Coleman Chamber Ensemble Competition in 1985 and is a founding member of the Johannes Quartet.
Robert Chen lives with his wife, Laura Chen, and is the father of two children, Beatrice Chen and Noah Chen.
陳慕融(Robert Chen)生於台灣，自幼聰慧，音感敏銳。七歲起習奏小提琴，之後隨家人移民美國，定居洛杉磯，繼續不斷學習，熱忱追求音樂更高之造，先後獲得Juilliard School音樂學士與碩士學位，師從 Dorothy Delay與 Masad Kawasak等人。
求學期間，陳慕融即嶄露頭角，先後贏得：漢諾威國際小提琴大賽音獎、國家青年基金會比賽獎、柯曼室內樂演奏比賽獎、艾斯本音樂節演奏比賽獎、台北國際小提琴大賽第二大獎、美國移民法律基金會所頒美國傳統獎等多項榮譽，聲譽鵲起，深受美國音樂樂壇矚目。1999年，陳慕融獲聘為「芝加哥交響樂團」首席小提琴手，誠然為台灣子弟打破該國歷史而獲之殊榮，深為各界所矚目，家鄉父老更為之欣慰不已。兩年陳慕融在該團表現優秀，深受指揮巴倫邦等名家之讚賞。
陳慕融同時活躍於國際音樂界，與聲譽卓越之音樂家馬友友、帕爾曼、祖克曼、巴倫邦等同台演出。並自多年前起與「洛杉磯弦樂團」、「莫斯科弦樂團」、「新日本弦樂團」等聯手演出，推展其璀璨之演奏生涯，並得到主流社會之肯定。除在「芝加哥交響樂團」演出外，陳慕融並為Johannes Quartet的創辦人之一，兼小提琴手。他也在芝加哥地區的「羅斯福大學」及「芝加哥音樂學院」任教，為音樂教育之推手。
陳慕融的音樂行旅遍及全世界，將美好的音樂傳播，帶給人們希望與信念，淨化心靈與社會。這位不斷受到喝采的青年音樂家，亦同時以學無止境之謙諴精神，繼續追求音樂演奏之更高境界。
身為由台灣移民來的台美人，陳慕融與海內外台灣樂壇互動十分良好。1983年南加州第二屆感恩節音樂會，陳慕融就在壓軸節目演奏紫可夫斯基小提琴協奏曲第三樂章，獲得三千位鄉親起立鼓掌。1985年陳慕融隨同北美文協室內樂團，在蕭泰然，許丕龍等人帶領下，前往新加坡演奏，1988年獲台北國際小提琴大賽第二大獎(第一大獎從缺)。1990年，陳慕融與台北市交響樂團赴東南亞巡迴演奏紫可夫斯基小提琴協奏曲。
(Information Source from www.tafawards.org.tw)
